while watching Mos Def alongside Dr Cornel West on the Bill Maher show
but that was just the tip of the iceberg... while many so-called black leaders were still in the dark, Mos was one of the (very) few rappers to travel to Jena, Louisana to take part in the initial Jena 6 protest, and subsequently organized a nationwide school walk out to continue to seek justice for them.
according to renowned hip hop pundit, Davey D, "a couple of months after that Mos Def went to San Francisco and put on a benefit concert to raise money for the SF8 who he feels are being unfairly prosecuted and railroaded for crimes they were aquitted of over 3o years ago.Mos not only put on a full fledged 3 hour concert complete with a dope back up band, but he also held a standing room only town hall meeting in one the housing projects in the Filmore section of SF to bring attention to this issue. He had two of the SF8 on stage with him. "
comparing Mos to 1940's actor, singer and activist Paul Robeson, Davey says "What makes Mos Def's situation so unique is that he's a popular rap star who has appeared in a number of Hollywood feature length films.
Him making such remarks could potentially be the kiss of death to his career and he really may wind up like Paul Robeson and be permanently blackballed. However Mos seems unbothered as he continues to speak out on what he sees as wrong"
in a time when most artists' moves are made solely to benefit themselves, Mos was more concerned with what was best for US as a whole. as he said at the end of the magnificent protest remix Katrina Clap, "Don't talk about it, BE about it!"...
that's what's up.
peace,
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