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It’s In NY #5

Time for some ACTION!
Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way…you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.
Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC)

Time for some ACTION! The bravest people are those willing to take risks, especially for the sole benefit of others. The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network honored Magic Johnson, Kanye West, Steve Stoute, and Debra L. Lee for being brave supporters of the Hip-Hop community at the ACTION Awards.

HSAN (Hip-Hop Summit Action Network) recently concluded its financial empowerment tour around the country with the ACTION Awards. The organization is managed by Valeisha Butterfield, with the former president of the NAACP Dr. Ben Chavis serving as co-chairman, and was founded by Hip-Hop pioneer Russell Simmons. The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers was the ideal venue for the ACTION Awards. A strong light needs to be cast on the problems facing the Hip-Hop Community like H.I.V., homelessness; and a light should be shone on those fearlessly fighting to solve these problems. Valeisha Butterfield demanded that, “it is our responsibility to blow the roof off the issues that are going on…to speak up and to be proud, say no this isn’t right.”

Camera, Lights, Action! Debra L. Lee, president and Chief Operating Officer of Black Entertainment Television, reminded us that BET was on the air a year before MTV, and was the first to play R&B and hip-hop videos. She ensures BET, reaching over 78 million homes, covers important issues H.I.V., Anti-Violence, and education.

From baller to businessman, Magic Johnson’s full off-the-court and in the boardroom ACTION is simply amazing. Many might have thought after revealing he had contracted H.I.V. he would stay out of the limelight. Magic just concluded a 10-city tour educating the community on H.I.V. “The downfall of black people has been that we can’t work together…if we can work together we can bring about change,” Magic said before promising to have his foundation join forces with HSAN. Magic Johnson’s Starbucks and AMC (Loews) are providing jobs and revitalizing retail in communities that many companies have ignored.

Legendary DJ Kid Capri feels homelessness is serious problem. “There is more than enough money to take these people off of the streets and admitted to being a women’s rape counselor” Capri stated.

A lot of artists are just along for the check, never even taking a second to comment on important issues. Kanye West uses his popularity to speak and provoke ACTION. “Hip-hop artists need to take action. Period,” Kanye beamed. Perhaps his confidence and his lack of fear to be himself can be misconstrued as arrogance. “I apologize to God for being afraid, because at that point I’m not putting faith in him,” he admitted in his acceptance speech. Those in attendance were in awe of Kanye, even rap king Rev. Run of Run-DMC felt, “I appreciate him [Kanye]. I don’t know if he knows, but I honor younger rappers” (Run-DMC) to bring hip-hop to a place where we are unified and a force to be reckoned with, and to bring us to a place where people respect us.”

If there is ACTION behind the scenes of the Hip-Hop business it can be accredited to Steve Stoute. Stoute steered rapper Nas’s career to soaring heights. He is the man partially responsible for Jay-Z’s Reebok deal, and countless other corporate/hip-hop marriages, including Beyonce’s True Star fragrance with Tommy Hilfiger. We should take ACTION on many fronts, especially with teenagers. Stoute indicated that, “with teenagers, if you get them at the right time, you can be very pivotal for them to make the right decisions.” ACTION is needed to make sure main stream corporations respect the power of Hip-Hop culture. Corporations, Stoute assures, “are really trying to find ways to work with their brand messages to authentically connect with the African-American audience.” As co-owner of the divine Carol’s Daughter beauty line with Will & Jada Smith and Jay-Z, Stoute works hard to make Hip-Hop mainstream. Steve laughed, “My parents still don’t know what I do.” Well Steve, we do.

Every ACTION has an equal and opposite reaction. If you do nothing, nothing will get done.

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By Stephanie Taylor on 10/27/2006[read on] [2 comments]

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