(Akiit.com) It would seem a daunting task to step out of the shadow of a man known to his fellow countrymen as “the black president.” But Femi Kuti, son of Nigerian Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, has managed to embrace his father’s legacy while rising to stardom in his own right. Combining his father’s funk- and jazz-infused African highlife music with elements of dance and the occasional house beat, Femi has helped bring Afrobeat into the 21st century — collaborating with the likes of Mos Def, Common and Macy Gray, among others.

Ten years after his father’s death from AIDS, the 46-year-old singer/sax player continues to live and raise his family in Lagos, the Nigerian capital. He’s reopened his father’s legendary nightclub, the Shrine, which was shut down by the government in the 1980s, and plays free shows several nights a week.

Though politically active like his father, Femi has recently taken a Bob Dylan–like retreat from public life — eschewing overt political action in favor of spending time with his family and letting his music speak for him. This comes in the wake of years of public proclamations against democracy — a position no doubt birthed by the election of Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. A former Nigerian military dictator known for brutally squashing political dissent, Obasanjo routinely harassed and arrested Femi’s father for his political activity during the 1970s, and his soldiers were responsible for the murder of Femi’s grandmother.
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(Akiit.com) I was recently watching a panel on sexism in Hip-Hop and one of the topics mentioned was how black women feel Black men no longer love them. I believe a quote attributed to Jill Scott asking, “Who loves us?” became central to the dialogue.

As a Black male, I want to make it very clear that I love and respect Black women. As with all men, I have my flaws. Often hearing I have been or am a “sexist,” I would rather position myself as what I like to call a “recovering sexist.” Through no fault of my father’s, I have been sexist for a long time. I remember being as young as nine arguing with my father about why men should not clean bathrooms or do dishes. Even after becoming more aware of myself as a Black man in America, I retained many of it’s ugly precepts. As I entered my adult life, I converted to Islam and married a beautiful Black woman. Years later, she gave birth to a wonderful son and the three of us grew spiritually and mentally. However, it was not until my daughter was born that I could truly see how extremely sexist I still was and how far I had to go.

Sexism, very much like racism, has very sublime expressions that are not always seen in a Nelly video, a Lil’ Jon record or a television show by Snoop Dogg. The truth is sexism is an ugly beast. Sexism can be in the condescending smile I give my wife when we play chess. It can also be in the frustration I feel when she wins!

As a man, you must first take responsibility for your shortcomings. My sexism did not spring from my father or Hip-Hop. I own the sexism in me and I work to fix it. Unlike Don Imus, I will not say “I am confused by the line of sexism, because all these rappers and their lyrics.” So to listen to anyone suggest that Black men or Hip-Hop is the sole factor creating a degrading environment for Black women, is insane. Equally, Black men must accept the role they do play in this explosive trend. Only after accepting the role we play in the degradation of women can black men become the great force needed to reverse this shameful trend.
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(Akiit.com) I am a rising junior at Spelman College. I am writing to encourage and solicit participation in what is becoming a national campaign to combat the negative, one-dimensional, stereotypical and misogynistic manner in which Black Entertainment Television portrays black men and women.

Let me first explain how and why this campaign was started. A professor at Spelman, Tarshia Stanley, is truly the reason and the foundation. My experiences with Dr. Stanley literally changed my life because her class, “Images of Women in the Media,” showed me a very progressive and critical way of interpreting and analyzing the media and several other agents of socialization.

Dr. Stanley birthed an interest in me regarding images of women in the media, particularly problematic images, during my first semester at Spelman. In seven minutes, a film demonstrated more than I could have learned in years — it featured various clips from cable television (but mostly from BET) of black women and men in very compromising and even disgusting ways.
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(Akiit.com) Hi-Five lead singer Tony Thompson was found dead yesterday (June 1) in his hometown of Waco, Texas.

Sources told Akiit.com that Thompson’s body was found outside of an apartment complex around 10:00 pm.

He allegedly died of drug overdose, but the cause of death has to be confirmed.

Thompson and Hi-Five hit #1 with 1990’s “I Like The Way (The Kissing Game),” which was produced by R&B/Hip-Hop producer Teddy Riley and taken from the group’s debut, Hi-Five.
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(Akiit.com) With all the talk about Hip Hop activism, I have to ask, “Where is women’s activism within Hip Hop?” From my vantage point, what the recent Don Imus affair brought painfully to light is that generally, Black women within Hip Hop are to be ogled in music videos, insulted in the name of free speech and discussed by pundits, but rarely are they given access to the major media outlets that would allow them to accurately represent themselves, their images and ideas.

There are indeed Hip Hop generation women in our communities working to empower their sisters, however in the main there are no concerted efforts, locally or nationally, to address the issues of race, class and gender that create the environments that allows Black male rap artists and a White radio show host (both supported by large corporations) to call Black women ho’s in our mainstream media. It is this lack of critical analysis that recently gave New York City police sergeants, at two different precincts license to call women ho’s. At the 70th Precinct in Brooklyn three policewomen, two Black women and one Latina, were called ‘hos during roll call. Adding insult to injury, a fellow officer interjected that the correct term was “nappy, headed ho’s.” It should not be a surprise that this is the same precinct where the infamous assault of Abner Louima took place.
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