(Akiit.com) His baby sister said it best via an old Joni Mitchell sample in one of her hits from the late ’90s: “You don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.” Now, nine months after Michael Jackson’s sudden death at age 50, Sony, his longtime label, is ready to cash in on the music the superstar left behind. Of course, this move is nothing new. Several pop artists have sold more records and made more money dead than alive: Elvis, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin chief among them.

But Michael, whose record sales and business contracts set unprecedented benchmarks when he was here among us, continues to break records after his death. Sony just announced that the King of Pop’s estate has signed a $200 million guaranteed contract for 10 projects over seven years. The deal, good through 2017, could be worth up to $250 million if certain conditions are met. An album of previously unreleased material is supposed to hit stores in November, just in time for the holidays. Other future projects may include a DVD compilation of his classic videos, a video game and a reissue of perhaps his most satisfying album, 1979’s Off the Wall.

This new deal comes as no surprise, given that Michael has sold more than 31 million albums worldwide since his death in June. And it’s not a stretch to say that even after the man closed his eyes for the last time, he has helped to resuscitate an ailing industry. That was certainly the case in 1982 when Thriller, the biggest blockbuster album of all time, hit the streets and sold more than 20 million copies within the first year. The industry was in a sad state then, as record sales lagged and pop was undecided about where to go. Then came Michael, the former Motown prince, with a sound that braided together all the loose strands of the previous decade: disco, punk and funk. His pop amalgamation was fresh, vivacious, a sonic revolution. Also at the same time, he turned the music video into an art form just as MTV was born. And when the cable station threw shade at videos from people of color, it was Michael and mighty Sony (then known as CBS) who kicked down the door.
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(Akiit.com) Shirley Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924, in the city of Brooklyn, NY to the proud parents of Charles and Ruby St. Hill. As a child, she was an exceptionally brilliant student in school. While attending Girls High School, which was located in Brooklyn, NY, she excelled in a variety of subjects. She graduated in 1942, and enrolled at Brooklyn College, where she majored in sociology.

While attending Brooklyn College, Chisholm occasionally encountered hateful acts of racism, but she openly fought against them. On one occasion at Brooklyn College, all of the black students were denied admittance into a social club on campus, so Chisholm in turn, formed an alternative club. With academic honors, she graduated in 1946, but because it was so difficult for black college graduates to find employment, it would take her a little time to find a job. After being denied employment on several occasions, she would obtain employment at Mount Calvary Childcare Center, which was located in Harlem, NY.

In 1949, she married a Jamaican by name of Conrad Chisholm. They both participated in local politics, and would soon form the Bedford-Stuyvesant political league. Chisholm not only dealt with politics, but she also dealt with early childhood education. From 1959-1964, she worked with the New York City bureau of child welfare.

In 1964, she won a seat in the state assembly, and served in the New York General Assembly from 1964 to 1968. In 1968, after serving a term in the legislature, Chisholm campaigned in pursuit of representing New York’s Twelfth Congressional District. She would win the election and become the first African American woman to ever be elected to Congress. Chisholm was a strong believer in women rights, so she hired an all-female staff during her first term in Congress.
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(Akiit.com) Washington DC — Determined to stop the entertainment industry from portraying negative images of black men and women, the “Enough is Enough!” Campaign will hold its first rally and demonstration at the Washington DC residence of Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO, Black Entertainment Television Networks.

The demonstration will take place this Saturday, September 15th, at 1:00 p.m.

A press conference will be held at the site of the rally, 2800 McGill Terrace, NW, Washington, DC at 2:00 p.m.

Community leaders are fed up with derogatory media images of black men and women. People of conscience and concern are encouraged to come out in support of this effort.

The global marketing of negative images and stereotypes has created an environment in which portrayals of black men as “pimps, players, gangsters, thugs, drug dealers, etc…,” and black women as “strippers, whores, and objects for sexual exploitation” are becoming mainstream, acceptable images in the American popular imagination.
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(Akiit.com) Why do we constantly listen to music that insults our intelligence? Why do we watch television shows that degrade the human race? This generation, for some unforeseen reason, is interested in topics that are entertaining yet embarrassing to society.

I watched R. Kelly’s popular hip-hop soap opera “Trapped in the Closet” and was completely disgusted at his use of cynical entertainment.

For those of you who are not familiar with this disgrace to hip-hop culture, it revolves around the over-usage of adultery and deception. Since the recent release of Chapters 13 through 22 in the series, many people still watch the misfortunes of several people who are connected in the plot.

Since the entire story line is focused on adultery, the characters do not have to concentrate on real acting skills, because the attention is on the cheating and lying.

This wastes production time and money is because it makes African-American adults look like lying, cheating and unprosperous people.
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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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