The Rev. Al Sharpton joined a group of people today (Apr. 2) who spoke out about an incident involving the son of Czar Entertainment founder Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond and G-Unit member Tony Yayo.According to reports, Yayo, allegedly backhanded the 14-year-old boy for wearing a Czar Entertainment T-shirt and shouted curse words towards the company on Mar. 20, as the boy headed to his internship at Czar Entertainment. Yayo, born Marvin Bernard, was later booked on Mar. 25 on one count of misdemeanor assault and one count of endangering the welfare of a minor and was released on $5,000 bail. He is scheduled to return to court on Apr. 25.The boy is the son of Rosemond, an industry executive who manages Compton, CA rapper The Game and has a well known rivalry with 50 Cent and G-Unit.Rosemond’s son accused 50 Cent of ordering the attack, charges 50 Cent has denied and dismissed as false. Today (Apr. 2), protesters picketed outside the Manhattan offices of the Universal Music Group, with signs that read "ban 50 Cent" and "save your children." Sharpton, city Councilman Charles Barron, Ramirez’s ex-girlfriend and son Stephanie Hires and Stiles Ramirez, Czar executive Bryce Wilson, Cynthia Reed (mother of Rosemond’s son) and others appeared during the press conference and denounced 50 Cent, Tony Yayo and other associated with the rappers. Sharpton referenced the death of Busta Rhymes’ bodyguard Israel Ramirez, as well as several violent altercations, since he hosted a "peace summit" in Mar. 2005 at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.The conference was held after the rivalry between 50 Cent and G-Unit ended with one man associated with The Game being shot in front of New York’s Hot 97, while Violator’s W. 25 St. office (on the same street as Czar Entertainment’s offices) was subsequently riddled with bullets"I’m not here to take sides, I’m here to say that all sides are letting us down and need to come down to the table again and create a level of decency and respect for the communities that has been the basis of your wealth," Sharpton said. "We put the ‘I.N.G.’ in your bling bling [and] have no choice but then to try and [take] ‘the’ “I.N.G.” out your bling bling by withdrawing our support commercially of your records and your use of airwaves.” Cynthia Reed, the mother of Rosemond’s 14-year-old son, called on various business partners of G-Unit like Marc Ecko, Vitamin Water, adidas/Reebok, to condemn Yayo’s actions or be faced with a boycott. She called on Universal Music Group Chairman and CEO Doug Morris and Interscope Records’ founder and CEO Jimmy Iovine to condemn Yayo’s action and asked 50 Cent: “are you a business man or are you running a mob?” Stephane Hires, an ex-girlfriend of Ramirez, had a child with Busta Rhymes’ slain bodyguard Israel Ramirez. Police are seeking to question Yayo in the murder of Ramirez, who was shot and killed on Feb. 6 on the set of of Rhymes’ "Touch It (Remix)" video shoot, during an altercation between a group of men associated with Yayo and an entourage connected to superstar producer Swizz Beatz. Police believe the gunman who murdered Ramirez was with Yayo and that the G-Unit rapper may have fled in the same vehicle as the gunman. While Swizz Beatz and Yayo have made amends, Ramirez’ murder remains unsolved because of a lack of cooperation from the rappers and various witnesses, according to police. Along with her six-year-old son, Hires condemned Yayo’s actions.“We shouldn’t have to be here today, but unfortunately due to an act of senseless violence we are," Hires said. "This young man [her son] Stiles Ramirez is why I am here. You may have forgotten, but I can’t and he won’t, that his father was senselessly murdered at a video shoot on Feb. 6, 2006. Young men today face many obstacles already. As a community we have to take responsibility and protect them from harm."City Councilman Charles Barron also expressed his outrage at the abuse of a child and the escalating violence within the rap community."It is out of control," Barron said. "We gotta deal with the police who are out of control. Then we gotta deal with some of our own people who are out of control. I’m on the side of black youth who should be able to walk this community without being abused because of some foolishness that adults who are making bling, money, whatever you’re making, you shouldn’t even be involved in dealing with beefs that will lead to more death and destruction of our people. Let’s use Hip-Hop for liberation and revolution, and not foolishness.” Sharpton called for a sit down to resolve the issue."Am I blaming a specific person for this beating, I don’t know. I know he [Rosemond’s son] didn’t beat himself. I don’t know who killed her husband [Israel Ramirez]. I know he didn’t commit suicide. Something is going on and we need to be responsible enough and courageous enough to address that. I appeal to all sides to let us sit down. I’ll go anywhere, anytime, meet with anybody, to try and bring about some level of accord and some level of respect. Because these ultimately are our kids.” 50 Cent denied any connection to the incident in a statement issued to AllHipHop.com on Sunday (Apr. 1). “I have authorized an independent investigation of the incident to determine whether anyone associated with G-Unit Records was involved in the confrontation," 50 Cent said. "I must state for the record, that I was at my home in Farmington, Connecticut the entire day completing songs for my new album.”
The
Rev. Al Sharpton joined a group of people today (Apr. 2) who spoke out about
an incident involving the son of Czar Entertainment founder Jimmy "Henchmen"
Rosemond and G-Unit member Tony Yayo.According
to reports, Yayo, allegedly backhanded the 14-year-old boy for wearing a Czar
Entertainment T-shirt and shouted curse words towards the company on Mar. 20,
as the boy headed to his internship at Czar Entertainment. Yayo,
born Marvin Bernard, was later booked on Mar. 25 on one count of misdemeanor assault
and one count of endangering the welfare of a minor and was released on $5,000
bail. He
is scheduled to return to court on Apr. 25.The
boy is the son of Rosemond, an industry executive who manages Compton, CA rapper
The Game and has a well known rivalry with 50 Cent and G-Unit.Rosemond’s
son accused 50 Cent of ordering the attack, charges 50 Cent has denied and dismissed
as false. Today
(Apr. 2), protesters picketed outside the Manhattan offices of the Universal Music
Group, with signs that read "ban
50 Cent" and "save your children." Sharpton,
city Councilman Charles Barron, Ramirez’s ex-girlfriend and son Stephanie
Hires and Stiles Ramirez, Czar executive Bryce Wilson, Cynthia Reed (mother of
Rosemond’s son) and others appeared during the press conference and denounced
50 Cent, Tony Yayo and other associated with the rappers. Sharpton
referenced the death of Busta Rhymes’ bodyguard Israel Ramirez, as well as several
violent altercations, since he hosted a "peace summit" in Mar. 2005
at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.The
conference was held after the rivalry between 50 Cent and G-Unit ended with one
man associated with The Game being shot in front of New York’s Hot 97, while Violator’s
W. 25 St. office (on the same street as Czar Entertainment’s offices) was subsequently
riddled with bullets"I’m
not here to take sides, I’m here to say that all sides are letting us down and
need to come down to the table again and create a level of decency and respect
for the communities that has been the basis of your wealth," Sharpton said.
"We put the ‘I.N.G.’ in your bling bling [and] have no choice but then to try
and [take] ‘the’ “I.N.G.” out your bling bling by withdrawing our support commercially
of your records and your use of airwaves.” Cynthia
Reed, the mother of Rosemond’s 14-year-old son, called on various business
partners of G-Unit like Marc Ecko, Vitamin Water, adidas/Reebok, to condemn Yayo’s
actions or be faced with a boycott. She
called on Universal Music Group Chairman and CEO Doug Morris and Interscope Records’
founder and CEO Jimmy Iovine to condemn Yayo’s action and asked 50 Cent: “are
you a business man or are you running a mob?” Stephane
Hires, an ex-girlfriend of Ramirez, had a child with Busta Rhymes’ slain bodyguard
Israel Ramirez. Police
are seeking to question Yayo in the murder of Ramirez, who was shot and killed
on Feb. 6 on the set of of Rhymes’ "Touch It (Remix)" video shoot, during
an altercation between a group of men associated with Yayo and an entourage connected
to superstar producer Swizz Beatz. Police
believe the gunman who murdered Ramirez was with Yayo and that the G-Unit rapper
may have fled in the same vehicle as the gunman. While
Swizz Beatz and Yayo have made amends, Ramirez’ murder remains unsolved because
of a lack of cooperation from the rappers and various witnesses, according to
police. Along
with her six-year-old son, Hires condemned Yayo’s actions.“We
shouldn’t have to be here today, but unfortunately due to an act of senseless
violence we are," Hires said. "This young man [her son] Stiles Ramirez
is why I am here. You may have forgotten, but I can’t and he won’t,
that his father was senselessly murdered at a video shoot on Feb. 6, 2006. Young
men today face many obstacles already. As a community we have to take responsibility
and protect them from harm."City
Councilman Charles
Barron also expressed his outrage at the abuse of a child and the escalating
violence within the rap community."It
is out of control," Barron said. "We gotta deal with the police who
are out of control. Then we gotta deal with some of our own people who are out
of control. I’m on the side of black youth who should be able to walk this
community without being abused because of some foolishness that adults who are
making bling, money, whatever you’re making, you shouldn’t even be involved
in dealing with beefs that will lead to more death and destruction of our people.
Let’s use Hip-Hop for liberation and revolution, and not foolishness.”
Sharpton
called for a sit down to resolve the issue."Am
I blaming a specific person for this beating, I don’t know. I know he [Rosemond’s
son] didn’t beat himself. I don’t know who killed her husband [Israel
Ramirez]. I know he didn’t commit suicide. Something is going on and we need
to be responsible enough and courageous enough to address that. I appeal to all
sides to let us sit down. I’ll go anywhere, anytime, meet with anybody, to
try and bring about some level of accord and some level of respect. Because these
ultimately are our kids.” 50
Cent denied any connection to the incident in a statement issued to AllHipHop.com
on Sunday (Apr. 1). “I
have authorized an independent investigation of the incident to determine whether
anyone associated with G-Unit Records was involved in the confrontation,"
50 Cent said. "I must state for the record, that I was at my home in Farmington,
Connecticut the entire day completing songs for my new album.”
