The Supreme World
Council of the Universal Zulu Nation will hold an emergency meeting Feb. 22 to
address what the group feels is an imbalance of Hip-Hop played on radio and TV
stations.
Expected to appear
at the meeting to support the Universal Zulu Nation and founder Afrika Bambataa
include Hip-Hop activists Kevin Powell, Davey D, Rosa Clemente and April Silver;
rapper KRS-One; the Temple of Hip-Hop, educator and filmmaker Martha Diaz; Public
Enemy frontman Chuck D; photographer Ernie Paniccioli; Rock Steady Crew member
Crazy Legs.
According to representatives
for the Universal Zulu Nation, Bambaataa hopes steps will be taken to bring
consciousness back to Hip-Hop.
"We are not
saying to stop playing what you are playing on the air or showing on the TV,
but to have balance and play it all, old-school to new-school to be true school,"
representatives for Bambaataa said in a statement.
The group hopes
a plan of action will be devised to curtail "death and destruction playing
on radio and TV music video shows."
The coalition of
artists and activists hope to stop being scared to expose "record labels,
radio stations, TV Hip-Hop shows or whatever shows that show us in a BS vision
of just being pimps, playas, gangsters and hoes, straight up n######, wiggers
or any other derogatory words that they use and we use to call ourselves."
The emergency meeting
starts at 6 p.m. at the National Black Theater, 125th Street and Fifth Ave.
in New York City.
The Universal Zulu
Nation was formed in the 1970’s by Africa Bambaataa.