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Cali Episode # 4 I Meet Lorenzo

Obama Camp Takes Over MySpace Page

by A.man.I

Barack Obama's presidential campaign decided it was time to take over Obama's MySpace page. Apparently a Los Angeles supporter named Joe Anthony was running the site up until now. He had worked closely with the campaign, the Obama's camp became concerned about content control and the responses going out under the presidential hopefuls name. Read more about it here.

Obama's MySpace page.

Check Deez

by A.man.I

Check deez hot blogs.

AfroSpear - A thinktank blog about the African diaspora.

Acting White "Acting White explores the difficult and taboo subjects influencing racism, and Black under performance."

Electronic Village "The Electronic Village is a 'virtual village' created in the African tradition with an eclectic collection of insights, input and information."

Football Stars Working to Raise HIV Awareness

by A.man.I

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens have teamed up to raised money, and awareness for the AIDS crisis in Africa. The two are hosting a thee-day event in July to raise 100-thousands dollars for HIV and Alzheimer's disease research.

T.O. was unable to attend the press conference that was held at his home near Atlanta, but Osi, and his brother Jim say this mission is close to their hearts.

For more information visit www.strike4acure.com.

Watch below.

Urban Headlines

by A.man.I

-Minorities Jailed More Often then Whites During Traffic Stops.
A federal study found that Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites are pulled over by police equally, but minorities are more likely to be searched and arrested.

-NAACP Wants to Bury the N-Word
The NAACP plans to hold a funeral for the controversial n-word at the civil rights organization's national conference in July.

-Protests for Darfur
Thousands of people protested in London demanding action against the crisis in Darfur.

CNN to Explore Unsolved Crimes Against Blacks

by A.man.I

CNN is examining 75 civil rights cases that the F.B.I. has decided to reopen. Each involves unsolved crimes against African Americans during the 50's and 60's.

The special airs Sunday on CNN at 7pm.

A Heart For Kids

by A.man.I

Sandra Denenga knows first hand how devastating the AIDS epidemic in Africa is. Her brother, and sister-in-law died from the disease, leaving her niece orphaned. Denenga decided to do something, and started Heart4kids.org, a non-profit to help orphans in her native country, Zimbabwe.

Watch her interview below.

Atlanta Police Plead Guilty!

by A.man.I

I smelled foul when I heard the story of Kathryn Johnston. Atlanta police shot and killed her during a drug raid gone bad. Looks like two of the officers are accepting responsibility for their actions. Two of them have pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges.

Here's what neighbors had to say about the incident after it happened.

HBO Presents: The Trials of Darryl Hunt

by A.man.I

HBO is airing the story of Darryl Hunt. He was sentenced to life in prison at age 19 for killing a Winston-Salem newspaper reporter, but he didn't do it.

The documentary airs tonight on HBO at 8pm.
Watch the trailer below.

If it doesn't play click here.

Rush Limbaugh Disrespects Obama

by A.man.I

Rush Limbaugh is hatin. Check out Afro-Netizen.

Is Hip Hop Getting a Bad Rap?

by A.man.I

Hip Hop business mogul Russell Simmons, says radio stations should ban rap songs that contain the n, b, and h-words. In the wake of the Imus controversy, the media has shifted it's attention now to rappers who have in many respects paved the way for all the current criticism, but is censorship the solution?

It's hard to dispute the complaints against some rap music. Ever since tha West Coast gangstafied the genre, it seems the lyric content, subject matter, and language has become more offensive, and negative. The hip-hop tree, however, has so many branches, it would be unwise to generalize or stereotype the art form.

There's holy hip-hop, conscious rap (i.e. Common, and Lupe Fiasco), and dance rap that has folks snappin their fingers and walkin' it out, and there's plenty of independent rap music that can be found all over the Internet. The voices are plentiful, the music is diverse, and it's ever changing.

I will admit, that as a 15-year old high school student I was literally shocked the first time I heard EZ E's EZ Does It, and Too Short. My parents certainly didn't approve of the music, but listening didn't turn me into a gangsta, or a dope dealer.

There is something to be said to the critics who want to hear a more positive side of hip-hop. The spoken word is powerful. More powerful than many probably realize, but in America people have the constitutional right to say what they feel, and it is entertainmet.

Personally, this issue extends far beyond rap music. There are also plenty of folks, like myself, who would like to see more positive stories of black folks on local news. Will it happen? Probably not. Unfortunately, for now, negative sells, both records, and news ads. Until consumers stop buying, and tuning in, the record labels, radio stations, and mainstream media will keep giving you what they think you want.

Have You Shot The Rapper?

by A.man.I

If you're a frequent MySpace user, then you've probably seen the advergames that invite you to play a silly video game to win a prize, which is often some kind of free ringtone. An advergame, if you haven't figured it out, is an advertisement disguised as a video game, and one in particular has stirred up a little controversy.

The game features a rapper that looks a lot like 50 Cent, and the ad asks you to "shoot the rapper." I saw it about a week or so ago. Though I thought it was a bit inappropriate, I went on with my MySpace business and didn't think about it until now.


It seems others have noticed the ad. Now, AllHipHop.com is criticizing MySpace for running it, especially in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings.

I'm not sure if MySpace is still featuring the ad, but if you catch it lemme know and lemme know me what you think.