if people buy into John Cornyn's scheme to win the Senate seat.
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/1717598/detail.html
Hip-Hop Activists Rally For Kirk Campaign
Candidate To Crowd: Your Vote Is Powerful
POSTED: 3:23 p.m. CDT October 13, 2002
DALLAS -- Hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons wants to see Ron Kirk in the U.S. Senate.
So on Saturday, the godfather of hip-hop culture used his imposing power to encourage the hip-hop community to vote for Kirk in the Nov. 5 election.
Simmons, a New York native who founded Def Jam Records, chose Dallas for his third Hip-Hop Summit, largely in an effort to support Kirk's bid for the Senate.
"It's a race we can win and it's one of the most important races coming up now," Simmons said after addressing a throng of young would-be musicians for a get-out-the-vote rally. "And it's a hell of a statement for the whole country."
Attendants listened eagerly to the messages of Simmons, U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, Dallas-based rapper D.O.C. and the Rev. Benjamin F. Muhammad before rushing to Simmons and his entourage with samples of their own music, clamoring for a Def Jam record deal.
A local radio station pumped Ludacris, Nelly and Lil' Flip tunes through the auditorium.
"He's a brother that I know can make a difference in this state and for this state," Simmons said.
New York and Los Angeles hosted the two previous summits.
"The fact that you have people in office who, even though we may not understand everything that's said on those hip-hop records, at least we know what hip hop is and at least we're going to answer the phone when you call," Kirk said to the crowd.
"Your vote is powerful, your vote is your voice and your vote can make a difference in this election," he said.
Kirk pleaded for the vote of the young voters attending the summit.
"For the first time in a long time next January, we'll have a U.S. Senate without Jesse Helms without Strom Thurmond and without Phil Gramm," Kirk said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. I need your help. I am asking for your help."
David Beckwith, spokesman for Kirk's opponent Nov. 5, Republican John Cornyn, said the campaign didn't have a comment.
Simmons concurred that the hip-hop community can make a difference in the election.
"Eighty percent of people that buy rap music are not African-American," Simmons said. "The hip-hop coalition is a rainbow coalition and it's the first one I've ever seen when I look back on our history that's real.
"When Run DMC got on MTV there were no black people except Michael Jackson and now, it looks like all of America. That's a real opportunity," he said.
The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, national coalition of Hip-hop artists, entertainment executives, civil rights and community leaders, youth and grassroots activists, policymakers, researchers and business leaders.
The group's mission is to "support hip-hop freedom, justice, equality, and empowerment for all based on the principles of freedom of speech, music and art creativity and the universality of humanity."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66046,00.html
Friday, October 18, 2002
FORT WORTH, Texas — Ron Kirk, trying to become the first black U.S. Senator from Texas, lashed out at Texas Attorney General John Cornyn's campaign for criticizing Kirk's attendance at a hip-hop summit with rap artist D.O.C., a friend of the group that performed "F... tha Police.''
Kirk, a Democrat, accused his Republican opponent Thursday of using his race against him in their intense battle for Senate.
The state's largest law enforcement group, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, originally circulated a press release asking Kirk to disavow support from D.O.C.
The group N.W.A. performed "F... the Police,'' a song that advocates violence against racist police officers. D.O.C. does not perform in the song, but has appeared on other songs by the group and by Dr. Dre, one of N.W.A.'s former members.
Cornyn's campaign continued the criticism Wednesday in an e-mail, which included a photograph of Kirk with hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons.
The e-mail contained a photo of Kirk shaking hands with the Def Jam Records CEO, and above the photo was an expletive-filled remark from Simmons defending gangsta rap.
"The question you have to ask them is why they're doing this,'' Kirk said. "I think they are doing everything they can to very subtly try to frighten people away from looking at my background and my credentials and trying to interject racial politics in a negative way into this campaign.''
Cornyn's spokesman, Dave Beckwith, said Kirk's accusations are false.
"He is the one who's introducing racial politics into the campaign,'' Beckwith said. "This is not about race in any way. It's about advocating violence against women and killing police officers.''
Kirk said the rap summit event he attended Saturday was a get-out-the-vote rally.
"The only thing they were encouraging young people to do is go vote,'' Kirk said. "And I would hope that, whether in an overt or non-subtle way, that John Cornyn isn't suggesting that these young people don't have a right to be interested in the political life of our communities.''
Kirk made the comments to reporters after he and Cornyn spoke separately to hundreds of mayors and town leaders at a conference of the Texas Municipal League.
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/1717598/detail.html
Hip-Hop Activists Rally For Kirk Campaign
Candidate To Crowd: Your Vote Is Powerful
POSTED: 3:23 p.m. CDT October 13, 2002
DALLAS -- Hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons wants to see Ron Kirk in the U.S. Senate.
So on Saturday, the godfather of hip-hop culture used his imposing power to encourage the hip-hop community to vote for Kirk in the Nov. 5 election.
Simmons, a New York native who founded Def Jam Records, chose Dallas for his third Hip-Hop Summit, largely in an effort to support Kirk's bid for the Senate.
"It's a race we can win and it's one of the most important races coming up now," Simmons said after addressing a throng of young would-be musicians for a get-out-the-vote rally. "And it's a hell of a statement for the whole country."
Attendants listened eagerly to the messages of Simmons, U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, Dallas-based rapper D.O.C. and the Rev. Benjamin F. Muhammad before rushing to Simmons and his entourage with samples of their own music, clamoring for a Def Jam record deal.
A local radio station pumped Ludacris, Nelly and Lil' Flip tunes through the auditorium.
"He's a brother that I know can make a difference in this state and for this state," Simmons said.
New York and Los Angeles hosted the two previous summits.
"The fact that you have people in office who, even though we may not understand everything that's said on those hip-hop records, at least we know what hip hop is and at least we're going to answer the phone when you call," Kirk said to the crowd.
"Your vote is powerful, your vote is your voice and your vote can make a difference in this election," he said.
Kirk pleaded for the vote of the young voters attending the summit.
"For the first time in a long time next January, we'll have a U.S. Senate without Jesse Helms without Strom Thurmond and without Phil Gramm," Kirk said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. I need your help. I am asking for your help."
David Beckwith, spokesman for Kirk's opponent Nov. 5, Republican John Cornyn, said the campaign didn't have a comment.
Simmons concurred that the hip-hop community can make a difference in the election.
"Eighty percent of people that buy rap music are not African-American," Simmons said. "The hip-hop coalition is a rainbow coalition and it's the first one I've ever seen when I look back on our history that's real.
"When Run DMC got on MTV there were no black people except Michael Jackson and now, it looks like all of America. That's a real opportunity," he said.
The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, national coalition of Hip-hop artists, entertainment executives, civil rights and community leaders, youth and grassroots activists, policymakers, researchers and business leaders.
The group's mission is to "support hip-hop freedom, justice, equality, and empowerment for all based on the principles of freedom of speech, music and art creativity and the universality of humanity."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66046,00.html
Friday, October 18, 2002
FORT WORTH, Texas — Ron Kirk, trying to become the first black U.S. Senator from Texas, lashed out at Texas Attorney General John Cornyn's campaign for criticizing Kirk's attendance at a hip-hop summit with rap artist D.O.C., a friend of the group that performed "F... tha Police.''
Kirk, a Democrat, accused his Republican opponent Thursday of using his race against him in their intense battle for Senate.
The state's largest law enforcement group, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, originally circulated a press release asking Kirk to disavow support from D.O.C.
The group N.W.A. performed "F... the Police,'' a song that advocates violence against racist police officers. D.O.C. does not perform in the song, but has appeared on other songs by the group and by Dr. Dre, one of N.W.A.'s former members.
Cornyn's campaign continued the criticism Wednesday in an e-mail, which included a photograph of Kirk with hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons.
The e-mail contained a photo of Kirk shaking hands with the Def Jam Records CEO, and above the photo was an expletive-filled remark from Simmons defending gangsta rap.
"The question you have to ask them is why they're doing this,'' Kirk said. "I think they are doing everything they can to very subtly try to frighten people away from looking at my background and my credentials and trying to interject racial politics in a negative way into this campaign.''
Cornyn's spokesman, Dave Beckwith, said Kirk's accusations are false.
"He is the one who's introducing racial politics into the campaign,'' Beckwith said. "This is not about race in any way. It's about advocating violence against women and killing police officers.''
Kirk said the rap summit event he attended Saturday was a get-out-the-vote rally.
"The only thing they were encouraging young people to do is go vote,'' Kirk said. "And I would hope that, whether in an overt or non-subtle way, that John Cornyn isn't suggesting that these young people don't have a right to be interested in the political life of our communities.''
Kirk made the comments to reporters after he and Cornyn spoke separately to hundreds of mayors and town leaders at a conference of the Texas Municipal League.
