NC Activist Calls for Black Friday Boycott

NWSF.com



Durham NC --Black Friday is a day when folks, traditionally, get up at 5AM and rush to the closest department store that they can find, trampling anything that stands between them and a $10 iPOD. This Black Friday is also the day that a NC activist is calling for a "Black-out of Ignorance."

Tired of the current state of Hip Hop, Paul Scott, a Durham NC minister and activist is calling for a Black Friday boycott of rap music that promotes anti-intellectualism from November 27th through January 1st (the end of Kwanzaa.)



According to Scott, there seems to be an effort by the entertainment industry to "dumb down" American children, especially African Americans, using some forms of rap music. Ironically, much of this type of Hip Hop is produced by his fellow southerners.



"For the last decade, the worst form of rap music has originated below the Mason Dixon line," says Scott, who refers to the sub genre as "Hee Haw Hip Hop."



However, this has not always been the case. Although, most people associate Hip Hop with New York and California, the South has a long association with the music.



Southern Hip Hop was started in the early 80's by a rapper known as Shy D who recorded mostly party tunes. He was followed by Luke "Skywalker" Campbell and the 2 Live Crew, who pushed the limits of the First Amendment with their combination of Hip Hop and hedonism. Southern Hip Hop also had a brief period of socially conscious rap courtesy of groups such as Outkast and Goodie Mob during the mid 90's.



However, the political Hip Hop was soon replaced by something called southern "Crunk Music" which was pioneered by Steve Gottlieb's TVT Records and groups such as Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz and the Ying Yang Twins. This trend, which Scott calls "Operation Dumb Down" continues today with Down South rappers such as Gucci Mane and Plies, whose songs are in heavy rotation on radio stations across the country.



"Every time that I hear Gucci Mane on the radio, I think my IQ drops a couple of points," says Scott, who recently launched the "Intelligence Over Ignorance" Campaign; an effort to combat the climate of anti-intellectualism prevalent in today's pop culture.



As part of the campaign, Scott is urging parents to purchase either socially conscious Hip Hop or books for their children instead of Hee Haw Hip Hop this holiday season.



"This year we should give away knowledge, which is, really , the gift that keeps on giving," says Scott.



Scott is author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com and first gained national attention in 1998, when he led a ,successful , national campaign against Phat Boy Malt Liquor and in 2003 when he protested rap star Nelly's "Pimp Juice" energy drink.



For more information on the Intelligence Over Ignorance Campaign visit http://www.ioimovement.com or call (919) 451-8283