Essay 174

Columbus Day Weekend MultiCultClassics Minutes…

• “I can’t front. I don’t have a lot of respect for 50 Cent because his music is hardcore...violent...And I love his music sometimes, but I feel like in his personal life, his real life, he carries that on, and that’s not a great message, you know what I mean? I think he promotes it,” said Lil’ Kim. Just before she went to the slammer for lying about a shootout involving members of her entourage.

• Speaking of rappers with arsenals, Jay-Z plans to outdo the competition. The retired rapper is seeking to buy a stake in London’s Arsenal soccer club. Players are looking forward to some serious post-game parties.

• New Orleans police officers were caught on videotape beating a 64-year-old Black man; plus, the cops also knocked around an Associated Press producer and cameraman. Three officers were suspended pending investigations for using excessive force on the old man. But they may be eligible for commendations for manhandling the AP folks.

• Media giant Reuters is taking a beating from former employees filing bias lawsuits. Black and Asian American staffers charged Reuters with a variety of alleged acts of abuse and discrimination — from telling jokes about a Black man’s penis to a manager referring to his own semen as “milkshake.” Somebody send some New Orleans cops to Reuters’ headquarters pronto.