Essay 264

MultiCultClassics Minutes presents Goodbye Rapper Tuesday…

• Up-and-coming rapper Steven Zorn accidentally killed himself while playing with a pen gun he thought was jammed. Zorn was celebrating an impending record deal when he allegedly shot himself in the head. Note to up-and-coming rappers: Getting shot gives you street cred, but not if you shoot yourself.

• Rapper Ran Rover is over too. His decomposing corpse was found in a car along with another dead body in Miami. Authorities refused to disclose any details. But it’s unlikely he died of natural causes. Although the natural causes of death for rappers is an ever-evolving category.

• The children and sisters of a Black woman killed during race riots in York, Pennsylvania will get a $2 million settlement from the city. What’s the catch? The murder happened in 1969. Justice delayed is justice denied. Or just a typical day in York, Pennsylvania.

• Dave Chappelle is rising from the dead. Comedy Central plans to air a few episodes featuring sketches produced before the comedian quit. “We thought it was time to start unearthing the material we had,” said a network executive. Especially since D.L. Hughley’s show sucks so bad.

• Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld complained the media is too negative in its coverage on the conflict in Iraq. Well, Rumsfeld is certainly an expert on being negative. At the same time, he’d be hard-pressed to present positive news from the war.

• Ford Motor Company will stop advertising in gay publications. The automaker insisted it was a business decision, but critics claim Ford bowed to pressure from conservative Christian groups. Can’t imagine gays will be upset to no longer see the contrived campaign featuring Chairman and CEO Bill Ford.

• Expect to see more advertising on the silver screen. Spending for marketing in movie theaters rose 18% last year, and analysts predict significant and steady increases for years to come. However, Ford will no longer run spots in gay theaters.