Essay 483

From rap to rent to renewal to religion in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Notorious B.I.G.’s fans will have a tougher time enjoying the late rapper’s “Ready To Die” album. A federal judge has forbidden all future sales of the music because the title track ripped off an Ohio Players tune without permission. Sean Combs and Bad Boy Entertainment were found guilty of illegally using the music, with a jury awarding $4.2 million in damages. Ironically, if the verdict survives the inevitable appeal process, the ultimate result will be a rise in law-breaking activity as folks seek pirate copies.

• Pilots have been rocking to rap tunes at Miami International Airport, thanks to frequency snafus from a pirate radio station broadcasting hip-hop music. Not sure you want to be on a plane making its descent while the pilot’s headsets are blaring “Ready To Die.”

• A women’s group picketing R. Kelly’s University of Texas concert appears to have been ignored (see Essay 472). The artist performed with little concern for respecting the group’s efforts, opting to freely present his typically sexual and lurid act. “Get a hobby; it’s just music!” one concertgoer yelled at the protesters. “Sometimes I don’t know where the brother is coming from,” another fan said. “But I don’t care what those girls outside [the protesters] say — I like his music.” Michael Jackson is (a very pale) green with envy right now.

• The Miami Herald reported the rise of advertising offering rent for sex. Men propose free room and board in exchange for minor chores and regular intercourse. A women’s rights group expert said, “Advertisements soliciting women for sex in exchange for housing are offensive and disturbing. They are an indicator of how much work still needs to be done to eradicate institutional inequities and harmful attitudes toward women that persist.” It’s also an indicator of the lurid popularity of Craigslist.

• A story from the Associated Press debated the role food companies play in the obesity epidemic. Some argue it’s a matter of personal choice versus the scheming of corporations. “You don't have the collusion or the cover-up you had in smoking,” said James Tillotson, a business and food policy professor at Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition. “We want to blame somebody, but the thing is, we’re all a part of it.” Then again, aren’t these the same arguments Big Tobacco has always made in its defense? Plus, is it a coincidence that the epidemic increased after Philip Morris merged with Kraft Foods? Just a few paranoid thoughts.

• Robert Blake is reportedly planning to make a comeback, according to an interview on the one-year anniversary of his acquittal from charges of murdering his ex-wife. “I’ve woken up some nights and wanted to drive till the car goes off a cliff,” Blake admitted. “And an hour later, poetry is coming to me. I want to go act. I want to go teach. I want to dance.” Not unless ABC introduces a new show called Dancing with the Acquitted Stars.

• The separation between church and state is blurring, thanks to the growing issues of immigration. The debate has already starred elected politicians. The new participant in recent months is the Roman Catholic Church. While politicians and church leaders have teamed up on things like abortion and same-sex marriage in the past, immigration is a whole different story. Conservative critics offered barbs that include blasting church leaders “for invoking God when arguing for a blanket amnesty” for illegal immigrants. Others argued, “This is the left wing of the Catholic Church — these are the frustrated social workers.” Church leaders countered with, “This is a justice issue… We feel you have to take care of people.”