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Bitch
Registered: Nov
2003 Location: The Streets Of A New World Order
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Master P's Uncle is
Missing & Cash Money Damn Near lost Everything(Article
Inside)
Katrina:
Hip-Hop Reacts and Responds By Tiffany Hamilton, Houston
Williams & Nolan Strong
“There were like
bodies floating past my front door,” one New Orleans resident
said weeping. “We did the best we could.”
The masses
remain shocked, stunned and saddened by the annihilation left
by Hurricane Katrina on Louisiana, Mississippi and parts of
Alabama. The Hip-Hop community was built on a foundation of
struggle and anguish, but the destruction
The lull is
over.
Various notables are leveraging their star power
to raise money or help in the relief effort. Sean “Diddy”
Combs, Jay-Z, David Banner, Master P, James Prince of
Rap-A-Lot Records and others are spearheading a variety of
projects aimed at aiding those displaced by the hurricane.
Moguls Diddy and Jay-Z are contributing to the effort
by donating $1 million to the American Red Cross. Furthermore,
both men run apparel companies and will contribute clothing
from their Sean John and Rocawear collections for those in
dire need.
Diddy told AllHipHop.com, “This needs to
happen. We want to do more in the future, because this is
going to be a long process (of rebuilding). This is something
that we are doing for our people. Those are our bothers and
sisters – our family. It hurts.”
“We, as African
American men and leaders of our community felt it was a
necessity to join forces and help,” Jay-Z agreed via a
statement. “Diddy and I are committed to supporting our people
in whichever way we can." Combs and Jay-Z expect to present
their $1 million dollar check during a September 9 telethon
that cable network BET is organizing in conjunction with the
American Red Cross.
Many had to evacuate their homes,
leaving everything but the bare necessities behind. New
Orleans started evacuating people from the city on August 28
in preparation for Hurricane Katrina, which struck the city
the next day on August 29. The storm imposed its mighty will
on those that didn’t flee the city. The total damage
assessment to New Orleans and the surrounding areas could top
$25 billion. Rappers and entertainers are already lining up to
assist fund raising and contributing to the relief effort.
Although some entertainers are eager to help, some
within the African American community believe there is a
general lack of backing, concern and support from the federal
government.
"If we [as the United States] could put a
million people, a million solders in Afghanistan and Iraq, we
can definitely put the same effort towards New Orleans, and
Mississippi," Juvenile said at a press conference hosted by
BET and The American Red Cross, "They have the ability to fly
down and save people. All I’m asking is please take some time
out and put forth the same effort - if not more - towards
[helping] our country, because [we are in] the United States
and we are trying to make it."
Bad Boy artist Young
City (aka Chopper) echoed the sentiments of his New Orleans
brethren.
"I just think that it's real crazy that our
government ain't kicking in to send something to New Orleans."
Young City told Allhiphop.com, "He's [President Bush] talking
about how we need to help people in Iraq but he isn't even
concerned with people in our own country."
With a
prevailing dissatisfaction, the masses within New Orleans have
started to march in protest, all the while being wrought with
intolerable health conditions, chaos, looting and even
reported acts of rape. BET’s live telethon has already secured
talent like David Banner, Jay-Z, Juvenile, Diddy, Common,
Stevie Wonder and others like Omarion. The event is in
conjunction with the National Urban League, American Red
Cross, Warner Music Group and Essence magazine to produce and
raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Others like
Banner are organizing independent concerts to raise money for
local aid.
James Prince, CEO of Rap-A-Lot Records, has
opened a shelter in Houston, Texas to house those in need of a
place to stay and Master P. and his wife Sonya Miller
announced the formation of Rescue One, an organization
dedicated to helping residents cope with the aftermath of the
hurricane.
Master P, reared in New Orleans’ Calliope
projects, explained, “We are contributing our own money toward
items such as food, clothes and shoes and we are also reaching
out to corporations for donations. Sonya is reaching out to
companies for product donations for mothers, like Pampers and
Gerber baby food, as well as soliciting donations of items
helpful to ladies and girls.”
Juvenile, who helped
popularize New Orleans with his Cash Money Records brethren,
was visibly shaken when speaking of the Hurricane and its
devastating effect on the city and surrounding areas.
“I am obviously devastated by my personal loss but
thank God that I was able to get my family out to safety while
many families were not so fortunate,” Juvenile said. “In the
aftermath thousands of people in New Orleans and Mississippi
are struggling to survive without food, shelter, running water
or a way to contact loved ones.”
Master P. told the
Associated Press that his uncle, father-in-law and
sister-in-law were still missing. New Orleans natives Baby,
Juvenile, Lil’ Wayne, Young City and countless others have
lost their homes, businesses, studios and other personal
assets due to the horrific storm. The United States announced
today (September 2) that they would seek a total of $10
billion dollars in funding to rebuild the flooded city.
Comedian Chris Rock expressed skepticism at the
current relief effort that has and contrasted it with the war
abroad.
“We are rebuilding Iraq right now and I don’t
know if four guys with box cutters will fly a plane into a
building again, probably not,” Rock said. “But I do know if we
don’t take care of these millions of people America will be
destroyed, because this will bring the whole country down."
Thousands of domestic refugees from Louisiana are
currently being transported from the Superdome in New Orleans
to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. According to President
Bush, The Coast Guard has rescued almost 2,000 people of the
thousands in need. President Bush stressed patience, noting
that the storm had battered four states and said the cleanup
“will take years.”
"We're dealing with one of the
worst national disasters in our nation's history," Bush said.
"This is going to be a difficult road."
Many
entertainers are still reeling from the effects of the Katrina
and are still searching for family members. Fats Domino, the
pioneering R&B singer was recently found alive and well
after missing reports surfaced. Others haven’t been so lucky.
"I got fifty cousins down there now," Snoop’s younger
brother Bing Worthington told Allhiphop.com. “My family is
from Macomb, Mississippi and my grandmother is in Jackson,
Mississippi. This is touching home because Macomb has been
hit. No power, no water, no nothing. It’s not as bad as
Louisiana, but they been hit. Everybody’s feeling the wrath."
Images of officials in the Bush Administration
vacationing and accusations that Bush undercut flood control
funding for the city angered some. The president cut funding
that would have improved the levee holding back the waters of
Lake Pontchartrain, according to a report in the Washington
Post. Katrina smashed through the embankment flooding New
Orleans in a manner never seen before.
Furthermore,
Democrats have accused Bush of a slow response to the
hurricane, which initially punched through the city on Monday
August 30. According to reports, Bush didn’t return to
Washington from his Texas ranch until Wednesday afternoon.
"I seen [George W. Bush] walk out [on television] with
a dog. He was on vacation!" Bing continued. "When things go
wrong, no one’s around.”
Aside from the issues with
the president, Sean “Diddy” Combs took issue with the broad
media portrayal of African Americans. The Bad Boy mogul told
AllHipHop.com, “If [I] ain’t got nothing to eat…I’m gonna
loot. If I was out there, I’m gonna loot believe that. If I
got my kids, I’m going to get some water, something to eat,
some sheets…those are necessities,” Diddy said. “I ain’t seen
nobody carrying TV’s.”
Even before the tragedy called
Katrina, New Orleans had societal problems that received
little press. The city like other cities considered to be the
“Deep South,” has the lowest reported high school graduate
rates, the highest number of teen pregnancy and a dismal
employment ratio.
“These places were horrible before
any of this happened, have you been to New Orleans outside of
Bourbon Street?” Chris Rock asked rhetorically. “All I have to
say is that everyone needs to send as much money as they can
humanly can to the United States Red Cross.”
Master P
said he and Baby of Cash Money never spoke prior to the crisis
in their hometown. The New No Limit mogul said adversity
brings out an opportunity for the Hip-Hop community and the
general population to unite.
"We have all been in so
much competition and this is the only thing that brought us
together. It ain’t about how many records you sell, how many
movies you make, how many cars, you have,” he said. “All of
that is irrelevant when you are talking about how many lives
we can save now. It’s about how many times we can come
together and do our part."
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