Many A+ hip-hop celebrities own it to social media for their popularity; Cardi B, Lil Nas X, Chance the Rapper, Soulja Boy, Post Malone, Doja Cat, and Megan Thee Stallion are just some successful examples that prove that taking your music online can do miracles. 

Whether you, as a hip-hop artist, like social media or not, it’s ridiculous to deny that social networks are an amazing opportunity to let the world know about your art. You can whether do it yourself, or you can find a social media manager to do the job for you, the outcome is clear — if you want more people to hear about you, using social media for a successful promotion is important.

In this article, we’ll talk about the most effective ways to promote your music on social platforms. 

6 Social Media Promotion Tips for Hip-Hop Artists

1. Create High-Quality Content

It’s not enough to just post something online. The content you share with your audience must be carefully planned and of high quality in order to attract attention. 

According to Forbes, 59% of B2C marketers claim that high-quality content is the most effective SEO strategy. It also makes you look professional in the eyes of your listeners. 

One of the main strategies to achieve that is to invest in a professional music video that tells a story about you as an artist. After uploading it on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X (Twitter), you may gain a significant number of followers.

Don’t forget to share glimpses of your creative process and daily life to build a personal connection with your audience. Authenticity is valued the most these days.

2. Engage With Your Audience

The more you engage with your listeners online, the better it is for your reputation as an artist. Imagine that you’re a fan of Beyonce. Wouldn’t it be nice to receive a comment from her? It obviously would. Just like you look up to any other artist, other people may look up to you, which makes it important to interact with them.

You can also go live on Instagram or TikTok to chat with your audience about upcoming events or new music you’re about to release. Answering their questions and listening to their opinion will give you a sense of the right direction and might even give a motivation boost for new projects.

3. Collaborate With Others in the Industry

To achieve a wider audience, it’s important to record tracks with other hip-hop artists. It’s also a good opportunity to learn from them and draw inspiration for your future releases. 

If you’re a new artist who isn’t really established in the industry, try reaching out to those in the same position or a bit higher for a realistic response. While you might not get an answer from big celebrities, new artists are always looking for someone to collaborate with for the same reason — to find new listeners.

Of course, the second you create something together, make sure to share this on social media on both accounts. And don’t forget to use hashtags for your collab to make it easily recognizable. 

4. Run Contests and Giveaways

One way to engage fans and even those who don’t follow you on social media is to host contests and giveaways with concert tickets, merchandise, CDs, or exclusive content. This is an amazing opportunity to spread the word about your music, especially if your contest involves participants sharing about it on their accounts.

By running giveaways and contests, you can increase your followers, boost engagements, and promote new releases. The only question is what platform to use. Instagram is ideal for visuals like stories and IGTV, while TikTok is great for challenges that involve user-generated videos. Facebook is suitable for more detailed contests, with options for longer posts and discussions, while YouTube is perfect for video submissions and announcements.

5. Engage With Bloggers, Influencers, and Journalists

If you’ve already released a few tracks or even have an established name and want to get more people to talk about your music, you can reach out to music bloggers, social media influencers, and journalists for interviews or features. Many of them can promote your music effectively, which will bring you listeners from all walks of life. 

Arrange for an interview to talk about upcoming events or write guest posts about your music for hip-hop websites for more people to learn about you as an artist. When writing guest posts, make sure to include images to attract more attention, and don’t forget to be genuine with your audience.  

6. Utilize Hashtags

To increase the visibility of your posts, you can use hashtags related to hip-hop. Some of them you can find below:

• #HipHop
• #Rap
• #HipHopMusic
• #RapMusic
• #NewMusic
• #Music
• #HipHopCulture
• #RapCulture
• #TrapMusic

Hashtags are an amazing opportunity to get more followers who might later turn into your fans. Some aspiring artists, unfortunately, underestimate the power of hashtags on social media and don’t use them, which prevents them from gathering an audience.

In fact, at least one hashtag in a post, according to statistics, improves interactions by 12.9% more than posts without hashtags. 

Let’s Sum Up

All artists, no matter how big or small, leverage social media to grow their audience. From A-listers like Drake, Travis Scott, and Snoop Dog to hip-hop artists who may not have achieved mainstream popularity but are highly respected within the industry like Saba, Benny Blanco, and Cozz, all hip-hop singers grow their fanbases thanks to online promotions.

Now it’s your turn, too. By taking advantage of the tips from this blog post, you can promote your hip-hop music on social media, thus attracting attention to it and growing the number of your fans.

We regret to inform you that the need for your services will soon come to an end as we enter a critical restructuring period. Fortunately, after having spent nearly a century meticulously studying your art, language, fashion, and lifestyle, we have learned enough to confidently move forward without your assistance. We thank you for your contributions but have decided to make some necessary changes as a result of your decreasing value. Focus groups show that consumers are looking for more relatable images. While 2013 marked the first time in Billboard’s 55 year history that there were no black artists on top of the Hot 100 chart, this was a great year for us with Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, and Macklemore claiming the #1 spot on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, proving that market demands are shifting. Consequently, in the next few months, we will be gradually phasing out your positions as we finalize this reorganization. In the meantime, we ask you to continue with business as usual, training your replacements Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber until instructed otherwise.

Your severance package includes a lifetime supply of Air Jordans, unlimited access to reruns of “Love and Hip Hop”, a new 30 piece Tom Ford wardrobe, and the latest iPhone. Your medical coverage will be provided through ObamaCare.

We want you to know that your termination is in no way a statement about the quality of your work with us. As such, we would like to acknowledge your outstanding contributions to the industry over the past decades.

In music, we’d like to thank Kendrick Lamar’s thought-provoking body of work which has opened the door for Macklemore, a shining example of what intelligent rap looks like.

In business, Jay Z’s partnership with Samsung was historical as the Korean mobile company paid the rapper a mere $5 million and his company Roc Nation, another $15 million, a bargain deal relative to their standard annual $4 billion marketing budget and $220 billion net worth.

In fashion, while Kanye West may be experiencing difficulties launching his own brand, his loyalty to European designers continues to add value to an already thriving industry that other entertainers like Migos seem to enjoy promoting for free.

In cinema, “The Butler” and “12 Years a Slave” were Oscar-worthy gems, showcasing the strength and pride of a resilient people. We understand that this year, you will continue this tradition of inspiring historical films with the May release of “Belle” and the History Channel’s forthcoming reboot of the groundbreaking 70’s televised series, “Roots”. Your work did not go unnoticed as it has inspired us to produce new historical movies of our own, depicting our rich cultural heritage. Upcoming releases include:

* “Son of God” produced by reality TV pioneer Mark Burnett and starring Diogo Morgado * “Noah” starring Russell Crowe * “Exodus” starring Christian Bale as Moses

* “Mary, Mother of Christ” starring 16 year old Odeya Rush

Just as your movies depict the struggles and achievements of your best and brightest, these powerful films are meant to inspire and remind us of our glorious past and divine lineage.

In an attempt to capitalize on the recent trend in movies that focus on triumphs of the African-American experience, we have recently begun developing films with similar themes. Channing Tatum has just been cast as the lead in the Nat Turner Story while Scarlett Johansson is reported to have accepted the role of Harriet Tubman in a forthcoming biopic. Like Quentin Tarentino’s “Django Unchained”, both movies promise to offer the perfect balance between shoot-em-up style action and social commentary while boasting two smash-hit soundtracks featuring Eminem, Katy Perry, and Ke$ha.

Again, none of this could have been accomplished without your unwavering commitment and dedication to our mission. We trust that your transition will be smooth and wish you continued success with your new journey into Electronic Dance Music.

Sincerely,

The industry
—————————————–

Warning: this is a satire.

Read Pt 2: Whatever it Takes

Sebastien Elkouby is a Hip Hop Culture historian, freelance writer, creative consultant, and award-winning educator. Check out his educational program,Global Awareness Through Hip Hop Culture and blog, SebIsHipHop.wordpress.com. For more info about his creative consulting services, contact him at [email protected]

I’m a single black woman, and at one point in time, I’d be involuntarily pumping my fist at the visuals Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill provided. Now, well….. I’m not particularly worried about marriage, because according to rap lyrics, I’ll probably never be worthy of being “wife-d”. Somewhere down the line of hip hop changing, young African American men were told not to wife my type. In fact, many successful “artists” who beat the odds of certain environments like poverty to become successful artist only want exotic women.  Maybe I shouldn’t leave out the fact that I’m dark skinned, and that I’ve never see anyone who looks quite like me in their videos. Guess I should also cross out the fact that I could even be considered attractive. So many questions have begun to surface, and the one inquiry that sits at the top is:  Should I hate myself?

Unfortunately, the only term today’s rappers will seem to identify me with is “b*tch”. Tutorials provided  by many of todays “video vixens” tell me that if I make a little bit of money and add the hair follicles of a Brazilian woman’s to my own head, that stops at my a*ss, I can at least be a “bad b*tch”.  I can’t sit here and confirm that this is how I should actually feel, but how many of our “favorite emcees” choose to procreate with different women, of different states, never offering them any commitment? How can a genre that once taught me to respect myself, when no one else would, now have audacity to tell me to hate the color of my skin as well as my natural hair? Honestly, it feels like today’s hip hop has fueled this unwanted presence of so much self-hatred, from women, mothers, just like me. Hip hop also tells me, in various ways, that I should get some type of monetary reward for any type of sexual orientation I participate in. Should that really be my only motive? God forbid, I actually want true love. I’m now forced to decide between adding to my “bank account” via my own sexual desires and adding to the enjoyment of pure life. Let’s not leave out the fact that HIV/AIDS stereotypes live vibrantly in hip hop, and at the “same damn time” promiscuousness is encouraged to a pool of young men that I must choose from. So, even if I want a trustworthy, loyal relationship, hip hop is telling my strong black men to “get as many women as one can handle”, and treat them like objects, not as queens. Funny yet saddening, that no one cares that black women dreadfully have taken the lead in new HIV cases.

Hi, I’m an African American woman, and if I listened to what hip hop told me that I was, I’d be the equivalent of nothing. Yesterday’s news. Material that must be morphed in order to be worthy. That would be me. Inject manmade material into my God-given body is what they say I should do if I want more “ass-ets”. Meanwhile, my curves that derived from Africa, given to me by my creator, should be more than enough. You see, I’d rather have hip hop appreciate me, being that many of its participants derived from households raised solely by a woman. Prison rates aren’t lying to us, and the absence of “fathers” in households is a pretty vivid picture now. How do young black men grow up to spread disrespect toward African American women? Hi, I’m a young black woman, and if I listened to what Hip Hop told me I was, I’d be doomed. Defeated. Useless. Paint me another picture, because I’m not buying what Hip Hop tells me I am. I am a queen. We started out that way, and we will remain that way.

Order Here

Endorsements

Paul Porter is a guru ,visionary and has led a Forrest Gump-James Bond life in the blackback hidden world of technologies, culture and communications. Follow his timeline in BLACKOUT and it will explain TRULY why things are the way they are. Pay attention!

Chuck D

Public Enemy-Prophets Of Rage

Paul Porter has been the mellifluous voice of Black music as a host on BET, its most loving critic and its most passionate advocate. His long history in the music and entertainment business makes him the ideal guide through the sometimes treacherous history of an industry where corporate executives and radio conglomerates wield enormous power over artists, and often abuse or fail them. Blackout is essential reading for anyone who cares about the history and future of African-Americans in the multi-billion dollar music industry.

Joy-Ann Reid, host of “AM Joy” on MSNBC

In his book BLACKOUT: My 40 Years In The Music Business, industry veteran Paul Porter shares his compelling personal story about how the music industry REALLY operates.  He brings us inside the music industry’s “sausage factory” to reveal the dark and troubling reality of the business that very few people get to see.  But Porter’s exposé also offers an enlightening message of hope for the music industry and for its broader impact on our culture.  It is a must-read for anyone who loves, or is critical of, the business of music in America.

Tim Winter

President, Parents Television Council

Blackout is an explosive look at the corruption that is running rampant throughout the music industry. From the desperate promotion departments at major record labels who will do anything to get their acts on the radio and on video to the greedy program directors who take cash, gifts and other luxuries, Blackout will explore how corruption is rearing its ugly head once again.

Blackout also examines “legal payola” and how corporations are now the major beneficiaries of under-the-table payments and pay-to-play.

With the Telecommunications Act of 1996, consolidation would forever change the music industry. It was a bill that was originally designed to stimulate the economy by loosening up the rules for selling goods on the Internet. But inadvertently, it gave license for communications companies like Clear Channel to start buying up radio stations like penny candy.

Before long, seven companies owned 70% of the radio stations in the United States. There were very few individual owners who could determine what would be played. This meant smaller, corporate-influenced radio playlists. There would be less variety and more of the same artists, over and over again. These new stations were like funnels and the only records that would make it through were the ones with the cash to push them out. If the record labels wanted to hear their acts on the radio, they would have to fall in line—and cough up major bucks.

The same would happen in video as well. When Bob Johnson sold BET to Viacom for three billion dollars, it meant that MTV now owned it’s only major competitor. And getting your video on either channel would now cost you thousands.

Blackout is about how the digital age in the mid-90s exposed radio stations that frequently lied about how often they were playing the songs they were being paid by record labels to play; it’s about how the golden age of the trained broadcaster was soon replaced with interns, DJs and mixers who, for years, had been silent in the booth. Blackout explores how radio has become one of the few media outlets where salaries have plunged as profits have skyrocketed. And Blackout will break down the shake-ups that will be happening very shortly. Much like Alan Freed’s payola trials in the 50s, and the pay-for-play scandals involving music men like Clive Davis in the 70s, the music industry is on the cusp of another huge investigation and many of the major players in the music industry may find themselves unemployed, at best and possibly, in prison.

And in many ways, Blackout is my story. Since 1976, when the busing riots in Boston sent me scrambling into the radio station at WRBB at Northeastern University, the music industry has been my life. During my very first stint in radio, I was Paul “Pure Love” Porter from midnight to three AM and I fell in love with the medium of radio and the impact I had on my community.

Radio introduced me to women. Radio introduced me to cocaine. Radio introduced me to some of my best friends. And radio killed some of them too. Blackout is a ride through my whirlwind of media jobs, working for and with some of the most colorful, well-known and scandalous players in the music industry.

I know that radio and video are influential in shaping young minds. And my experiences have changed my outlook. “Morality is not an option” is now my mantra. And there are people out there who won’t buy it. They’ll think I’m writing this book for revenge or just to make a buck. That’s fine. I can live with that. I can’t live with what’s become of the music industry. I’m partly responsible for bringing it to the depths it’s sunk to today. But I can also be responsible for exposing the ugliness and peeling back the layers for everyone to see.

Why is this important?

Once African Americans achieved emancipation in 1863, racists were so terrified that they used any excuse to ostracize and kill as many African Americans whenever possible. Those accused of crimes were often murdered by racist gangs that often included police officers. Those who had differing political views were often gang beaten, lynched, or otherwise assassinated. This genocide was so prevalent, no one was immune. In fact, US courts have held the United States Federal Government directly responsible in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

African Americans were brutally beaten and murdered by racists. This happened because they believed in a political ideology that would eventually become the foundation of the United States Democratic party and progressive values. These values became so popular, they inspired many the world over to stand against oppression.

Standing against Unprovoked Violence inspired the passage of federal legal protections to protect various groups from discrimination of any kind.

However, since Trump’s Presidential Victory… some progressives have clearly abandoned traditional progressive values in favor of committing acts of unprovoked violence against Trump supporters.

A homeless black woman was brutally verbally and physically attacked for advocating Trump in California.

The Daily Caller reported a brief list of other completely substantiated attacks against Trump supporters.

Richard Spencer…a self admitted racist…was assaulted by a liberal while filming a documentary. In doing so, his assailant made this racist a hero by demonstrating how violent and unhinged liberals have become. As a Latino, I’ll never support discrimination against any group…but my beliefs require me to defend whites…even if they’re bigots…against unprovoked physical attacks.

That Spencer is a racist should be enough to discount him and anything he says…he doesn’t need to be physically attacked to make a point.

By repeatedly committing acts of unprovoked violence against Trump supporters, progressives lose the moral high ground with those on the fence while also losing credibility with their base supporters. Studies have shown that the greatest indicator in whether a child grows up to be a criminal is determined by whether or not they were victimized as a child. This demonstrates, contrary to popular belief, the oppressed can, and often do, become the oppressor.

One of the main problems is that too many activists and protestors refuse to do the three things that would put an end to much of the right wing bigotry in the United States. First, they refuse to vote. Without a vote, you have no say in who gets power. Secondly, progressives need to learn debate tactics more sophisticated than name calling, pleas for free-speech censorship, and other personal attacks. They need to learn the issues…on both sides of the table, so they can credibly speak out against them. Finally, they need to get a thicker skin…as long as progressives remain easily triggered and angered…they will fail.

The right won the Presidency…not because Trump was a better candidate. The Presidency was the Progressives to lose. Trump won the Presidency because he trolled the left’s identity politics until they became so enraged that they abandoned their progressive values in favor of exclusively defending identity politics. Had they stopped to think about this…for even a moment…they would’ve realized that in defending their core values and their core base of voters, identity politics would’ve also been successfully defended.

Here’s a map of the County by County Election results from the 2008 election:

Here’s the County Election Results for the 2016 Election:

Because the left abandoned their core values, many Obama voters…voters who voted for him for both terms…voted for Trump.

While many have called Trump supporters racist bigots, these election maps clearly demonstrates this isn’t the case. When you abandon your values…your supporters abandon you…it’s that simple. This mistake may have set back civil rights for decades.

If progressive values are to survive, then we must take a hard stance against unprovoked violence and other forms of bigotry…even when committed by liberals. If we don’t, Tea Party politics will continue to prevail.

Folks will be so easily impressed with the monetary crumbs Trump is generously giving away that they’ll say things like, “See, he isn’t that bad after all.” Many who voted for him but now regret doing so, either because they’ll lose their health care or because he won’t ever really build that wall, will march in protest and eventually be met with the same abusive police force they so passionately defended when it was only Black bodies being brutalized. All Lives Matter will not be there to stand up for them (because it doesn’t exist) and they’ll just have to “get over it”, the same way they expect Black people to just get over the murders of Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Philando Castille, Rekia Boyd and Tamir Rice. But as the last two years have proven, their xenophobia and racism will trump their own best interest as they eventually help re-elect a man who consistently appeals to their lowest nature by making more empty promises. With four more years to further distract the nation while he and his team continue to strengthen their multinational operations, America will have become the laughing stock of the world. But Trump supporters, blinded by their limited understanding of foreign affairs, geopolitics and world history, won’t even notice how the nation is increasingly isolating itself from the global community. Various wars will continue to be fought across the world for reasons we never really understand, with Russia, China, North Korea and the Middle East always in the news for even more reasons we don’t fully understand, but few will truly worry since it’s happening far, far away from us to evil people who hate us for our freedom.

Twitter, which his kids will have now invested in, will have become an accepted method of communication for an elected official and he’ll continue to attack anyone who dares to disagree with King Trump. After all, this is a man who modeled his New York penthouse after the Palace of Versailles, a level of gaudiness only someone suffering from epic delusions of grandeur would even want to replicate. As always, to exploit and capitalize on the average Joe’s fascination with the bizarre and sordid, A&E or Fox will produce a show that chronicles Trump’s day to day affairs, which will go on to make history as the most watched program in the world. He’ll have lived out his dream of being the star of the most successful reality TV show since the invention of television, feeding into his psychopathic and severely narcissistic hunger for attention. More celebrities will be invited to meet with him and eagerly jump at the chance to rub elbows with a president and TV star. In the meantime, the policies his cabinet will push and the lives they’ll destroy will tear at the fabric of the nation just enough to get people posting about it on social media and through symbolic marching but not enough to pry the masses away from their shiny new iPhone 10, football/basketball/baseball and Keeping Up With the Kardashians Season 128.

White supremacy will have grown exponentially. Hate crimes will be a daily thing. The rich will continue to get richer, the middle class and poor will get poorer and the average person will be left to fend for themselves. By then, HUD Secretary Ben Carson will have resigned after realizing that his inexperience in housing and urban development was strategically exploited to give real-estate-mogul-turned-president Trump’s secret companies first access to construction bids and contracts. Aspiring politicians who are even less qualified for office than Trump and his cronies will have been emboldened by his presidency and anyone with a pulse will campaign for the position. Celebrities, Klan members, Fortune 500 CEO’s and Kanye will jump in the race and billions upon billions of dollars will be spent campaigning while poverty rises more than ever before. Independents and Green Party candidates will once again have been overlooked as they cannot compete with celebrities, lack meaningful resources and struggle to even get 5% of the nation’s support.

The same old, broken two party system will go back and forth for months, using the kind of smear tactics that will make Americans miss simpler times when you still weren’t completely sure whether or not a candidate was racist and threatening to lock up an opponent was just one of those silly things you say during a heated debate in order to gain support from testosterone-crazed fans. Candidates will promise to make America “really great this time” and folks will eat it up and line up to vote for the person who vows to build the tallest walls, fully equipped with weaponized drones at both the Mexican and Canadian borders…because why not. And a wrestler, a D-list actor or the CEO of Corrections Corporation of America will win the election, courtesy of the Electoral College, and America will get mad once again…but not enough for celebrities to turn down a meeting with President-elect David Duke who promises to rebuild the inner-city because 8 years of Trump wasn’t as great as everyone hoped…but we need to give the new guy a chance, because…things will be different this time. Until one day, they no longer need to pacify us with the illusion of choice and the only thing they rebuild in those “dangerous” inner-cities are internment camps designed for anyone who isn’t willing to make America great again, again.

——–

Sebastien Elkouby is a writer, educator, Hip Hop Culture historian and producer/co-host of the talk show Take No Prisoners Radio on Orlando’s new home for Hip Hop and R&B, The Wire 98.5. Find him at SebIsHipHop.com, on Twitter at @SebIsHipHop or Instagram @TNPRadio

When civil rights first became a movement in the 1950s and the 1960s…it wasn’t a broad issue movement. This civil rights movement was initiated by African Americans to confront the many racial injustices their communities suffered. African Americans started to protest against racial segregation, societal disenfranchisement, racially motivated violence, and financial exploitation.

These issues were so severe that even non African Americans who associated with them were targeted with the same bigotry blacks faced.

While there were some notable exceptions, the majority of the protests were peaceful and non-violent. These often took the form of sit-ins, freedom rides on buses, marches, and voter registration drives to increase African American voter turnouts. Generally, the three main goals of these actions were as follows: Firstly, the ending of segregation. This didn’t just include segregation in communities generally…but segregation in all aspect of American life…from riding buses, to college campuses and everything in between. Until this time period, there were businesses that refused to serve the African American community and many even barred them from their premises. Secondly, they worked to end racially motivated violence. African Americans were violently targeted for the crime of speaking out against racism. However, it went even further than that. The racial violence was so commonplace that it seemed like any issue an African American spoke in favor of was often met with violence. Finally, they worked for equality of opportunity for African Americans when it came to employment and other financial matters…such as purchasing a home.

While some African Americans did hate white people, many civil rights leaders of the time realized that without the buy in of white America, the African American civil rights movement would fail. Like today, white America outnumbered blacks five to one. In fact, the only reason that the civil rights movement during this time succeeded is because African Americans and whites found common ground and worked together to end the bigotry that minorities in the United States were facing.

Fast forward to today.

We’re a nation just as divided today as we were in the 1950s and 1960s.  Racism is just as strong today as it was over 50 years ago…and it shows no signs of going away. However, this time…it’s different.

Instead of whites being racist against minorities and people of conscience coming together to oppose it, people of conscience have been deluded to the point where now they oppose each other.

Why?

It’s because Social Justice Warriors (SJWs) have become just as bigoted as the most extreme elements of white racism. Instead of peaceful protests and keeping the moral high ground in their protest actions…SJWs are showing up to rallies with violent mobs armed with weapons and improvised bombs for the express purpose of destroying public institutions and committing unprovoked acts of violence against white people and heterosexuals who disagree with them.

Instead of finding common ground to oppose bigotry…Social Justice Warriors have divided the civil rights movement more than white racists ever could. As a result…white racists sit back and laugh as the SJW movement continues to cannibalize and destroy itself.

SJWs did this through the creation of a systemic victim olympics to divide themselves within their movement by their perceived oppression. It’s gotten so bad that white civil rights activists that oppose racism are being targeted for hatred by minority civil rights activists. Male feminists who oppose misogyny are getting targeted by female feminists. Healthy social justice warriors are being targeted by disabled social justice warriors.

Then there’s the trans movement within the SJW movement. Even though there is zero support in biology for mammals being born the wrong sex. Regardless, the Trans movement has taken hold. Biology has long told us that gender is determined by DNA. However, the trans movement thinks that gender can be changed whenever someone feels like it. It’s gotten so ridiculous that now people are thinking they are cats instead of humans. A middle aged man thinks he’s a six year old girl. Even more insane is the subgroup within this group who thinks that there are more than two genders. Perfectly healthy people are now calling themselves transabled…with some even inflicting horrific injuries on themselves because they feel they should be disabled. We now even have people who believe their transracial…like Rachel Dolezal a caucasian woman who thinks she’s African American.

While any rational person would think this insane…they’d be right. Psychologists have long known this was the mental illness of body dysmorphic disorder…a form of delusion. Yet, governments are now passing laws to enable these mental illnesses even further.

More frightening is the realization that social justice warriors support the same bigoted beliefs of white supremacists. They want segregation in the form of safe spaces in college campuses and elsewhere…just like white supremacists. They’ve targeted people outside their subset within the social justice movement…including interracial relationships…just like white supremacists. They’ve targeted whites for unprovoked violence and discrimination…just like white supremacists targeted minorities. Finally, they’ve targeted anyone who disagrees with them by attempting to censor their freedom of speech…just like white supremacists have tried in the past. Social justice warriors want equality of outcomes…not equality of opportunity. However, history demonstrated a long time ago that this is impossible. It’s been tried with communism and horribly failed.

It’s time to return to sanity and stop the Social Justice Movement from further destroying civil rights even further. Civil Rights Activists of conscience know that in order to oppose bigotry, we need to find a common ground of ethical people of all races and walks of life to stand together to oppose bigotry wherever we find it…whether it’s neo nazis, or social justice warriors.

If we don’t…our society will suffer for it.

While Ben’s body had been found hanged, the coroner stated there were no other injuries.

Ben’s family lived less than three blocks away from where his body was found, on the 8900 block of 8th Street Southeast. He was the second of four children. He was last seen on the Morning of November 26, 2017 wearing a gray and blue hoodie, gray sweat pants, and blue and gray shoes. He’d left his car, his phone, and his wallet at home and didn’t use social media.

Shortly after Ben disappeared, his family reported him to the Lake Stevens Police Department and the search began. At the time of his disappearance, Ben was a registered high school student in the Lake Stevens School District in the district’s Running Start program attending Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. He worked at the local Lake Stevens McDonald’s.

When Ben’s body was found, he’d been missing for almost two months.

Once the coroner ruled Ben’s death a suicide, his family protested. While Ben was taking prescription medication for a health condition, he had no history of anxiety or depression. His father, Ibrahimi Keita, described Ben as a very happy young man.

Further, the area where Ben’s body was found had been searched weeks before by the police using K-9 units and his body wasn’t found. In fact, the Everett Herald reported that Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue had gone through the forested areas near Ben’s home at least twice and found no sign of his body. When Ben’s body was finally found hanging…the rope used to hang him had been tied 50 feet high in the tree branches.

Given the suspicious circumstances, a coalition led by the Washington Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations contacted the FBI and requested they investigate this as a possible hate crime. Kiro 7 news interviewed Reverend Kele Brown of Plymouth Congregational Church of Seattle who stated: “We are careful not to rush to judgment,”… “Historically lynchings were often deemed quickly as suicide without the benefit of thorough inquiry.”

When interviewed, Arsalan Bukhari, the executive director Washington Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations told KIRO 7: “We just want to make sure that the expertise, the experience and the human resources of the FBI are brought to make sure everything is comprehensively investigated, no stone is left unturned.”

Even more concerning is that Keita’s family states there were discrepancies in the Lake Stevens police investigation…including the fact the police failed to interview at least four of Ben’s co-workers at McDonald’s before the police stopped their investigation.

The Seattle office of the FBI released the following statement to KIRO 7 News:  “(the FBI) is communicating with our police partners. We are aware of circumstances of the individual’s death and will review them with consideration of federal law. If warranted, we may conduct further investigation. A review does not necessarily result in the opening of an investigation.”

As a result, the Lake Stevens police have now decided to keep Ben’s case open. After pressure from the family and community activists, the coroner changed his findings from suicide to undetermined.

Ben’s body has been sent to the Washington State Crime Lab for further investigation.

This is a deeply disturbing case. The wooded area where Ben’s body was found was very close to both an elementary school and adjacent to a thriving suburban neighborhood. That wooded area isn’t very large and it was searched…multiple times…with K-9 units…they never found any sign of his body…the dogs never picked up his scent.

It appears someone may have placed his body there after the searchers gave up. This, when combined with the Keita family’s concern the Lake Stevens Police Department may not have done a thorough investigation, raises a lot of red flags. With hate crimes against Muslims on the rise across the nation and minorities and immigrants being targeted for harassment, Ben Keita’s death deserves a lot more attention than its received so far.

I had seen this picture several times, with various comments on everything from how beautiful they looked, to how much makeup they wore and why that was not in accordance with Muslim tradition. But when Mr. B posted it, his statement got under my skin in a way I did not expect…

“This is what a wife looks like to me…. No judgment just my opinion about what I find attractive for my wife. Not just just a jump off.. All women have girl parts but not all have to show them to the world to display their beauty. . Why even temp [sic] another man if your in your in a monogamous relationship? You playing that’s why.. Having your ass and titties out will arouse and man so if you already have one why do you want that attention.. answers please.”

Although he asked for answers, it quickly became apparent that my answers were not the ones he was looking for. I attempted, futilely, to explain to this person I’d known for 20 years that women get harassed regularly regardless of how they dress, that dressing sexy does not always equal needing or wanting male attention, and that the kind of arguments he was making (i.e. men are genetically predisposed to be aroused at the sight of a woman’s flesh, and therefore a lot of women are responsible for unwanted advances because of how they dress) are the same ones used to justify the rape and persecution of women all over the world.

I posted a YouTube video that went viral a couple years back, showing a woman walking the streets of New York clad in black jeans and a black crew neck t-shirt, being catcalled, followed, harassed, and vilified for not responding to unwanted attention. Mr. B’s response?

“Why is her shirt so tight? Why are her pants so tight? You can see every curve of her body. She looks like a stripper who just got off work.”

At this point, other men began to chime in with their support and solidarity, citing extreme  “modesty” as the ideal, and only acceptable, feminine archetype. I continued to try and explain to them what life is like for women everyday, that regardless to what we wear we are still objectified on a regular basis.

I shared my own story, where I went on a date to a nightclub and was groped twice by 2 different men as I walked by. I was wearing jeans and a loose fitting blouse (not that it matters). No one responded to that, but the men commenting on Mr. B’s post continued to “like” each other’s comments and all I could do was sit back in awe of what I perceived to be cognitive dissonance so deeply rooted in the psyche of these men that there was little chance they’d ever actually understand what I was trying to say. The thought depressed me to no end.

I decided to make a post of my own, asking women to share their stories about being sexually harassed while not wearing provocative clothing. Dozens of women began to respond with personal stories of being sexually harassed, judged, groped, molested as a child, and raped–all while acting in a manner that any man would deem “modest”. I expected stories of cat calling and club groping, and what I got was something much deeper and more powerful. I read stories of women being violated that chilled me to the bone, capped by statements like “I was wearing baggy sweatpants and an over-sized sweatshirt”. Mr. B and his friends chimed in and all hell broke loose. No form of understanding was achieved.

It didn’t matter.

I haven’t talked to my friend Mr. B since that day, but I’ve thought a lot about what I’d say to him if I did. I’d apologize first of all, because when I said all hell broke loose I really meant it. It was not pretty. Secondly, I’d say the bottom line of all this has an always has been LOVE. Not that greeting card rom-com bullshit, but the profound sense of peace that can come from true understanding–from living wiithout fear and without the need to judge anyone. Lastly, I would ask him to be more compassionate, and embrace empathy as the supreme tenet of all religious beliefs and all socially conscious movements.

The world is changing, and we must also change.

The 10 count, 20 page lawsuit charges Akon, whose legal name is Alianue Thiam with breaching several terms and conditions of exclusive contracts signed with Stephens’ Upfront Megatainment, Inc., based in Atlanta, Georgia and a company known for developing a number of high profile artists. The lawsuit also points out numerous companies set up by Akon to avoid paying Stephens and names Solektra International as a defendant.  Akon allegedly used Solektra, a company with offices in New York and Africa, for deals overseas and cut Stephens out of millions of dollars from those deals and others according to the lawsuit.

“I am very disappointed that I had to retain attorneys and sue a guy that I have known for years and personally helped develop him to the international stage and artist he is today with deals going on worldwide,” said Stephens, who hired lawyer James L. Walker, Jr., to file the multi-million dollar suit. “Our team played a vital part in the success of Akon and he has not honored many of the promises and contract commitments he made with my company, Upfront, and I just want him to honor and keep his word.”

Attorney Walker explained, “Over the past few months, we attempted several times to meet with Mr. Thiam, his representatives, his lawyers and accountants in hopes of resolving this matter outside of Court to avoid the cost of litigation.  However, after countless attempts, we had to prepare and file this multi-million dollar lawsuit on behalf of Mr.  Stephens.  He is an icon in the industry who has helped so many artists and should not be treated this way by Akon or anyone who signs a contract with Upfront.”

Walker, who along with New York based high profile lawyer Xavier Donaldson, Esq. filed the suit, added, ”We look forward to our day in court with all of the defendants  and we will be moving very aggressively.”
For press kits, media interviews, credentials, pictures, footage, etc., contact Gina E. Ryan,

Kindred Soul Relations at 917-676-1112 or E-mail [email protected]

ABOUT DEVYNE STEPHENS
DEVYNE STEPHENS is the CEO of UpFront Megatainment and known as the “Quiet Giant” in the industry, Stephens’ relationship with AKON started in 2003 as a friendship and mentorship and quickly turned professional when AKON lost his deal with Electra.  Before even signing AKON to his production company, Stephens took Akon through the whole regimen of artist development at his establishment known as the COMPLEX.  Now that Stephens, has brought on his legal team to handle this unfortunate legal matter, he can get back to focusing on what he loves most which is developing new artists where he has an ear for music, eyes for talent and knows how to develop them. Although he has groomed established artists such as Usher, Alicia Keys he will be working directly with new talent with his empire UpFront Megatainment.

ABOUT WALKER & ASSOCIATES

Walker and Associates is a leading entertainment law firm with a focus on litigation, business law, intellectual property and real estate, among others.   Headed by Attorney James L. Walker, Jr., the firm has been involved in a number of high profile cases and represents a Who’s Who of the entertainment and sports industry.  Walker’s invaluable knowledge of the music industry was the ideal platform from which to launch his book venture.  He penned the semi-Bible of Urban Music, This Business of Urban Music, an informative source of literature for anyone pursuing a career in music.  This Business of Urban Music currently selling well throughout the country.   Walker also holds a law degree from Howard University; he taught entertainment law at the University Of Hartford’s Hart School of Music, and at the UCONN Law School.   In the past, Walker has served as a business panelist and workshop instructor at various schools including Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, UCONN, Boston College School of Law, Thurgood Marshall School of Law at TSU and George Washington University.  He is also a guest commentator for Court TV’s Prime Time Justice, CBS NEWS, BET’s Nightly News, CNN and Walker has appeared on the television show, Power of Attorney.

# # #

(NEW YORK) – What started out as an ugly dispute over platinum albums nearly a decade ago has turned into a landmark amicable settlement for an Atlanta-based music lawyer who sued Sony BMG Music Entertainment for telling urban artists not to use his law firm.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Walker filed a 13 count complaint alleging among other things that the Verity Records of Sony BMG plotted consistently to defame his name in lies and rip clients from his small Connecticut based law firm –which is currently relocating to Atlanta.  The label also allegedly threatened the artists if they used Walker’s services.The trial was scheduled to start on April 29^th  in Bridgeport, CT, but the two parties agreed to an amicable settlement.  Walker was pleased and hopes he and Sony can move forward in making great music and helping artists.

“For every black attorney or black representative, whether manager, publicist or agent, who has been told that he or she is 2^nd rate and cannot get the job done; we celebrate this lawsuit and settling it amicably,” said Walker.

From day one, “we have always said, we have to protect the rights of an artist to use competent legal counsel that they choose to use, regardless of race, color or creed,” added Walker, negotiated a then record publishing contract for Sony artist Hezekiah Walker.

Dedicating the lawsuit to his mentor and dear friend, the late Johnny Cochran, Walker explained emotionally, “For decades black lawyers have been treated with second class treatment and constantly having to prove that they can do quality legal work.  It is very harmful when past representatives from Sony, a major player, encourages and fosters these false stereotypes…knowing we work twice as hard as everyone.”

Filed nearly a decade ago in 2005, the law firm, led by Attorney Walker, accused Verity Records, Provident Distribution and Max Siegel, former Sony exec and President of Verity, with tortuously or illegally interfering with contractual relationships that the law firm had with dozens of artists.   The case received a plethora of national attention.

“It is like a modern day David (Attorney Walker) took on Goliath (Sony BMG) with a slingshot and won”, said award-winning songwriter David Frazier (“I Need You To Survive”) who shared his story of coercion and threats by Sony to fire Walker years ago.   See LA Times.

In the very detailed complaint, the Plaintiffs named numerous examples of alleged bad conduct by Sony employees, including the omission of the firm’s name on album credits intentionally, defamation about the firm and a refusal to pay artists top dollars for the use of their copyrights and intellectual property.

For example, from 1998-2002, Walker had secured top payment for nearly two dozen artists on the popular “WOW Albums”.   The lawsuit alleges that Sony then instructed those artists to terminate Walker or face a possibility of not working at all for the top urban label again.

“We would make great successful albums together, yet some of the executives at the label were mad that in the process, we secured top dollars for struggling songwriters and artists. As a result, when an album went gold or platinum, the former executives wouldn’t even give us a symbolic plaque to put on our walls, which is customary and standard when your artists has a hit record with a label —everyone shares in the success,” Walker explained, highlight the lack of good faith on the most basic things by the executives named in the suit and deposed.

According to the lawsuit, the bad faith continued with a number of clients told not to use the top-rated attorney, including many high profile clients Walker represented like Grammy winners Hezekiah Walker (no relation), Donald Lawrence, Tramaine Hawkins and Twinkie Clark to name just a few and legendary songwriters like David Frazier and V. Michael McKay who were told not to use Walker on their mega publishing and copyright deals.

“He would close more deals than any other lawyer in the history of gospel music,” explained Pastor Jerome Bell, a manager/road manger for the likes of Richard Smallwood and Tramaine Hawkins, who now leads the Maryland Family Christian Center Church.  “Yet and still, executives at the time would constantly try to badmouth him and scare you into not using him.  The smart artist and managers knew he provided good legal work, was honored to represent you and really had your best interests at heart, if it meant being unpopular in the process.”

“Often labels want artists to use attorneys that the labels can control –this avoids paying the artists their worth and saves the labels millions of dollars and is clearly a conflict of interest.   When you decide to lie about a firm and threaten artists, you have crossed the line,” said Walker in describing former executives and staff members of Sony’s urban and gospel divisions, who are no longer with the company.

Walker explained that when a song appears on an album if you are the songwriter you are entitled to about 7-9 pennies for each copy sold.  Thus, if an album sells platinum, the one songwriter could be due anywhere between $70,000 to $90,000 under the Copyright Act and the rate negotiated for the use.   Labels often ask you to reduce these pennies in half so they do not pay out as much –which Walker contends is unfair to an artist or songwriter who makes their living off their hit catalogue.

Defendant Verity Records, now called RCA Inspirational, is the largest mainstream gospel label in the world. Based in New York, it has been home to gospel music stars Richard Smallwood, Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, Donald Lawrence, Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, John P. Kee and Marvin Sapp to name a few.

Walker, a graduate of Howard and Yale and former in house counsel for the Source Magazine, has worked with some of the leading names in the music industry including Jamie Foxx, Freddie Jackson, Rick James, DMX, Shirley Caesar and BET’s Bobby Jones, among others. He recently co-chaired the legal team in the successful litigation and settlement between Disney’s Kyle and Chris Massey and A&E/Lifetime networks over a show involving Bristol Palin.  He is also a regular guest contributor to CNN, BET, ABC, FOX, Court TV, HLN and Arise TV networks.   Walker is also the author of “This Business of Urban Music” (Random House), the #1 urban legal reference book and teaches a very popular entertainment law related class, “Michael Jackson: The Business of Music” in Atlanta.   In Atlanta, he is working with the Granville Law Firm Group and the Greene Legal Group.

No terms or details of the settlement were disclosed.  Walker hopes the two parties can move forward amicably and work with artists in the future to make great music.

He also plans to put a copy of the lawsuit on his website at www.walkerandassoc.com or if artists tweet or email him @jameslwalkeresq or [email protected]

Top 10 Reasons Why Rappers Go Broke – By James L Walker
 

“These Neighborhoods Are Our Neighborhoods.  These Children Are Our Children” – President Barack Obama

By James L. Walker,Jr.,Esq.(@jameslwalkeresq

NEWTOWN, CT – Here we go again: a senseless gruesome violent massacre kills innocent young lives in an upscale suburban neighborhood.

This weekend’s murder spree by 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza at an elementary school a few miles from my Connecticut home wiped out the lives of 20 children and 8 adults, including himself and his 52-year-old mother Nancy Lanza.

These repeated tragic American events almost come with a formula:  a normal school day in tranquil suburbia America where beautiful innocents are ambushed by a quiet unknown individual who exploded for reasons we will never know.

We then get the non-stop live television visual of hundreds of innocents fleeing a crime scene during our shock; coupled with non-stop media coverage on every major network.

This is followed by yet another painful nationwide vigil under the media glare, and a parade of press statements from the local, state and national politicians, including the President of the United States in some cases.  

The conclusion of this formula is summed up with a muted brief debate on gun control; and then the countless re-airing of the photos of bereaved family members and the wonderful innocent and in some cases heroic victims.

But, there is something different about Newtown’s tragedy for me, home of the Sandy Hook Elementary School, and its urban community neighbor about a dozen miles down the road in my childhood hometown called Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Newtown is a town of some 25,000 people; filled with a New England-esque Norman Rockwell post card feel to it.

It is a place where everyone knows everyone’s name.

It is a community of soccer moms, freshly brewed, hot Apple-Cider and you could even smell Christmas about 10 days away with the beautiful Christmas wreaths, lights, and ornaments sprinkled all over Main Street and the center of Town.

The Sandy Hook elementary school, consisting of 500 or so children, had been around since 1956 and was always a spring board to great high schools and a wonderful college education, if desired, followed by an almost given lifestyle of privilege, comfort and success in a community where the median income for a family was a $100,000.

It is a place only 55 miles or so North of New York, endowed with picturesque waterfalls, the beauty of autumn and fall, bright-eyed deer running freely through the gorgeous woods and eye-popping tall pine trees sprinkling the beautiful skyline.

One citizen told NBC news, it is a township “where we never have any crime and you would never expect to see such a horrific tragedy.”

However, some citizens in the Park City, just a few miles away, i.e., Bridgeport, would not be as surprised or shocked by violence occurring in its city.

Bridgeport, having a population of nearly 150,000, is another New England city known for its vibrant hardworking and decent people, but faced with failing and unsafe schools marred with violence and in some corridors gang-related crimes that stays in the press – unlike suburban Newtown, where things are kept hush-hush in the local press.

Bridgeport is a city much larger in size population, known for its once bustling manufacturing base and factories spread throughout the 19.4 square mile town.

Bridgeport is a town once made famous by circus ringleader and resident P.T. Barnum and his character and protégé Tom Thumb.

It is a town known for the hard work of its people and the dedication of the cross cultures of ethnicities.

But, unlike Newtown or its Sandy Hook community, children and residents in Bridgeport know the fear and presence of violence due a very small percent of citizens who commit the majority of the crimes.

Bridgeport is a city that saw 63 murders in one given year in the 1990s and was often called the Murder Capital of New England by many.

And, Bridgeport is a city where a shooting at a school or on a street corner is as common as the violence most inner city neighborhoods are plagued with regularly. (Chicago had 30 shootings in one weekend alone this summer).

Indeed, murder crime is down from its high in the 1990s, but it is still very common to hear about a shooting in Bridgeport on a given weekend; while Newtown residents struggle with whether or not there would be enough parking at the PTA night or the local soccer game or Italian festival.

I grew up in Bridgeport, saw many die at the hands of gunfire, whether as a high school student; or a homicide reporter in my early 20s in the record year of 1992.

I covered nearly 60 murders over a two year period in the early 90s while working at the then Bridgeport Post.  Bright-eyed and with no gray hairs or beard, I was amazed at how suburban towns like  Westport,  Greenwich and New Canaan to the South of Bridgeport had no connection, empathy or outrage to the violence. 

Similarly, I was left speechless at how many Northwest residents inEaston, Monroe and yes Newtown, all 10-20 minutes or so from Bridgeport, had very little concern about the violence parading its streets of Bridgeport and destroying generations of youth.

Most of these suburban towns (or citizens) never saw an inkling of the violence that became everyday life for the great people of Bridgeport.

Ironically, a decade after my reporter stint, I would find myself a 30something living in Monroe for nearly 7 years and commonly in Newtown for soccer games, grocery shopping, football, banking and writing articles on this very laptop used for this story at the Main Street Panera Bread in Newtown.  We lived on the Monroe/Newtown line as a family for years.

Even more ironic, Friday’s shooting is approximately five-to-ten minutes from our current Monroe home and shook my family immediately when the reports blasted on CNN all day for a near week and counting.  (They are even movingSandy Hook students into my daughter’s former school, Chalk Hill Elementary School of Monroe).

Two cities, Bridgeport and Newtown, just a dozen or so miles apart and so vastly different in the quality of life, the inequality of education; the safety of their respective children on the streets now grapple with a common enemy: violence knowing no limitations of zip code.

Bridgeport had 22 murders in 2010 (and I believe was at 21 murders this year alone at the time of this writing) and over 150 hundred in the past decade.

However, up until last week, Newtown had one homicide in almost a decade. 

Often times, the hardworking people of Bridgeport complained to local and state leaders that the deaths of a young child, teenager, or murder victim fell on death ears at the highest levels of the state in the governor’s mansion.

We watched year in and out as violence traveled through the streets, roads and highways of Bridgeport; and while many, not all, from the suburbs of Monroe, Easton, Trumbull and yes, Newtown, just watched emotionless and with no concern for the schools or children dying by the wayside.

While Bridgeport families mourned and buried a given gang-related shooting or innocent by-stander shooting of a local teen on any given weekend this year; suburban residents enjoyed business as usual at the Sandy Hook Diner; the annual sale of Christmas wreaths and trees (as I often enjoyed bringing home this week for my children); and the weekend hockey game or Pop Warner football game.

But, today, the tale of two cities becomes one common story line:  violence has yet again, taken more children in a senseless killing; that should have been seen and avoided.

Families will forever be changed and pained for many, many more Christmases to come.

An emotional President Obama said it best: these are “our” children and these are “our” neighborhoods.

Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy urged us as a nation to do better and protect our children and communities.

It is my hope that as we grieve through this horrific tragedy for the people of Newtown, that we as a nation, whether in the inner cities or suburbs, truly realize that these are “our” children and “we” have a vested interest to now be concerned about violence anywhere; as we see it spreading everywhere.

Whether you live in Monroe, Easton or Greenwich or the suburbs of New York orAtlanta or the rich suburbs outside Denver or Chicago, be concerned about the violence and the killing of “our children” in “our neighborhoods.”

If you deal with violence in one area; there is a good chance you stop it from spreading to another area.

Specifically, if we looked at the assault on our schools in the Bridgeports of America, we would not be blinded when violence hits our schools in the Newtowns of America.

I hope we will do something “meaningful” as “our” teary-eyed President suggested and get beyond political bickering and posturing on gun control.

America still has 100,000 people shot annually, with reportedly 30,000 dying yearly.

Gun control is out-of-control and we need a dialogue and compromising solutions.

A  violent tale of these two Connecticut cities has become a similar painful tale for dozens of cities nationwide.

Let’s stop that pain for the sake of “our children” and “our neighborhoods”!!!

James L. Walker, Jr. is an attorney who grew up in Bridgeport and is based in Connecticut and Atlanta.  A former homicide reporter, Attorney Walker has operated a half-way house and spoken at several high schools and colleges and now works in the entertainment industry.  He can be emailed at [email protected]  or @jameslwalkeresq (on Twitter).