Oprah Responds to Hip-Hop Criticism

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is speaking out about the recent criticism she has received from the Hip-Hop community.

In the past few weeks, rappers Ludacris and 50 Cent have openly condemned Winfrey, who appeared on Ed Lover’s Power 105.1 radio show yesterday (May 11) to defend her side of the story.

“I listen to some Hip-Hop. I’ve been accused of not liking Hip-Hop and that’s just not true,” she said. “I got a little 50 [Cent] in my iPod. I really do. I like ‘In Da Club.’ Have you heard the beat to ‘In Da Club’? Love that, love Jay-Z, love Kanye, love Mary J. Mary J. is one of my friends.”

The backlash against Winfrey sparked last year after Ludacris appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to promote his co-starring role in the film Crash.

While discussing the movie’s racial subject matter with the other cast members, Winfrey interrogated Ludacris about his notoriously raunchy lyrics.

The rapper addressed the incident in the May issue of GQ Magazine, stating that Winfrey edited his comments out of the show.

He also revealed that he wasn’t invited to appear on the show initially, and that he felt Winfrey’s questioning was inappropriate considering the fact that he appeared on the show as an actor.

“What I got was that by having rappers on her show, she feels like she is empowering in them. It was like being at someone’s house who doesn’t really want you there,” Ludacris told GQ. “I don’t see why Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, who I am huge fans of, it’s OK for them to go on Oprah. They speak the same language as I do, but they do it through comedy, so I guess that’s acceptable to her.”

Winfrey said she and Ludacris continued their conversation after the show, as she attempted to explain why she put the rapper in the hot seat.

“I said ‘Look Ludacris, you are so smart. You are one of the brilliant guys. I used to have the Klan on and the skinheads on and I looked out in the audience and I saw contact being made between the guys in the audience and the stage and they were like, ‘Yeah get her, get her, get her, Bud,’” she said. “At that moment, I was doing nobody any good [by] putting those people on because I realized that that platform was being seen and heard by a lot of people who weren’t as smart as I am.

“My idea was, I want y’all to know that this is what’s going on,” Winfrey continued. “And I said to Ludacris, ‘A lot of people who listen to your music aren’t as smart as you are. So they take some of that stuff literally when you are just writing it for entertainment purposes.’”

Ludacris isn’t the only rapper who has claimed to be offended by Winfrey’s actions, however.

50 Cent told the Associated Press that rappers are a rarity on her show.

“I think she caters to older white women.” 50 said, adding that “Oprah’s audience is my audience’s parents. So, I could care less about Oprah or her show. I’m actually better off having friction with her.”

While Winfrey expressed her love of Hip-Hop to Ed Lover, she also decried the misogyny prevalent in the music and stressed that there are many different aspects of Hip-Hop.

The media mogul said she personally felt the worldwide impact of rap during an encounter with a security guard for African political leader Nelson Mandela.

According to Winfrey, the guard greeted her group by saying “Hello n***as.”

Winfrey explained to Ed Lover that the guard thought it was the norm because they watched videos and listened to rap music.

Lover later told Winfrey that he would never use the word ‘b***h’ again.

Hip-Hop’s power is undeniable, Winfrey acknowledged, as she noted the music’s growing influence years ago, as well as the accompanying responsibility.

“Years and years ago, Quincy Jones and I had this conversation about the evolution of Hip-Hop and what it really means to our culture,” Winfrey said. “Hip-Hop is like jazz and gospel music, evolved from the people, a form of protest, a form of expression so you can’t deny that, nor would I try. But I do believe there needs to be awareness of who we are, how we got here and what that means about staying here.”

Bars-N-Hooks Mend Beef With Prodigy, LP Released

By Christopher Milan Thomas

Queensbridge rap fans may remember Bars-N-Hooks as the inaugural act on Mobb Deep member Prodigy’s Infamous Records.

But when the label’s fortunes fell through, the duo faded into the background and member Mike Delorean held Prodigy personally accountable.

“There was no more income for us,” Delorean told AllHipHop.com. “We relied on Prodigy for everything, and he left us out in the street, man. He gave up on us.”

The two openly feuded, but as Bars-N-Hooks advanced in their careers, they realized that Prodigy wasn’t entirely responsible for them or what happened.

According to Delorean, the group even has an arrangement with Mobb Deep that allows them to rap over Havoc beats free of charge.

“The experience made us grow up a lot. When you’re young, you think it’s everybody else’s fault,” Delorean explained. “Now we have our own accounts, our own websites.”

These days, Bars-N-Hooks have been working closely with another QB icon.

“Nas is my dawg. He’s always helping us with the concepts of our songs and helping us with our hooks,” says Delorean. “Working with him makes us feel like we’re almost there.”

The duo recently issued The Most Notorious, the first release from Delorean’s record label Been Had Money.

The album comes with a DVD featuring appearances by Mobb Deep, Nas, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes, among others.

Suge Knight Claims To Be Broke

Death Row Records chief Marion “Suge” Knight will appear before a bankruptcy trustee today (May 5) to answer questions for creditors.

The rap mogul, who says he doesn’t own any cars or real estate, claims he has $11 in his Washington Mutual checking account as well as $25,000 worth of “personal jewelry,” $1,000 worth of clothes and $2,000 worth of furniture, New York’s Daily News reports.

Knight and Death Row filed for Chapter 11 in April to avoid a $107 million civil judgment he was ordered to pay to his ex-business associate Lydia Harris. Harris claims that she and her ex-husband, Michael Harris, helped build Death Row.

Knight’s debts – totaling $137.4 million – iinclude $11.3 million in federal income tax, $437,000 in state income tax, $9,300 to Nextel, $1,100 to Cingular Wireless and $15,000 on his Orchard Bank credit card, according to a 22-page filing.

Knight’s biggest asset is listed as $4.4 million in music publishing and copyrights but a lien has been placed on the catalog by the Internal Revenue Service.

Master P Accuses Sony

Hip-Hop mogul Master P said he is filing a $500 million lawsuit against Sony Music, alleging that its executives are trying to keep Lil' Romeo's, "U Can't Shine Like Me" from getting played on radio.

The song, which responds to Bow Wow's "Fresh Azimiz," began playing on Los Angeles radio station KKBT in February.

Apparently the beef between the young stars started when Lil' Romeo took offense to the track, "Fresh Azimiz," which the Miller's considered a shot in their direction.

In "U Can't Shine Like Me," Romeo responds by saying he could take Bow Wow's "chick," and the video features a woman resembling Ciara, the pop star Bow Wow dated until recently.

Since debuting several weeks ago, it has been streamed more than 700,000 times on Yahoo! Music.

The record is not enjoying the same success on the radio stations in the United States.

According to monitoring charts, only three stations in the U.S. have added the song to rotation – KKBT, WQUE in New Orleans, and WEMX in Baton Rogue.

According to Master P, unnamed Sony Music executives have been calling radio stations, demanding that Lil Romeo's record not be played.

"How can Sony Music executives call radio stations and tell them not to play the Romeo record "U Can't Shine Like Me?" an inquisitive Master P asked AllHipHop.com. "Los Angeles was the first city to play it. Usually, if you get played in Hollywood, the world will follow. Every station that played the Bow Wow song should have at least tested the record once or twice or played it on their 'Hit or Dis' show by now."

"I had a distribution deal on the table with Jive Records that fell through the crack – hint. Sony BMG," Master P continued. "I wonder why. Jive is a Sony BMG label. Sony BMG is the parent label for Bow Wow's label, Columbia Records.

"There is no beef with us and Bow," Master P explained. "We got love for the little dude. He just doesn't know when to shut his mouth. His arrogance and cockiness are turning fans and their parents off."

According to Master P, Romeo's upcoming LP, God's Son is scheduled for an August 22 release with or without major label distribution.

Lil' Romeo will also tour to support the album.

Representatives for Sony Music were not available as of press time.

For more information on Romeo's new album, log on to http://www.guttarmusic.com.