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Professor and speaker Dr. Cornell West is enlisting the help of some of hip- hop's biggest names as he gears up for the release of Never Forget: A Journey Of Revelations.
Calling on some of hip-hop's heavy hitters, West will collaborate with several artists on his CD including Prince, Outkast's Andre 3000, Talib Kweli, KRS-One, Rhymefest, Killer Mike, Rah Digga, Black Thought and the late Gerald Levert. The former Harvard professor will also share mic time with non-musical talents including Michael Eric Dyson, poet Malik Yusef and Tavis Smiley.
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Posted 05/16/07 by ozzie in Urban News
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"It isn't a commentary on hip-hop. And I'm not coming in as a hip-hop scholar or critic," said West. "This is an attempt to go back to hip-hop's prophetic roots, which are about truth-telling, exposing lies and having fun. It's what I call a danceable education or a singing paideia, the Greek word for deep education. If there is one person whose spirit I try to embody on this CD, it's Curtis Mayfield. His music is about love and freedom and really informs."
The album's subject matter will include a variety of topics including the events of Sept. 11, 2001, racial profiling, the Bush administration and the "n-word."
"This is a very political album that doesn't pull any punches," he continues. "There are critiques of the Bush administration as well as of unaccountable corporate power, unaccountable police power and homophobia. We're trying to get young people to wake up and recognize they're part of a great tradition of struggle, to become organized and fight for freedom and justice."
Though he doesn't make an appearance on the album, West also took time out to praise Lupe Fiasco for embodying what he feels hip-hop should be about.
"I've never met Lupe Fiasco, but I like that brother. Oh, lord, he's a free, young brother who honestly speaks his mind," West commented. "That brother hits American terrorism, the American empire and still talks about his skateboard. I love that kind of freedom because, in the end, we've all got to be ourselves and that takes courage."
Never Forget: A Journey Of Revelations hits stores on June 19 and will be released through the Hidden Beach label.
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