I am glad that someone in the media finally said what we all were thinking and feeling.

This comment came in by email to me:

Submitted on Sep 6 2005 - 3:18pm
Submitted by anonymous user: [redacted]
Submitted values are:
your name : Jimilynn Dorough
email : [redacted]
your topic : Kanye West's comments about pres. Bush
your message : Thank you Kanye! It is time that someone stand up and make a comment on a national level. Although the comments were not heard everywhere.

Thanks so much for picking up my post at ViqiFrenchFever.blogspot.com about my friend in New Orleans and Kanye West's now famous remarks about the plight of everyone suffering Katrina's aftermath. I also love the "reverse boycott" spin you have on the deserved support of Kanye's new CD, "Late Registration." I planned to purchase it any away, but thanks to your thoughts about WHY we should purchase it, I'll do so with a vengeful sneer in my heart! Peace, Viqi French

In many respects Kanye is insulated from any meaningful backlash from uber-defensive caucs. His bottom line may be enhanced by white folks gravitating to what they've always gravitated to, but he can certainly live off of the revenues derived from those who will continue to support his music.

I mean, it's not like he's Craig Hodges or Mahmoud Abdur-Raouf (formerly Chris Jackson(LSU)). White folks can keep you from distributing music the way they can keep you out of a professional league...

Anyway, you're right on...he was uncharacteristically nervous - and you could clearly see the emotion building in him. Given that, he was REMARKABLY reserved. Folks really have no idea.

In many respects Kanye is insulated from any meaningful backlash from uber-defensive caucs. His bottom line may be enhanced by white folks gravitating to what they've always gravitated to, but he can certainly live off of the revenues derived from those who will continue to support his music.

I considered that. The original idea was to ask folks to photocopy their receipt and mail it to his publisher with a note that says something like "because I support his speaking his mind." Then I remembered Jay-Z...

Still, I forget who bought up Def Jam but you can be sure there's a couple of guys capable of just sitting on the boy's contract instead of releasing new stuff. And you can bet there's more than a few who were offended by what he said. I can't say that those sets intersect but...

I just want Black folks to feel Black folk will support them when they come real and correct. 

true...true.

even if all the labels get sucked up, if you can afford gas, you can get where you need to go. Luke did it in Miami...P did it in New Orleans. It can be done without any of these institutional distributors gettin' such a big slice of the pie.

This was left over there, but I want it over here too.

Kanye,

I must say... I'll give credit where credit is due, that sir goes out to you.  Keepin' it real but "ignored the TelePromTer."  Remember this... in America you are FREE... to do what we tell you.  You didn't care about that and I applaud you for it.  These are only words, but your words caused a big ruckus and all you did was excercise your 1st Amendment right, right?  Doesn't is suck knowing that so-called "A-listers" are just puppets with their agendas on a scale just using disasters to catapult their own fame and glamor.  You Kanye West, did something for the people.  I ain't rich or famous, but I felt you were talking directly to people like me; real people with real problems.  YOU ARE A MODERN DAY PROPHET.

Much Respect...

M. D'Ville

 

Did anyone notice that Kanye West was on the cover of the August 29, 2005 issue of TIME. The pull quote lauded him as being perhaps the smartest guy in show business.

It's still online.

If you disagree with censoring political speech, sign the petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/FreeKanye/