Pittsburgh Post Gazette Reports
A few years ago, I finally got around to reading "Black No More," a novel by the late journalist, social satirist and novelist George Schuyler.
A former reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier, Mr. Schuyler was both a black conservative and a "race man," an archaic term that refers to someone who takes upon himself the duty of protecting and defending the black race.
First published in 1931, "Black No More" is a hilarious and brutal tale about Max Disher, a Harlem insurance agent and neighborhood rogue who undergoes a pigment-lightening process said to have been invented by Dr. Junius Crookmore, a black mad scientist. Dr. Crookmore's studies in Germany led to the invention of a machine that turns people of African descent into Swedes and Norwegians.
Once Max takes on his new identity as a white man, he changes his name to Matt Fisher and marries the unsuspecting daughter of a notorious white supremacist. As you can imagine, all sorts of hilarity and racial subversion ensue.
Max isn't alone in undergoing the novel's "black no more" process. The book has most of Harlem, from the intellectual elite to juvenile delinquent, undergo the relatively cheap skin-bleaching and hair-straightening transformation inside Dr. Crookmore's machine. So many blacks flood the market as newly minted Caucasians, enraged Southerners push legislation to make it illegal to switch races, rather than suffer the further devaluation of white skin.
I thought of George Schuyler's book last week when recent photos of famed baseball slugger Sammy Sosa, born dark-skinned in the Dominican Republic, began making the rounds. Like Max Disher, Sosa appears to have undergone significant lightening since his debut with the Texas Rangers and famed years with the Chicago Cubs.
While falling short of the albino whiteness Michael Jackson perfected over a quarter of a century, Mr. Sosa shows what can happen when black folks with money engage in too much impulse buying on the racial cosmetics market.
Sammy Sosa Then
Mr. Sosa denies hanging around the modern equivalent of Dr. Crookmore's "black no more" machine. A former Chicago Cubs community relations flack blames the lighting in recent photos for Mr. Sosa's pale look. "He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin," she said, adding that it wasn't much different from what a lot of women go through when they apply moisturizing treatment to their faces at night.
If Sammy Sosa hadn't also insisted that he only "accidentally" used a corked bat during a Cubs game in 2003 that resulted in an eight-game suspension, or that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs despite forearms as big as Popeye's, or if he hadn't failed a Major League Baseball drug test, I would be more inclined to believe he is the victim of a bad batch of lotion.
Sammy Sosa Now
If Mr. Sosa is trying to steal a base on the other side of the color line, he has plenty of company. I was surprised to read a list on the Internet about all of the black performers -- especially R&B artists -- who are also believed to use skin lighteners.
Using skin lighteners is generally frowned upon in the African-American community, but somebody in that demographic is buying them. Skin-whitening soaps containing banned ingredients in the U.S. and Europe have accounted for billions in sales in Africa alone in the last half century.
Advertisers in Asia know that they can juice sales by appealing to the vanity of female customers obsessed with achieving "milky white skin" they consider more desirable and aristocratic. Skin whiteners are believed to be an even larger business in Asia than in Africa.
The politics of skin lightening couldn't be more absurd. There is probably more acceptance of someone undergoing sex reassignment than of someone trying to "upgrade" their color. A transgendered person is trying to find a body in which to feel more authentic. Someone lightening his skin has bought into an inherently corrupt measurement of worth in society.
Folks who try to buy social acceptance in a bottle of whitening lotion are looking for the kind of shortcut to success Mr. Sosa sought when he turned to steroids. It's cheap and degrading to the soul.
Perhaps I'm being unfair to folks who feel "whitening up" is in line with their sense of beauty and personal aesthetics. Who says that you only get one bite at the apple of racial identity? For all his brilliance, George Schuyler could be wrong. In the end, looking askance at what many would consider pitiful attempts at racial migration is just another way of being prejudiced.
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Video After The Jump
Never one to bite his tongue or back away from an uncomfortable question. 50 Cent admits in this interview that in retrospect he regrets recording the very controversial song "Pearly Gates" with Mobb Deep off their "Blood Money" cd. Due to what many people perceive as a blasphemous verse from fellow Queens rapper Prodigy, that blasted both Jesus and God.
Interview With RollingOutTelevision"Pearly Gates"Read more…
Posted by ChasinDatPaper on November 10, 2009 at 10:00am
Videos After The JumpInquisitr Reports
Former Washington Redskins cheerleader Desiree Jennings made headlines in October when she told the media that she had been afflicted with the neurological movement disorder Dystonia following a flu shot.
As we noted at the time, the disorder apparently left her only able to walk properly backwards, or run forwards. The rest of the time she appeared on camera to be seriously messed up.
Despite their being “no successful treatment for its cause” (Wikipedia) guess who has been miraculously cured?
According to Science Blogs, the doctor who miraculously cured Desiree, Dr Rashid Buttar is “known for urine injection therapy, among other things, and has charged tens of thousands of dollars to apply his quackery to cancer patients.”
Desiree in the mean time is now pumping the anti-vaccine message, putting at risk the lives of thousands of children.
The chances of the whole thing being a hoax just went from about 50% to pushing towards 100%.
Original VideoDesiree's Most Recent Video
And Finally Desiree "Walking It Out"
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Video After The JumpRobin Thicke is hard at work on his new album "Sex Therapy". The follow up to last year's "Something Else" which debuted at # 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. This album has a great production line up of Polow Da Don, Jeff Bhasker, Scott Storch, and Surf Club. With features from Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj. Peep the video below of Robin & Hov recording "Meiplé"
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Rap-Up Reports
Rihanna fought back tears while being honored as one of Glamour’s 2009 Women of the Year at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Monday (Nov. 9). The magazine’s latest cover girl broke from her all-black-everything look, turning heads in a dramatic white gown. She was accompanied by her Island Def Jam label head L.A. Reid. Other honorees included Michelle Obama, Maya Angelou, Serena Williams, Maria Shriver, and Amy Poehler.
“I am shaking right now. I am so nervous, but overwhelmed and honored by this honor to be Glamour’s Woman of the Year,” an emotional Rihanna said as she was presented with her award from supermodel Iman. “I really look up to my gran-gran and my mom. They are my two women of the year. I love you very much, granny. I love you very much, mom.”
BallerStatus Reports
Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather has a lot to be thankful for this holiday. After 21 months off, he had a dominating victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in September, not to mention plenty of money. Now, in recognition for his good fortune, he's giving back to less fortunate Las Vegas residents, via a toy drive and Thanksgiving feast.
"The holidays are the most important time to give back," said Mayweather. "No family should have to go hungry on Thanksgiving and no child should go without a toy on Christmas. I don't believe that food and gifts should be a luxury. They are a necessity and through our efforts, we want make this year's holiday season happier than ones before for Las Vegas residents in need."
Beginning this week, the Floyd Mayweather Foundation, in association with United States Marine Corps, started its own toy drive through 15 Toys for Tots collection bins in locations around the city of Las Vegas (see list of locations below).
The collection will continue through the month of November and end on December 11. The highlight of the drive will be an event hosted by Mayweather for family, friends and invited guests, where each person must bring a toy to donate in order to attend.
The giving doesn't stop there. He's been feeding the homeless weekly for the past several months, and will step up his efforts and serve a Thanksgiving hot meal to those same people.
On November 21, the Foundation is planning a Thanksgiving feast for 250 people outdoors on Owens Ave & N. Main St. (across from the Salvation Army). Each individually wrapped hot meal will include turkey, rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, string beans, pumpkin pie, water and tea.
To top off his holiday-related contributions, Mayweather will be donating coats to the students at a local inner-city elementary school. All 318 students (pre-school through fifth grade) will be given a coat.
"I look forward to continuing our mission of making sure people who are hungry have food to eat, and that children wake up on Christmas morning with something to look forward to," Mayweather said. "Through the donation of toys, coats and food, I know we will be making the holidays a little brighter for those in need and that is the best gift of all."
TOYS FOR TOTS DROP-OFF LOCATIONS
Expressions Salon and Spa -- 6345 South Pecos Rd. St. #103, Las Vegas, 89120
Nail Gossip -- 4860 West Desert Inn Rd. #6, Las Vegas, NV, 89102
Merryhill Preschool/Elementary School -- 5055 South Durango Dr. Las Vegas, NV, 89113
North Stars Dance Academy -- 4025 North Rancho Dr. Suite#160, Las Vegas, NV, 89130
Las Vegas Indoor Soccer -- 1400 N. Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, 89134
Fletcher Jones Imports -- 7300 W. Sahara Ave. Las Vegas, NV, 89117
Jackie's Iced Out Barber N' Beauty -- 1100 Martin Luther King Blvd. Suite D, Las Vegas, NV, 89106
The Jeweler's -- 2400 Western Ave. Las Vegas, NV, 89102
Roots -- 4418 W. Charleston Blvd. Las Vegas, NV, 89102
Harsch Property Management -- 3853 Spring Mountain Rd. Las Vegas, NV, 89102
Harsch Property Management -- 3111 S. Valley View Blvd. Unit E-101, Las Vegas, NV, 89102
Harsch Property Management -- 6285 Dean Martin Dr. Suite A23, Las Vegas, NV, 89118
1st Commerce Bank -- 5135 Camino Al Norte Rd. Ste 100, N. Las Vegas, NV, 89031
Findlay Cadillac-Saab -- 933 Auto Show Dr. Las Vegas, NV, 89106
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Variety Reports
Screen Gems has acquired "Sheneneh and Wanda," a vehicle for Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence to star in a comic caper playing female characters they developed during their stand-up comedy days.
Foxx will write the script, which he and Martin will produce through Foxx's Foxxhole and Lawrence's Runteldat production banners.
The project originated as a parody of a movie trailer for a film called "Skank Robbers," which Foxx and Lawrence made for the BET Awards. The reaction was strong enough that the duo decided to turn the concept into a real film.
In the comedy, Sheneneh and Wanda are modern-day independent women trying to make it on their own, one bank robbery at a time.
Foxx and Lawrence have long tried to find a vehicle to work together, and Screen Gems' Clint Culpepper is fast tracking the production.
Foxx, who last starred in "Law Abiding Citizen," will next be seen in the romantic comedy "Valentine's Day." Lawrence will next be seen in the Screen Gems comedy "Death at a Funeral."
Sheneneh and Wanda "Skank Robbers" Skit
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AllHipHop Reports
Baton Rogue, Louisiana rapper Lil Boosie has been sentenced to four years in prison for violating the terms of his probation.
The rapper, born Torrence Hatch, was to serve two-years of a ten-year suspended sentence and was placed on active supervised probation for his third offense on a marijuana possession charge.
The sentence was the result of an October 22, 2008 arrest that uncovered drugs and a gun in Baton Rogue.
When Boosie was sentenced in September, Judge Chip Moore warned the rapper to stay out of trouble and to keep away from felons, guns and trouble in general.
At a sentencing hearing yesterday (November 9), Judge Moore double the original two-year sentence to four years, because Boosie’s house arrest ankle bracelet indicated that he had violated the terms of his release several times.
As a result, Lil Boosie, 25, was sent straight to prison to begin serving his prison sentence.
The Baton Rogue, Louisiana based rapper appeared at the 2009 BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta where he spoke to AllHipHop.com about his original two-year prison sentence.
“It’s just a minor setback,” Lil Boosie told AllHipHop.com. “I am not even a convicted felon and they are giving me time.”
Upon release, Lil Boosie must complete at least two years of supervised probation in order to have the gun charge dropped from his record.
Lil Boosie's album Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Bad Azz is in stores now.
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MTV Reports
OJ Da Juiceman smiles with a gold-tooth grin when asked who has more mixtapes: him or his brother in arms, Gucci Mane.
"I'm at 25 or 26 mixtapes, but Gucci Mane is well over 30," OJ said.
He plans to increase his catalog very shortly, with a tape called Six Rings: The Michael Jordan Edition dropping soon. Then he and DJ Drama are hooking up for a Gangsta Grillz simply called Orange. After all that, OJ said he and Gucci have plans to put out a street project with Waka Flocka Flame, a new member of the Brick Squad crew.
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NEW YORK — Rihanna joined Jay-Z onstage Sunday night in Los Angeles to sing "Run This Town" and her Young Jeezy-assisted track "Hard." While it wasn't her first performance since she was assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown in February, it did mark the first time she's performed any new material from the upcoming Rated R album.
Rihanna told MTV News on Monday that she was ushering in a "new era" at the concert.
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Video After The JumpAkon's star artist Lady Gaga is achieving some crossover success as this interview with BET shows. She talks about being surprised at how well her debut album has done and her admiration for Beyonce, who she has done two collaborations with recently "Video Phone" and "Telephone". She refers to her fans as "little monsters" and says her "Monster Ball" tour is open to everyone, regardless of race,gender or sexual preference.
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R&B superstar, Ciara is sure to turn heads in this shoot for the German edition of "Vogue" Magazine. She's seen here with photographers Steven Gomillion and Dennis Leupold.
In addition to appearing in "Vogue", Ciarra has signed on as the face of a major multimedia ad campaign for LG's new Chocolate Touch phone.
The Chocolate Touch is aimed at teens and young adults for whom music is a high priority and a lifestyle statement, said Tim O’Brien, senior director of marketing communications for LG Mobile Phones.
TMZ Reports
Comedian Katt Williams has officially been charged with burglary and criminal trespassing by a magistrate in Coweta County, GA -- his bond was set at $41,150.
Williams was arrested this morning, after cops say a man named Daniel Broach claimed the comedian broke into his home on Sunday night and stole $3,555 worth of jewelry and collectable coins.
Broach told cops Katt used a crowbar to break into his home, which is around 38 miles southwest of Atlanta.
Katt's lawyer told us the whole thing is a sham -- and is just the result of a dispute Katt had with a another man.
Katt has yet to post bond.
UPDATE: Katt is free to roam -- we're told he just posted bond.Read more…
AllHipHop Reports
Cash Money CEO addressed Lil Wayne’s upcoming jail stint, which will make him the third Hot Boy to be incarcerated, putting the group’s possible reunion on hold.
The Hot Boys feature group members Lil Wayne, B.G., Turk and Juvenile. Turk is currently incarcerated doing a 10-year-bid for shooting a SWAT team member during a drug raid in Memphis in January 2004.
Young Money CEO Lil Wayne is facing up to a year in prison for a weapon violation in New York, while B.G. was arrested for possession of guns and drugs during a traffic stop in New Orleans last Tuesday (November 3).
“We got a hell of a plan and hell of a strategy,” Baby told Eric B. & Friends on AllHipHop Radio today (November 9).
“I promise you, you’ll think he [Lil Wayne] never left the streets. It aint much about the music at this point with my son, like f**k the music,” Baby said. “We got to go through something family wise, that the fans and nobody else will ever have to go through. This is the first time I will ever be without my child that means the world to me. This is where Blood stick together.”
As for B.G.‘s recent arrest, Williams revealed that the rapper is being held t o his contract with Atlantic Records, which will co-promote his upcoming album Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood, which is being released on December 8 through a deal with E1 Music.
“I just talked to him. If you know B.G., he’s still in that jungle where it prescribes to carry tools [guns], or you can be the next n***a with a tag on your toe,” Baby stated. “Atlantic release the lil n***a so we can try to get him so money. See they don’t know how he’s living. I know how he’s living, so I was trying to say yall let him go, let me take him, I’ma get him so money, I’ma bring him with me, he can come to Miami and be a part of everything we got. But they don’t know the significance of a n***a’s lifestyle, they just think the n***a is a business. He already hurting, yall aint doing nothing for a n***a. I got love for him. I’ll bring him in and give him a life and a lifestyle, but now he’s heading for another life and another lifestyle.”
Baby revealed that he talked to Turk often and revealed that he was working towards mending his relationship with Hot Boy member Juvenile, who is gearing up to release his new album Cocky & Confident, which is also being released via deal between Atlantic and E1 Music.
“Me and him [Juvenile] spoke bout a couple of months a go for really the first time,” Baby continued. “Me and him talked and really honesty, I aint tripping and I don’t think they are tripping. N***as done got older and are trying to figure out ways to feed their families.”
The Hoy Boys recorded as group for Cash Money Records from 1997-2001 and hit the charts with singles like “We On Fire” and “I Need A Hot Girl” “Project B**ch” and others.
Baby stated that the highly anticipated Hot Boys reunion album is finished and could be in stores as soon as the Summer of 2010.
“They recorded a whole album and we are looking to put it out for the summer time,” Baby told AllHipHop.com.
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Video After The Jump
As many rappers have found out out, it's tough to follow a classic LP with a part two that can even compare. Wu Tang Clan's Raekwon The Chef however, does just that with "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II" On this the 3rd video off of the album Rae goes in over a Dr Dre produced banger with help from Lyfe Jennings. Check the visuals below.
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Video After The JumpTahiry is letting the world know what she's up to since her break up with Joey Jump Off. Seems like she's not missing a beat with her new reality show, t-shirt line, bartending and modeling. Doesn't sound like she's missing Joe too much.
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CNN Reports
(CNN) -- Celebrities are always trying to build walls around themselves, literally and figuratively, and those walls cost money.
This week, rapper 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, admitted that he spends $20,000 a week on security at his Farmington, Connecticut, mansion.
"My home is surrounded by cameras. I need surveillance not only to look out for me but also to protect me. You get all these crazy lawsuits, and I need cameras to check on things," the 33-year-old told the entertainment news service WENN.
Jackson's security costs work out to a little over $1 million a year.
Although spending more on security in two weeks than the average American's yearly income may seem excessive, Jackson's expenditures are in the lower end of what most high-profile individuals pay to protect themselves, their families and their property.
New York-based security expert and retired New York Police Detective Thomas Werther owns Sector Mike Security systems and spends his days protecting musicians, actors, actresses and sports stars. He explained the breakdown of expenses for a day of security for the average high-profile individual.
"For one day, if you need one truck with a driver and three security agents, you are looking at $4,000 a day, and use that four days a week, then you can easily see spending $20,000 a week. For a guy like 50 Cent, that seems like a modest expense, especially if you are factoring in home security," Werther explained.
Aaron Cohen, a former member of Israel's counterterrorist special forces unit and now the director of IMS Security in Hollywood, works with numerous high-profile individuals and families, including supermodel Kate Moss. Cohen says security is one of the highest single expenditures a celebrity will make in a year.
"If you are looking to protect a celebrity family like Brad [Pitt] and Angelina [Jolie] or Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, for instance, the price tag for job like that is going to be around $1 [million] to $1.4 million a year," Cohen said. "When you have kids, you need separate security, because everyone is going off in different directions."
Those costs, according to Cohen, break down to half a million dollars just for residential protection and surveillance that would include 24-hour security monitoring with a constantly streaming network of cameras. An additional half-million in costs can be incurred as a celebrity travels, paying each security guard between $500 and $1,000 a day while away from home.
That cost can rise by a premium of $20,000 a month the second a celebrity stalker enters the equation.
"It is at least a $20,000 retainer in order to boost security and add a proactive investigation to stop a stalker," Cohen said. "You will also spend that if you are the kind of celebrity who is constantly dogged by paparazzi."
One such celebrity is Britney Spears, who spends nearly half a million dollars a year for security, according to accounting information filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court by Spears' father, Jamie Spears, who manages her estate.
Over the course of 11 months in 2008, the singer spent $447,633 on security measures. That breaks down to about half what Jackson spends a month.
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MTV Reports
Young Dro is on overload. Since his long-awaited album P.O.L.O. (Players Only Live Once) leaked on the Net months ago, Dro had to go back in the lab and retool the project. The Polo champ has this week's Main Pick — he's got homie and Grand Hustle CEO T.I. onboard, but he mainly runs the show on this one. Tip, we miss you. Oh yeah, and we have some more surprises for you this week, so stay tuned.
This Week's Main PickStreet Kings: Young Dro and DJ Don Cannon
Holding It Down For: Atlanta and Philly
Mixtape: R.I.P.(I Killed That Sh--)
Real Spit: Shot to the heart. Young Dro was putting the finishing touches on his album P.O.L.O. (Players Only Live Once) when he walked into the Grand Hustle office and found out the entire LP was already on the Internet.
"When I walked in the office, couldn't nobody look me in the eye," Dro said. "They was looking down. You had Jim Jonsin beats, some of the best production I ever had on there. When I saw it I was like, 'Oh my God. OMG.' But then I said, 'I'm gonna patch it up.' "
Dro shook off the shock and came to accept the fact that he would have to record more songs.
"The album got leaked, so we going back in the studio," he explained. "We gonna get Cannon beats, we gonna get DJ Toomp beats, we gonna sew the album up and act like it ain't never bled. No leak."
P.O.L.O. is now slated to drop sometime in January 2010.
"If you a real player, you only get one life," Dro said. "I'm still a player and I still got one life to live. I'm still in that Polo."
In the meantime, Dro says he's thinking about putting out five mixtapes — the first is R.I.P.: (I Killed That Sh--) with DJ Don Cannon.
"I been waiting for years — he finally called me and said, 'I wanna do the tape with you,' " Cannon said. "I was like, 'Yes.' We got new beats, a bunch of freestyles where he killed [other artists'] beats. The whole thing is, 'I killed that.' Some people are gonna get mad he killed their beat."
"I kill everything I do," Dro insisted. "If you see me in some clothes, I killed that. If you see me in my whip, I killed that. If you hear my flows, I killed that. I be killing stuff. Then we putting rests in peace to — everybody talking swag this, swag that — I killed that. I'm the #1 guy, I'm gonna kill it. R.I.P."
Joints to Check For:
» "U Don't Know Bout It." "It was explaining where I stay or where I live you don't know about it," Dro said. "Before you go out telling everybody your business, 'You don't wanna know about this, shorty.' If you ain't where I'm at or where I live, I can't tell you about it — that's breaking the code."
» "Mo Money Mo Problems." "The '09 'Mo Money Mo Problems' — it's me, Mac Boney and Tip on there," Dro said. "We just giving it to them how we seen when we was able to get money and do our thing. We giving it to the public — we still in the streets, we still in the 'hood, we still corporate, but there's problems around the money we're making sometime."
» "Don't Know Y'all." "The single 'Don't Know Y'all' on the album, it's cats out there on the street that act like they know what I been through or act like they was there when I got shot or my mama got shot," Dro laughed. "I be driving and they flagging me down. When you flagging me down, partna, you don't know me. Me and the boy Yung L.A. on there. We shot the video in the ghetto. We shot the video in the ghetto. ... It was in Chapel Forest on Simpson Road. We had Mike Epps come to the ghetto and see the ghetto children. We was amongst killers and gorillas, but we gave back to the 'hood — we let the children dance and get their rock on. It's gonna be real big."
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BallerStatus Reports
Popular 80s trio, The Fat Boys, are not only getting ready for a comeback to music, but they're doing all sorts of things that are catching attention these days. One, in particular, was when Prince Markie Dee called out wrestling legend Iron Sheik to a MMA fight, after Sheik made some sort of "racist" comment. However, nothing has come of it just yet.
Now, the trio are gearing up for the release of a new clothing line, which will be carried at Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic.
"With our clothing line hitting Hot Topics and Urban Outfitters just in time for the holidays, we're real excited to be back, and of course, this merchandise line is old school sexy," Prince Markie Dee said.
In support of the new line, The Fat Boys have created a website, via RateMyMerch.com, that allows fans to vote on potential designs.
In you participate, you are also entered to win prizes, including iPods and Virgin Mobile phones.
"These shirts are tight," said Kool Rock-Ski, another founding member of the group. "And I don't mean tight 'cause we fat. This joint is off the hook. We got the original shirts from our world tours in the '80s and some fresh new styles. We got so many styles we need help picking which ones to go with."
According to a report from TheBoomBox.com, the Fat Boys are set to perform a special reunion show at the famous Fox Theater in Detroit in the near future. It will be the first time the group has performed in over 20 years.
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WSOC-TV Reports
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A controversial history lesson left parents and teachers upset in Union County.
The teachers plan to write letters to leaders at the historic Latta Plantation about their disapproval of a hands-on history lesson during a Rea View Elementary class trip Wednesday.
During a lesson on the Civil War, tour guide Ian Campbell, who is himself black, made black students pretend to be slaves in front of their white classmates.
Campbell said he's been a historian for more than 15 years.
"I am very enthusiastic about getting kids to think about how people did things in 1860, 1861 -- even before that period," he said.
One parent said Campbell took his enthusiasm too far when he picked three black elementary school children out of a group of mostly white students to play the role of cotton picking slaves during a his hands-on history lesson. The parent said the students were also made to wear bags used to gather cotton around their necks.
Campbell said, "I was trying to be historically correct not politically correct."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg National Asssociation for the Advancement of Colored People President Kojo Nantambu disagrees.
He said, "There is a lingering pain, a lingering bitterness, a lingering insecurity and a lingering sense of inhumanity since slavery. Because that's still there, you want to be more sensitive than politically correct or historically correct."
Although Campbell defends his decision, he said in the future he will take a different approach.
"I'm going to start asking for volunteers instead of calling people from the audience. I think that would make it a lot easier that way if someone is afraid of public speaking or getting up in front of peers it wouldn't embarrass them," Campbell said.
"Even if the black children had volunteered, I probably would have tried to use all of the children," Nantambu said. "That would have made all the children feel equal in the experience."
Campbell said he's done lessons like this in the past, but this was his first complaint.
A spokeswoman for the Union County school district said administrators were "surprised by the lack of sensitivity" of the presentation. Parents plan to meet with school administrators Friday morning to address their concerns.
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}