• Peaceful Protest Over Eric Garner's Chokehold Death Turns Violent in California

    Thousands of protestors met up in big cities across the country yesterday for a fourth day of making their displeasure with law enforcement in NYC and Ferguson, Missouri known. Nearly two weeks ago Darren Wilson walked away indictment-free in the Ferguson shooting death of Michael Brown. This past weeks' decision of a grand jury not to indict Daniel Pantaleo in the Staten Island chokehold death of Eric Garner took things to a completely different level. After the video of Garner's saying that he couldn't breath moments before dying hit the internet most people expect some charges to stick to Pantaleo. When they didn't it prompted people that normally don't get involved to speak up and rally for change. The majority of the protests have been peaceful with the exception of one in California last night.

  • John Legend, Common Share New Song - "Glory" - From Upcoming 'Selma' Film [LISTEN]

    The nominees for the 87th Academy Awards will be announced on Jan. 15 and today, R&B singer John Legend has shared his Best Original Song hopeful -- "Glory" -- which will be featured in the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. drama, 'Selma.' The song features some socially conscious guest verses from Common, who references the recent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, and joins the ever-growing list of artists to release tribute songs to Michael Brown.

  • Michael Brown, Eric Garner: 10 Tribute Songs From T.I., Alicia Keys, J. Cole, And More

    Following the grand jury decisions regarding the police-related deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO and Eric Garner in Staten Island, NY, plenty of musicians have expressed their outrage and calls for peace and unity by releasing songs inspired by these incidents. Here are 10 songs inspired by the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

  • Peaceful Protests Erupt in NYC After Grand Jury Doesn't Indict Daniel Pantaleo in Eric Garner Chokehold Death Case

    Almost immediately after it was announced yesterday that NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo would not be indicted for the chokehold death of Eric Garner in July on a Staten Island street, the backlash and disbelief began. If you tuned in to any of the news stations, then what you saw was inevitably heated debates between journalists and legal analysts over whether or not an indictment for any charge at all seemed like a no-brainer. Then last night, the peaceful protests began. Smaller groups in Harlem and Staten Island and at Grand Central Terminal were later followed by a march 5,000 people strong down Broadway through Times Square. Protesters are still rallying for some type of justice for Garner, who, just minutes before his death, broke up a fight between a few other people and then found himself surrounded by NYPD. A video of the entire altercation was caught on a cellphone and Garner's hands were clearly up as he backed away from officers who were determined to arrest him for selling loose cigarettes — a summary offense. Pantaleo wrestled Garner to the ground in what appeared to be a type of chokehold, something that has been banned by the NYPD. Even as Garner expressed his inability to breathe and another officer directed Pantaleo to release him, he continued the maneuver until Garner eventually died on that sidewalk. Ironically enough, after it was announced that the grand jury would not be charging Pantaleo with a single crime, he issued an apology to Garner's family, something his widow, Esaw Garner refused to accept.

  • Grand Jury Decision Imminent in NYPD Chokehold Death of Eric Garner

    While the majority of America has been focused on the fallout in Ferguson, Missouri, after Michael Brown's killer Police Officer Darren Wilson was not indicted, another eerily similar case has been starting to grab real attention. In July, Eric Garner was stopped on a Staten Island street and accused of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes by NYPD officers. As they closed in on Garner, he resisted a bit while asking them not to touch him, but eventually Officer Daniel Pantaleo placed Garner in a chokehold while wrestling him to the ground. Garner died on that sidewalk and a New York City grand jury has been deliberating since late September over whether or not Pantaleo should be charged, and it looks like their decision is imminent. This altercation was captured on video and it is absolutely horrific to hear Garner pleading with the officers, telling them flat out, "I can't breathe." Garner had asthma, and it has been determined that the chokehold combined with that and heart issues ultimately lead to his death. Peaceful protests have been occurring quite regularly in Garner's neighborhood, with many calling for criminal charges to be filed against Pantaleo.

  • Michael Brown's Ex-Con Stepfather Louis Head is Being Investigated for Inciting Ferguson Riots

    By now I think nearly everyone has seen the video of Michael Brown's stepfather shouting into the crowd, "Burn this b**** down!" shortly after the grand jury announced its' decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson for the Aug. 9 shooting that killed the teen. While many have said that Louis Head, Brown's step-dad, wasn't actually inciting violence, he was just reacting to the pain in that moment, the Ferguson police department doesn't necessarily see it that way.

  • Run The Jewels Shares Trippy Music Video For "Oh My Darling (Don't Cry)" [WATCH]

    El-P and Killer Mike continue their reign of terror with the release of the new Run The Jewels music video, "Oh My Darling (Don't Cry)," which you can check out here. The Timothy Saccenti-directed clip finds the duo rapping while standing back to back in a dark room with some flashing red and green lights. There are some occasional shots of naked women every once in a while, so this clip is a bit NSFW.

  • St. Louis Rams Insist They Didn't Apologize to Police for 'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Gesture

    It looks like finding middle ground and a truce between the St. Louis Rams and the St. Louis County police department is not going to be easy. The issue began when five St. Louis Rams players walked onto the field before Sunday, Nov. 30's game with their arms making a "hands up, don't shoot" gesture. The police department took extreme offense at the gesture, which was in reference to Darren Wilson's not being indicted in the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Now team officials and the police department are at odds over whether or not an apology was issued. On Monday, Dec. 1, the Rams's chief operations officer Kevin Demoff reached out to law enforcement to try and make peace. Demoff reportedly told police chief Jon Belmar that he "regretted any offense the officers may have taken and regretted that any members of the [Rams's] organization would act in a way that minimized the outstanding work that police officers and departments carry out each and every day." Even though Demoff said he never apologized, the chief believed it to be enough of an apology to send an email about the phone call to his staff.

  • Jill Scott Defends Bill Cosby on Twitter; Comedian Resigns as Temple University Trustee

    Soul singer Jill Scott came to the defense of fellow Philadelphian Bill Cosby on Twitter recently in regards to multiple women alleging that the comedian raped them. Scott received an honorary doctorate from Temple University in May and Cosby, an alumnus, was on hand to present her with it. The singer got into a heated exchange on social media, standing by Cosby as a friend and advocate for proof of the allegations. When one follower, also a Temple alum, asked Scott to sign a petition for the university to cut ties with the comedy star, the singer responded in the negative, philly.com noted. Cosby resigned from the university's board of trustees yesterday, Dec. 1.

  • Killer Mike Writes Op-Ed for 'USA Today' about Rap's Unfair Treatment in the Courts Following Ferguson Speech [EXCERPT]

    Killer Mike is use to voicing his opinions, whether it be through rhymes with Run the Jewels, emotional onstage speeches or op-eds. Most recently, the rapper co-wrote an article for USA Today about his genre's unfair treatment in the courts. Erik Neilson, an assistant professor at the University of Richmond, helped pen the op-ed, which takes issue with the recent Elonis v. U.S. case in which Anthony Elonis was sentenced to 44 months in prison after posting violent verses on Facebook

  • Darren Wilson Resigns from Ferguson PD, Won't Get Severance Package

    The fact that Darren Wilson has officially resigned from the Ferguson Police Department comes as no surprise to anyone. Once the grand jury decided against indicting Wilson last Monday, Nov. 24, in the shooting death of Michael Brown, it technically meant that he was free to return to active duty with the Ferguson department, but in reality that was never going to happen, and Wilson was the first to admit it. Death threats have been made against the department and Wilson was clear on the fact that if he returned to duty he was not only risking his own safety, but also that of his fellow officers. It was never a matter of if he would resign, but when and yesterday, Nov. 29, ended up being the day, according to CNN. While Wilson has been out on paid leave since the Aug. 9 shooting, officials confirmed today that his resignation does not include a severance package of any kind. As of yesterday, Wilson is off the Ferguson payroll and he also does not have health insurance to help counter the cost of his new wife's pregnancy bills.

  • Garth Brooks Brings Ellen DeGeneres and Fans to Tears During Performance of "Mom" from 'Man Against Machine' [WATCH]

    Garth Brooks has one heavy hitter in his new arsenal of songs titled "Mom," and it's a tribute to mother's everywhere. He made Robin Roberts and some audience members of "Good Morning America" break down earlier this month with the 'Man Against Machine' ballad. Now, there's video from the singer's Nov. 25 stop at "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and he gets the host a little teary-eyed there too. Brooks himself has trouble keeping it together during the song too.

  • B.o.B. Drops Ferguson-Inspired Mixtape 'New Black' [LISTEN]

    The grand jury ruling in Ferguson, Missouri this past week has inspired a lot of political discourse in the hip-hop community, and yesterday, Nov. 27, Atlanta rapper B.o.B. expressed his frustrations with a surprise eight-track mixtape titled New Black, which you can check out below. The tape is the 26-year-old rapper's second of 2014, following No Genre 2 from back in July.

  • De La Soul Share Political New Track "The People" Featuring Chuck D Of Public Enemy [LISTEN]

    At some point in 2015, legendary hip-hop group De La Soul will be releasing a new studio album, their first since 2012's Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present...First Serve and their first with all three original members since 2004's The Grind Date. In anticipation of this album, the New York trio has shared a powerful new track titled "The People," featuring none other than Public Enemy's Chuck D, which you can check out below.
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