Tony Yayo and his G-Unit camp were marked men in New York City on Monday (april 2) as protesters took to the streets wearing "Ban 50" t-shirts and smashing G-Unit CDs.
In a press conference before the rally, Reverend Al Sharpton joined Czar Entertainment President Bryce Wilson and Cynthia Reed in an act of public grievance for an alleged assault on Reed's 14-year-old son by G-Unit's Tony Yayo. Along with other parents and community leaders, they issued a call to action to advocate against artists and industry executives who use violence to sell records.
Yayo (real name: Marvin Bernard) was arrested on March 24 and charged with harassment and endangering the welfare of a child (see "G-Unit's Tony Yayo Arrested For Allegedly Slapping Teen") in connection with an incident in which he allegedly attacked the 14-year-old son of Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond, who is The Game's manager and CEO of Czar Entertainment.
The mother of Rosemond's son, Cynthia Reed, said she was "disappointed" and "disgusted" by her son's treatment and the failure of G-Unit Records to contact her after the incident.
"There has to be accountability for artists who use violence against our children to sell records or settle a dispute," she said.
Reed called on Universal/Interscope Records, the parent company of G-Unit Records, to discipline their artists and drop Yayo from the label. She also urged Vitamin Water, Adidas/Reebok, and Marc Ecko to discontinue all business dealings with G-Unit artists.
Rev. Al Sharpton said a line had been crossed and emphasized the need to settle the issue of violence in hip-hop once and for all.
"I'm not here to take sides," he said. "I'm here to say that all sides are letting us down and need to come down to the table again and create a level of decency and respect for the communities that have been the basis for your [the rappers'] wealth. We put the –ing in your bling-bling and have no choice but to try to take the –ing out of your bling-bling by withdrawing our support commercially of your records and the use of airwaves... Without the –ing, you're just blah. And no record label wants blah."
Rev. Sharpton also spoke of the so-called "Schomburg Accord," referring to the 2005 press conference that he helped organize in which 50 Cent and The Game called a truce to their beef at the The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem (see "50 Cent, The Game Make Peace; Holding Press Conference To Announce New Plans"). Sharpton appealed for a new peace accord and a summit where he can meet once again with 50 Cent, The Game, and other members of the record industry and community to address the problem of violence in hip-hop.
"It is my prayer that we will one day see that the blood that binds us is deeper than the record labels that divide us," he said. "The record labels split up money at the bank while we're splitting up each other's flesh and blood in the streets."
Representing Mr. Rosemond's company, Czar Entertainment President Bryce Wilson called the alleged attack "cowardly" and "immoral," but stressed that it was an isolated incident that "had nothing to do with our company or artists." He denounced the "culture of so-called gangsters" that has emerged in hip-hop and called for greater accountability and higher moral standards.
"Rappers idolize gangsters, and kids idolize rappers," Wilson said. "But even in the movie 'Scarface,' Scarface died because he refused to harm a child and a wife."
Also speaking at the conference were Brooklyn City Councilman Charles Barron and Stephanie Hires, the ex-girlfriend of Israel Ramirez, who was killed while working on the site of a Busta Rhyme's video shoot in February of 2006. Despite rumors to the contrary, Russell Simmons, Dr. Ben Chavez, and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) chose not to attend. In a statement, they affirmed their hopes that the issues between Yayo, Henchman, and Czar Entertainment will be solved peacefully and promptly.
Following the conference, the public rally convened at 1755 Broadway outside the building that houses Universal Music Group. Parents, children, and community leaders picketed on the street with signs and tee-shirts bearing slogans such as "Ban 50," "Save the Kids," and "Say No to Yayo." A larger crowd gathered as the ringleaders led chants of "Ban 50 Cent" while smashing copies of G-Unit CDs and cutting up articles of G-Unit clothing.
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Protestors cutting up G-Unit clothing; Photo: BallerStatus / Starrene Rhett
Michael Kenneth Williams, who plays the character Omar on HBO's The Wire, attended the press conference and the rally. He showed his support for his manager, Mr. Rosemond, and rest of the victim's family.
"In the past, [Yayo] never would have even thought about doing this because it probably would have got dealt with by our community," Williams told BallerStatus.com. "This conference shows that people care and it matter what happens to our youth."
50 Cent has recently launched his own investigation into the alleged assault. He claims to have been recording songs at his home in Farmington, CT, when the incident took place.
