Rapping at the White House

Rapping at the White House

Bill O'Reilly
Thursday, May 12, 2011

Once again we have an association controversy at the White House. This week, a rapper who calls himself "Common" was invited by Michelle Obama to read some of his "poetry" to a hand-picked audience in the "People's House." The problem is that Common (real name Lonnie Rashid Lynn) has glorified convicted cop killers Joanne Chesimard and Mumia Abu-Jamal.

You may remember that Ms. Chesimard, a member of the Black Liberation Army, was found guilty of first-degree murder in 1977 for killing New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster. After being stopped on the Jersey Turnpike, Chesimard and two accomplices opened fire on Foerster and his partner, James Harper, who was wounded.

Chesimard was sentenced to life in prison but escaped in 1979, fleeing to Cuba, where she has been granted asylum.

Even though Common wasn't even born when that murder took place, he has insisted in his raps that Ms. Chesimard is innocent. He has said the same thing about Abu-Jamal, convicted of killing Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981.

While Common is entitled to rap any way he wants, it is troubling that he would be sought out by the White House for a prestigious exposition. Is this not a tacit endorsement of the man? Presidential spokesman Jay Carney says no, explaining that sympathy for cop killers is not "the sum total of this particular artist's work."

The number of poets who would like to read their work at the White House is almost unlimited. This is huge honor. Among those reading with Common were Steve Martin and Elizabeth Alexander. Surely, the First Lady could have chosen a more appropriate artist than Common.

So, once again, we have a judgment issue. Many police agencies across the country are outraged by the embrace the White House has given Common, and, I submit, millions of Americans are not comfortable with the selection either.

I have been a fan of Mrs. Obama's tenure as First Lady. She has brought grace and dignity to the White House. Her campaign to fight child obesity is right on, and I have personally witnessed Mrs. Obama going out of her way to show great kindness to regular folks.

But both Barack and Michelle Obama have a blind spot when it comes to social controversy. The Reverend Wright situation was obviously disturbing. Then, on Easter Sunday, the First Couple sat in a church where the cleric, a known verbal bomb-thrower, sermonized about slavery injustice. Now, the questionable Common.

The black experience in America is far different than the white experience, and honest people understand that. But the President and First Lady represent all of us, and should always be aware of sensitivities. Common may be the best rapper on earth. But his words have brought pain to the families and friends of two slain police officers.

That is enough to disqualify the man from a White House honor.

I hate it when I agree with O'Reilly, but he's right here. Obama seems to have a gaping blind spot on what is appropriate for a sitting President of the United States of America. It just boggles the mind!

It kinda reminds me of when he goes on The View and Oprah. Any president! Save it for when you're out of office. It's low.

Common also performed at Obama's inaugural ball. I don't recall any such hoopla back then.

I didn't realize he glorified cop killers--though, if he really believes she's innocent, or if she is actually innocent, that's not what he's doing. O'Reilly says Common wasn't born at the time, which is 1) false; he was 5, and 2) irrelevant.

But it does show questionable political acumen. btw, Common is a member of Jeremiah Wright's congregation.

It also shows questionable musical taste. His music is cheesy and milquetoasty; the kind of thing they sell in Starbucks.

kronos wrote:Common also performed at Obama's inaugural ball. I don't recall any such hoopla back then.

I didn't realize he glorified cop killers--though, if he really believes she's innocent, or if she is actually innocent, that's not what he's doing. O'Reilly says Common wasn't born at the time, which is 1) false; he was 5, and 2) irrelevant.

But it does show questionable political acumen. btw, Common is a member of Jeremiah Wright's congregation.

It also shows questionable musical taste. His music is cheesy and milquetoasty; the kind of thing they sell in Starbucks.

I don't think you're thinking of the right Common. Common's music isn't cheesy.
Common's lyrics have changed over the years. He's been in the rap game for a long time. I'm pretty sure he started in the 90s. Back then, his lyrics were controversial (even though not as controversial as NWAs or Tupacs) but that was back then. His lyrics now are more on the Martin Luther King side, rapping about life in urban America and trying to persuade kids to make something out of their lives.
Here's one of Common's songs he wrote for the soundtrack of the moie "Freedom Writers".

And Eazy E was invited to the White House by Regaen?? NWA's lyrics were MUCH, MUCH worse than Commons. No word on that by O'Reilly though... no surprise.

I am thinking of the right Common. There is only one.

BubbleBliss wrote:
And Eazy E was invited to the White House by Regaen?? NWA's lyrics were MUCH, MUCH worse than Commons. No word on that by O'Reilly though... no surprise.

Eazy E. visited the White House during Bush Sr.’s administration, not Reagan. The only thing I find on that is a bunch of stuff from left wing blogs. Nothing more than that. If you can provide documented proof, I'd appreciate it.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,313775,00.html

Why was the rapper and self-proclaimed former drug dealer invited? Apparently his donations to various L.A. charities earned him an invitation to join the fund-raising Republican Senatorial Inner Circle. And Wright's spokesman says the rapper ''really loves the President. He thinks he's a great humanitarian and that he did a great job with Desert Storm.''

A critical but forgotten chunk of US history.

See how rotted things can get on the internet? I found blog after blog stating what Bubbles did. Then after not finding any documentation of it, I search a little harder and found it to not even be true. Now this here.

All in all, it's bad taste. What funny is that I don't even remember Eazy E going to this Bush Sr. thing. No recollection of it at all.

An aside though.... was Eazy E a pro-cop killer type? This Common seems to be. I never even heard of Common till this stink started. I hate rap.

My mistake, it was Bush Sr. then.
Did you know Jay-Z and Beyonce went to the White House? It's not really that hard to miss somebody coming to the White House to visit the President, especially if they're not performing for a special event.
Eazy-E was a member of NWA, which is THE gangsta rap group. "Fuck the Police coming straight from the underground a young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown" is the first verse of their song "Fuck the Police".
What I was trying to say is that Common may have turned around. Like I said, in the past couple of years he's been making motivational music and has been active in several charities.

I'd be as critical if the president invited Slayer to the WH..... and I like Slayer.