March 12, 2003 <-> 9:11 P.M.

Hip-Hop Summit Action Network Chairman Russell Simmons has sent an open letter to President Bush asking him to reconsider his hawkish stance on Iraq. In the letter, the hip-hop mogul urges Bush to let the U.N. inspectors do their job without establishing a deadline for war, and states, "Domestically, Mr. President, rampant poverty is on the rise ... we in the hip-hop community know and feel the pain, misery and wretchedness of the social condition of our communities. Now with the prospect of a multi-trillion dollar federal budget deficit, an unnecessary war on Iraq is only going to increase the cold damp hands of social dereliction that have a deadly choke hold on too many Americans across the nation."

Does Russell Simmons realize that anyone claiming to be representing HIP-HOP isn't to be taken seriously? Now, I know that, for some, hip-hop is not just a type of music but a lifestyle, but how can Simmons be so shortsided on such a critical issue? Associating important, alternative views with hip-hop, a "lifestyle" that espouses violence and prejudice in so much of its music, is a bad idea. If he claims to be a self-elected representative of a young, urban constituency he should say so. But for now he is just making a big fool out of himself and I wouldn't fault the White House for not taking this letter seriously.

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