Hip-Hop Summit Action Network pulls out of Source Magazine Rally

Russell Simmons, who as founder of Def Jam Records is one of the leading figures in hip-hop, announced Wednesday that he and his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network would not participate in a Source-sponsored youth rally scheduled for Saturday at the Miami Arena. ''Although I applaud the efforts of The Source magazine and am looking forward to working with them in the future to promote these goals, I will not participate in this rally unless I can create dialogue between all the members of hip-hop,'' Simmons said in a statement. Simmons' release followed one from The Source stating that he, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, Ja Rule, Ludacris and Fat Joe would participate in the Hip-Hop Voter Education Rally, at 1 p.m. Saturday. ''We invited, and expected him to participate in the largest annual hip-hop weekend of the year, and he bailed from the event because he is afraid of the authenticity and influence of The Source,'' Source co-owners Dave Mays and Ray Benzino said in a statement late Wednesday.  [more ]

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