• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
method logo sxs 280x96 wht

methodshop

tech news, reviews & how to's

  • Trending
  • Latest
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Internet
    • Software
    • Security
    • Games
    • Advertising
  • Life
    • Entertainment
    • TV & Film
    • Music
    • Health & Science
    • Family
    • Social Media
    • Food
    • Style
  • Learn
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • News
      • Business
      • Crime
      • Politics
  • Fun
    • Featured
    • Humor
    • Holiday

Home : Uncategorized : Kanye, Paul Wall Urge Rappers To ‘Bling Responsibly’ In Documentary

Kanye, Paul Wall Urge Rappers To ‘Bling Responsibly’ In Documentary

Jul 21, 2006 by jayfrankwilson
FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Kanye, Paul Wall Urge Rappers To 'Bling Responsibly' In Documentary - 1When Raquel Cepeda first learned of the conflict in Sierra Leone back in 2001, she was working as the editor in chief of Russell Simmons’ now-defunct One World magazine. In keeping with the publication’s theme, she would find places around the globe where hip-hop had taken a foothold, and Sierra Leone’s burgeoning scene grabbed her attention.

But almost immediately, she knew a mere magazine article would not do the country’s story justice. After all, this was a nation just emerging from a savage 11-year civil war — a conflict fueled by the diamond trade — and was in the early stages of recovery, picking through the rubble and trying to rebuild.

And seemingly no one was paying attention.

“I felt that Sierra Leone was more than an article, because I saw these fascinating parallels,” Cepeda said. “It was formed by freed slaves, and just at the time hip-hop started to become commercially successful here in the United States — in 1991 — [the Los Angeles district] Watts was burning, and this bloody civil war was beginning in Sierra Leone. So as the conflict was ending, and the aftermath was everywhere, I felt like it would be an interesting social experiment to have some rappers go there as goodwill ambassadors. Because hip-hop has affected every crevice of the world, and I wanted rappers to know that.”

And so Cepeda decided to make a documentary that would do just that: show rappers — and hip-hop fans — the connections between hip-hop and the Sierra Leone conflict.

While her film does focus on the role music has played in the country’s recovery — there’s a vibrant hip-hop scene in the capital city of Freetown, highlighted by artists like Daddy Saj and Jimmy B — it’s more concerned with the implications that came with the genre’s bling obsession. She decided to call the film “Bling: A Planet Rock,” because the insatiable thirst for diamonds was indirectly affecting the war in Sierra Leone.

“It’s important to have it out there that the very uncivil war in Sierra Leone was not started over diamonds,” Cepeda said. “It was fueled by them.”






In early 1991, a militant group called the Revolutionary United Front launched an insurgence against the government in Sierra Leone, attacking villages and committing unspeakable acts of barbarism against women and children. The militants hoped to throw the nation into a state of chaos, taking over the nation’s diamond mines and using their riches to purchase drugs and weapons from neighboring nations. These diamonds became known as “conflict diamonds” — or blood diamonds — the same rocks Kanye West raps about in his song “Diamonds From Sierra Leone.”

“The film is not intended to make people stop wearing diamonds, because if we boycotted them, it would impair the fragile economy of Sierra Leone and would end up hurting these people,” Cepeda said. “It’s nobody’s fault — the rappers, anyone — if they don’t know they’re wearing conflict diamonds. So we wanted to raise awareness about the whole issue. We wanted people to bling responsibly. We want rappers to rap about how it’s cool to wear cruelty-free diamonds. And Kanye helped with that.”
MORE


FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Category: Uncategorized
Previous Post:Erica’s Alaska Pics
Next Post:Hollywood’s hottest investments

Sidebar


Popular Posts

robot reporter

Job Automation Using ChatGPT Could Make These Jobs Obsolete – Is Your Job On This List?

nbc chimes feature scaled

The Surprising Story Behind The NBC Chimes

sleepless bear

20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite

lg tv disable home screen scaled

How To Change The Default LG TV Home Screen To Live TV

google naked

7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google’s Cameras

dmas top usa

Top 200 Nielsen DMA Rankings (2023) – Full List

fletch feature

Fletch Quotes: 30 Of The Funniest Quotes From The Movie Fletch

Caddyshack Quotes

30 Famous Caddyshack Quotes That’ll Make You Laugh

harrypotter sex

Controversial Nimbus 2000 Vibrating Harry Potter Broomstick Has Parents In An Uproar

Angry Irish Woman

30 Dirty Irish Pick Up Lines That Will Probably Get You Slapped


Categories

Advertising Apps Business Crime DIY & Tutorials Entertainment Family Featured Food Games Health & Science Holiday Humor Internet Learn Life Music News Politics Reviews Security Sex Social Media Software Style Technology Travel TV & Film Uncategorized



Screenshots of the DraGAN AI-Powered Image Editor

Is The DragGAN AI-Powered Image Editor Good Enough To Be A Photoshop Killer?

DragGAN is a new AI-powered image editor that has the power to reshape the way we interact with digital imagery. But is it really a Photoshop killer?


Group of employees at Apple headquarters

Why Are Apple Employees Banned From Using ChatGPT At Work?

Apple and other companies are limiting employee use of AI tools like ChatGPT due to the security and privacy risks they pose.


Recent Posts

Screenshots of the DraGAN AI-Powered Image Editor

Is The DragGAN AI-Powered Image Editor Good Enough To Be A Photoshop Killer?

Woman surrounded by flying donuts

10 Donut Trivia Facts Too Delicious Not To Share

Group of employees at Apple headquarters

Why Are Apple Employees Banned From Using ChatGPT At Work?

A hacker looking at his computer screens

How Did My Name Get On Fast People Search?

A Karen in a department store yelling "I'd like to speak to the manager!"

The Baby Name Karen Is Plummeting In Popularity. Can You Guess Why?

radio studio

The Future Of AM Radio: 4 Ways AM Radio Stations Can Survive The EV Car Revolution

Intense woman listening to AM radio with headphones

7 Reasons To Save AM Radio In Cars

woman hugging an AM radio

5 Things Blocking The Efforts To Save AM Radio

There's no AM Radio In Tesla Cars

Why Electric Car Manufacturers Want To Kill AM Radio

The ChatGPT iOS App on an iPhone

OpenAI’s ChatGPT iOS App Is Now Available For iPhone, iPad

Jump to comments

About

MethodShop’s mission is to entertain, inform, and sometimes gross you out. MethodShop has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by us. All prices are subject to change.

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Trending Posts

robot reporter

Job Automation Using ChatGPT Could Make These Jobs Obsolete – Is Your Job On This List?

nbc chimes feature scaled

The Surprising Story Behind The NBC Chimes

sleepless bear

20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite

Latest Posts

Screenshots of the DraGAN AI-Powered Image Editor

Is The DragGAN AI-Powered Image Editor Good Enough To Be A Photoshop Killer?

Woman surrounded by flying donuts

10 Donut Trivia Facts Too Delicious Not To Share

Group of employees at Apple headquarters

Why Are Apple Employees Banned From Using ChatGPT At Work?

MethodShop Animated Zoom Icon
  • About
  • Submit
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Store

Copyright © 2023 MethodShop · All Rights Reserved