Proposed Name Change For Hart Plaza

Hart Plaza is a 14-acre space in downtown Detroit and all kinds of things go on down there, from concerts to events. It's had the name "Hart Plaza" since 1975, but some of the city council members are looking to change the name to Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza. They said It seeks to honor Martin Luther King and the name change would align with city values. But not everyone is in favor of this. Community activist, Sam Riddle, and others in the community say that Philip H. Hart was a Michigan U.S. senator who shepherded the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and without that, there would be no voting rights. Hart supported the civil rights movement, racial integration, and immigration. Most people interviewed said that even if the name changes they're going to forever call it Hart Plaza. So, we'll have to see what ends up happening with that.

Judge Mathis Accused of Pulling a Gun on Workers

Judge Greg Mathis, who was the youngest elected judge in Michigan's history before becoming a TV show Judge who's show was recently canceled got into a scuffle with city employees yesterday. Of course, there's two sides of the story, but according to TMZ, city employees asked him to move his vehicle and the Judge threatened the workers with a gun during the confrontation. Now, according to Mathis, he couldn't get out of his driveway because the workers were blocking his car. One of the employees got sarcastic and said if he didn't move it, they would just run over his car. So, he took the comments as a threat and informed them that he was armed. But he also said that he didn't show the gun at any point during the disagreement. So, who knows what actually happened? But I'm glad no one was hurt.

Tupac Crown Ring Goes For Big Money at Auction

Tupac has been in the news recently because of the renewed interest in his murder investigation. We've been talking about that here in Shannon's Scoop. But in other Tupac-related news, his crown gold ring with the ruby and diamonds which was the last one that he wore in a public appearance at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards has now become the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever. It sold for $1-million at Sotheby's Auction. The presale estimate was only $200,000 to $300,000, so it sold for five times what the original estimate was going to be. The auction was held to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop and included rare items, like a RZA drum machine that he produced Wu Tang Clan's Enter The Wu Tang album on, a custom De La Soul jacket and Fab Five Freddy's original sign from the set of Yo! MTV Raps. Check out Tupac's ring at this link... https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/hip-hop/tupac-shakur?locale=en

Sinead O'Connor Dead at 56

Finally, unfortunate news yesterday, Sinead O'Connor, passed away at 56-years-old. She was huge in the 90s with the rendition of Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U", which went number one on Billboard. Her 17-year-old son passed away last year from suicide and she's had a long battle with mental illness as well. They haven't revealed what her cause of death was. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

Hip-Hop is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. While the genre is one of the youngest, its impact has been massive. The genre originated in the early '70s in New York in African-American communities in the Bronx. Hip-hop starts with the music: rapping, DJing, and freestyling. But those elements led to others, including breakdancing and graffiti art.

Hip-hop has been in the mainstream in ways that its founders never would have dreamed.

"When we started on this journey decades ago, we were often told, 'No.' No, you won't be able to leave New Jersey. No, if you rap, you can't sing. No, singers can't become actresses. No, actors can't also produce," Queen Latifah said to Entertainment Weekly in a statement as she is set to become the first female rap artist to be celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors.

"To now be recognized amongst so many multi-hyphenates feels unbelievable, not for just me and my team, but for our community. I'm beyond grateful for this recognition."

Throughout this year, hip-hop has been celebrated in performances by some of the greats. At the 2023 BET Awards, there were performances by MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, The Sugarhill Gang, D-Nice, Warren G, Yo-Yo, Trick Daddy, Trina, Uncle Luke, Redman, Erick Sermon, and Keith Murray -- also known as "Def Squad," and more highlighted rap on Culture's Biggest Night.

Earlier this year, Questlove curated a hip-hop tribute at the 2023 Grammy Awards where Missy Elliott, Run DMC, Salt n Pepa, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash, Ice-T, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, Nelly, GloRilla, Lil Baby, and more took to the stage. That led to a summer tour featuring the Roots and LL Cool J where they were joined by different hip-hop legends at each stop on the tour.

If you have been a fan since the beginning or you've just begun listening, you'll learn more from these projects. Take a look at five documentaries on these hip-hop artists:

Biggie and Tupac is a full-length documentary on the lives and tragedies of the hip-hop icons, both of whom were taken from us far too soon. Besides footage of Biggie and Tupac, you will also see appearances from Snoop Dogg, Lil Cease, and more. You can stream Biggie and Tupac on Amazon Prime Video.

Jay-Z is one of the best rappers ever. The New York native's 2004 documentary Fade to Black shows fans how he got started. At the center of this film is Jay-Z's sold-out Madison Square Garden concert in 2003... which, at the time, were supposed to be his final shows. There are appearances from his wife Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and more. It took about 15 years for this documentary to be available to stream and it is worth the wait. You can stream Fade To Black on Tidal or Amazon Prime.

Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy takes us back to where it all began for Kanye West: the Southside of Chicago. Kanye West's artistry has impacted hip-hop like no other, as his diverse skills in producing and designing put him in a league of his own. You can stream Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy on Netflix.

Nas: Time Is Illmatic takes a deep dive into Nas' iconic debut album Illmatic. In the New York native's documentary you will also hear accounts from Alicia Keys, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes and Pharrell. You can stream Nas: Time Is Illmatic on Peacock.

https://www.fuse.tv/v/eminem-count-me-in/b068fe5935e445f144177ad06023ac7b

Eminem has had quite a career in hip-hop and this documentary takes a look at many of his accolades. In 2022 he performed at the Super Bowl alongside Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent. He was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year for his contributions to hip-hop. You can stream Eminem: Count Me In on Amazon Prime Video.