From SOHH.com:
www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/10671 Jerome Almon, CEO of Detroit-based Murdercap Records, has filed a $900 million lawsuit in federal court against the government of Canada, the State Department, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for "wholesale profiling" of rappers and African-Americans.
For well over a decade, Almon and numerous rappers including 50 Cent, Eminem and DMX, have either been turned away or faced lengthy interrogations at Canadian borders. Almon's suit, which was prepared by the chief of Detroit's American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), alleges that Canada launched its attack on African Americans and rappers "in an effort to both blame them for the increased gang violence and gun murders in the cities of Toronto and Vancouver, as well as in retaliation for the alleged profiling of Canadian Muslims by the Bush administration."
The suit names 50, X, Secretary Rice, Olivia, Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Toronto Mayor David Miller, Eminem and Spike Lee, among others, as witnesses.
Almon also alleges that "the State Department has in its possession secret internal Canadian investigative reports admitting that the country is worse at racial profiling than the US, yet, Secretary Rice has sided with the Canadian government against African Americans in what is destined to become 'The State Department's Katrina.'"
According to Almon, "the State Department hypocritically touts rap as the great American amba**ador on its official web site, while selling out its top artists to a foreign government."
Last year, Canadian authorities sought to ban 50 Cent and other 'gangster' rappers from performing in the country . Almon claims those same authorities also drew up Bills C-254 and C-95, which would ban all U.S. rappers and their CDs out of Canada by categorizing hip-hop as hate speech.
Almon, who seeks to challenge the aforementioned bills, a**erts that "confidential documents from the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the State Department, and members of the Canadian Parliament show a huge cover up and a blatant bribery attempt by the State Department and Canadian government during the 50 Cent Canadian tour debacle." Almon also alleges that Canada profiles U.S. rappers while protecting known terrorist such as the Khadr family, who are responsible for the killing and the planned killing of U.S. soldiers and civilians. He also claims Canada has a Rap Intelligence Unit that regularly trades information with the FBI.
"Hip-hop is a multi-billion dollar industry that has created millions of jobs in America, Canada, and worldwide. Not only does hip-hop drive the music business, but has moved fashion, movies, auto industry, and video games to an unprecedented level in sales," Almon explained to SOHH via a statement. "Canada rolls out the red carpet for artist like 50 Cent, Jay-Z, P.Diddy, DMX, Emimem, and The Blakkattakk when we are putting major cash into their economy,but then stabs us in the back when we come to make some bread doing shows.
"They let terrorist in,but seek to completely ban hip-hop [with Bill C-254] -- you tell me how this makes sense?" continued Almon. " It won't stand. We ain't goin' back to the back of the bus, never. The Canadian government offered me a resident's permit to live in Canada and a bag of money if I would just lay down for them and put on a snitch jacket and say somethin' against the other rappers with records. The day I put on a snitch jacket for them mother**** is the day they put me in a hole."
Almon has called out House Judiciary head John Conyers to hold hearings on the issue and has also requested for an official Canadian inquiry. He plans to make several surprise announcements concerning a boycott, his legal representation, and a travel advisory , via a press conference at the National Press Club and through the Web site
