Like their full name suggests, Niggaz with Attitude (or N.W.A) were not afraid to express their opinions. The West Coast ensemble, made up of now famous names like Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E, pioneered unapologetically violent gangsta rap that celebrated the criminal lifestyle. Yet their 1988 release “F___ tha Police” spoke of racism, police brutality and a tension between black urban youth and law enforcement that would boil over several years later following the Rodney King beating. The controversial lyrics warranted a letter from the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service and got the group banned from several concert venues — a fact that only served to increase their popularity with their fan base.
Under the leadership of sometime Bruce Springsteen guitarist “Little Steven” Van Zandt, “Sun City” mobilized 54 music stars — Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Keith Richards and Ringo Starr, among others — to speak out against South African apartheid. Sun City was a casino resort about two hours from Johannesburg. Because of apartheid, Bantustan (the state in which the casino resided) was separate from the nation’s laws and therefore allowed to feature gambling and topless shows. The resort was a wildly popular destination and venue for many musicians. Van Zandt, however, thought support of Sun City was in essence an acceptance of apartheid. After the record was released in 1985, the participating artists — all of whom agreed never to perform at Sun City — presented the first copy to the U.N. Dan Schechter, one of the original conspirators of the Artists United Against Apartheid, wrote in the Huffington Post in February 2010 that the record influenced Congress’ decision to pass antiapartheid legislation that called for a trade embargo against South Africa.
Richard Dawson, the wisecracking British entertainer who was among the schemers in the 1960s sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes” and a decade later began kissing thousands of female contestants as host of the game show “Family Feud” has died. He was 79.
As we prepare for the Game of Thrones finale, we recognize Joffrey and nine other baddies who showed us that terrible, horrible things can come in small packages
