Both Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly stood by their words and debated tonight on Common’s recent White House appearance.
Stewart appeared on The O’Reilly Factor and challenged O’Reilly and his Fox network for having “selected outrage” at Common’s appearance while ignoring those of other celebrated artists who supported subversive figures (Bono, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash etc.). O’Reilly countered that Common’s actions were much worse because he visited political exile Assata Shakur in Cuba. Shakur, a former member of the Black Panther and Black Liberation Army, has been under political asylum in Cuba since fleeing America after a controversial trial that convicted her killing a New Jersey State Trooper in 1973.
So who won the debate? To go further, was this even an issue worthy of the attention its received? The ultimate hilarity for Hip-Hop fans is someone like Common, one of our more accessible artists, being smeared as dangerous and a promoter of violence.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 