I don't want to start another East Coast-West Coast type rap war, but did you see Master P dis Kanye West on CNN Headline News last night? By "dis" I mean disagree with, not disrespect (word to ya mutha). Master P, who grew up in the Big Easy's Caliope housing projects, seemed put off by West's attention-grabbing stunt. "Nobody should get publicity out of this," the dirt-poor to super-rich Master P held. Even West's tirade against George W. Bush bothered Master P. "We're going to need President Bush," the New Orleans-based rapper/actor/basketball player/businessman extraordinaire admitted. For his part, the New Orleans American Dream is putting his money where his mouth is by helping to launch the Katrina relief effort Team Rescue One, which I hereby declare the official FlynnFiles charity for Hurricane Katrina. Although all of us will "donate" more to the involuntary charity (my apologies for the oxymoron) fund the government has set up, I challenge all you cash-money millionaires to drop some coin into Team Rescue One today. As inappropriate it is for the federal government to turn itself into an ill-equipped Red Cross or March of Dimes for every tragedy, it is equally inappropriate for citizens to turn away from their fellow citizens when they need help. And let's face it, folks in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana really need our help. So are you 'bout it, 'bout it, or what?

Flynn, are you on CRACK? Just because the guy dissed Kanye doesn't mean we should give him charitable donations. His brother, Corey "C-Murder" Miller, is currently serving a life sentence for, guess-what, MURDER. The COO of the organization is listed as Romeo Miller who is "Lil" Romeo, Master-P's son, the kid is like fifteen. Come on.

I do like the "cash-money millionaires" link, though. That was funny.

I agree with A.C. I'd also add that the regarldess of what you think really made the looters loot, the Hip Hop culture promoted by Master P and others made things worse.

In response to Flynn's snubbing of the government:

The government relief for New Orleans is entirely justifiable.

As a massive resource point for the United States ( a huge amount of our oil is imported via New Orleans) making sure the city, and the oil industry, is back on track as soon as possible is an issue of the highest import to American national interest.

Fellas, if your wallets are thin, you should have just said so. You didn't have to make up some story about your principled opposition to Master P and his No Limit Soldiers to mask your failure to give to the very worthy Team Rescue One.

You didn't have to make up some story about your principled opposition to Master P and his No Limit Soldiers to mask your failure to give to the very worthy Team Rescue One.

Seriously, have you been drinking? Or was this whole post some sort of joke/satire or something?

I agree with Dan. It's actually refreshing to see a celebrity actually donate HIS OWN MONEY instead of point fingers. A.C., I think you're grasping at straws.

I used to give a significant amount to charities. No more. I will begin donating to charities again as soon as the government gets out of the charity business. In the meantime, I still donate my time and skills to good causes, but not a penny (more) of my money will they get. It's my own personal protest against government gone wild.

As far as the port of New Orleans being so important that we need to spend tax money to fix it...I vote for finding a port in a more hospitible location to spend my money on...say one that is a couple of feet ABOVE sea level.

"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents...Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government."
--James Madison

"I cannot find any authority in the Constitution for public charity, [such spending] would be contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Constitution and subversive to the whole theory upon which the Union of these States is founded."
--President Franklin Pierce

"I feel obliged to withhold my approval of the plan to indulge in benevolent and charitable sentiment through the appropriation of public funds. ... I find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution."
--President Grover Cleveland

"We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money."
--Davy Crockett

"The worst lesson that can be taught to a man is to rely upon others and to whine over his sufferings."
--Theodore Roosevelt

Charity is a good thing for society, but when it morphs into a govermental entitlement, it is no longer a humble "thank you" that is received in return, it is "what took so long" and "you're not doing enough for me".

And what is everyone crying about today? "The GOVERNMENT didn't do enough to protect us...the GOVERNMENT didn't do enough to help us...the GOVERNMENT didn't wipe our noses and change our diapers for us". What a nation of crybabies we've turned into.

Perhaps I'm not as "bout it" as Dan Flynn, but although I once saw Master P and his friends driving 4 identical escalades with 22 inch spinners and the exact same song blaring out in unison, I really don't know a damn thing about him, nor do I care. However, in light of this post, I looked at allmusic.com and discovered this .

"Master P was based in New Orleans, a city with a rich musical tradition that nevertheless had an underdeveloped hip-hop scene. It also had an unspoken violent side that affected Master P as a teenager. After his parents' divorce, he moved between the homes of his father's mother in New Orleans and his mother in Richmond, CA. During his teens, he was on the outside of the drug and hustling culture"

Now if he had some youthful indiscretions and turned his life around it, would be one thing, but it seems that he simply glorified that lifestyle

"With his independent label No Limit, Master P gave them gangsta rap at its most basic — violent, vulgar lyrics, hard-edged beats, whiny synthesizers, and blunted bass"

It's that sort of culture that contributed to the looters destroying the city.
Look, it's great the Master P is doing something constructive rather than whining like Kanye West (though there are plenty of other celebs who are givnig money without fanfare,) but it doesn't mean that we should give his group our money. There are plenty of other organziations that help the victims that aren't run by thugs, and have a proven track record of being efficient, and not wasting money on overhead and fundraising, something that Team Rescue One has yet to prove. Perhaps Master P's group is still important because it will get his fans to give money they otherwise would not have. But If you hate rap and everything associated with it (as I do) and you already were planning on giving money, why give it to Team Rescue One?

I'm not particularly wealthy right now, but I gave a contribution to Save the Children, which only gives services to children hurt by the disaster because I didn't want one dime of my money going to the looters.

The money I gave at Church last Sunday, and will give on future Sundays, is partly going to assist Catholic Charities in its massive effort to relieve the suffering in New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Despite my nearly unshakable faith in the hip-hop community to do this right, I think that the people need food, water, and clothing BEFORE we send "Care Packages" of gold chains, 9mm'ers, and the phone numbers of some phat bitches and 'hos.

Just my humble opinion....

Top Three A.C.'s of all-time....
1)A.C. Green
2)A.C. Kleinheider
3)A.C. Earl

Has anyone heard much from msm about how devastated many of the small gulf regions were? N.O. had really *spectacular* damage so this attention makes sense in that regard, but I have heard of someone (friend of a friend of a friend) who lost 4 members of their family in Biloxi.

If I wanted to be a Kanye-style contrarian I would say that this demonstrates how "racist" America is by its ignoring the plight of *white* southerners along the Gulf Coast in favor of paying attention to N.O.'s black population.

(btw, this whole disaster proving how racist America is really is the standard line on lib blog pages. Quite amazing response, both misguided, callous, and really unhelpful).