Gil Scott-Heron said the revolution would not be televised. It also won't be happening between Sarah Jones's thighs. Or so says Jones in her song "Your Revolution," which parodies misogynist lyrics from popular rap songs. With lines like "Your revolution will not find me in the back seat of a jeep/ With LL hard as hell," Jones minces no words as she attacks the bling-bling/bitches-and-ho formula that dominates hip-hop today and turns it into her own feminist rant.
In a world of Lil' Kims and Foxy Browns, Sarah Jones is certainly a breath of fresh air. But don't tell that to the Federal Communications Commission. According to them, her song contains "unmistakable, patently offensive sexual references."
On May 17, the FCC issued a $7,000 fine to Portland radio station KBOO-FM for airing "Your Revolution." The commission claims the song is "indecent" and that its lyrics are "designed to pander and shock."
According to Jones, the FCC is "simply so disconnected culturally that they are unable to discern a parody that is attempting to respond to the hate speech in pop music." She adds, "The FCC is either misguided in their assessment, or the ban is a clear attack on progressive feminist voices."
You might remember Jones from the cover of our October/November 2000 issue. A noted poet/playwright/actor, she's won rave reviews for her solo shows Surface Transit and Women Can't Wait! "Your Revolution" was a collaboration between Jones and hip-hop artist DJ Vadim and appears on his album U.S.S.R: Life from the Other Side.
On July 9, KBOO filed an appeal of the FCC ruling. As for Jones, her revolution is far from over.
Action alert: Tell FCC head Michael Powell what you think. E-mail him at mpowell@fcc.gov
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
6/18/2013 Pakistani Women's University Bus, Hospital Bombed - A bus for a women's university in Pakistan and the hospital that treated victims from the blast were bombed on Saturday, killing 14 students and 24 others at the hospital.
The bus was transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. . . .
6/18/2013 Taliban Attack In Afghan Capital As NATO Transfers Power - Yesterday, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) transferred responsibility for the country's security forces to the Afghan government after a bomb blast targeting a political official left three civilians dead in Kabul. . . .
