T.I.

Death Toll Rises While Outrage Boils Over Conditions at Mississippi’s Parchman Prison

For some time, concerns about Parchman have rankled inmates, family members, and others, including hip-hop superstar Jay-Z who is suing the state demanding better conditions at the prison. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and others, have lobbied for officials to shut down the controversial prison. The conditions at Parchman, which once was a plantation that contained hundreds of slaves, were highlighted in January when cell phone video made its way to the internet displaying a cache of problems.

Atlanta’s NBA team embraces rap shows after racial remarks

The Atlanta Hawks are collaborating with big-name hip-hop artists like T.I., Ludacris and Big Boi in what the team calls an effort to make amends after it was revealed two officials made racially charged remarks in separate incidents. The artists were brought in by the NBA franchise to perform during halftime and after Hawks’ home games months since former general manager Danny Ferry’s insensitive comment about Sudanese-born Luol Deng came to light in September 2014. Soon after, an internal investigation revealed that former co-owner Bruce Levenson complained in a 2012 email that blacks kept potential white fans away from games.