Andy Young, Obasanjo Kin, & Russell Simmons Announce "Motherland Grillz" Venture
by BAR Special Correspondent W. E. B, Blingen
"Motherland Grillz and accessories will be part of our all new Mutha Phat and Afro Phat lines of clothing and accessories."
"At Good Works International we specialize in brokering free market, win-win solutions that empower people and communities in the developing world. Motherland Grillz is truly a pathbreaking initiative, and we are proud to be associated with it," announced international business consultant, ex-ambassador and former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young.
"The age-old cycle of foreign capital extracting African resources, shipping them overseas for processing and selling finished products back to Africans is about to be broken. That is the real significance of the Motherland Grillz project, chimed in Dr. Oleoseun Obasanjo, a principal partner in the venture and reportedly a relative of the president of Nigeria.
"Our market research shows there is an insatiable demand on the part of African youth to be part of hip-hop culture," according to entertainment mogul Richard Simmons. "Motherland Grillz is important because will fill that void. African youth want the same things white and black youth in America want. They know no self-respecting rapper would step on a stage here without his grill."
With these remarks last week, Young, Obasanjo and Russell Simmons kicked off a slickly produced transatlantic internet press conference announcing Motherland Grillz from their respective offices in Atlanta, Abuja, Nigeria and Manhattan.
"African youth know no self-respecting rapper would step on a stage here without his grill."
Reporters who questioned the project's value as an economic development measure were answered by Atlanta's Andrew Young.
"The way out of desperation and dependence for Africa lies in mobilizing African capital to invest in African businesses that serve the African consumer market," continued Young. "It's not as though there are no Africans with money to invest. As one of the world's largest oil producers, Nigeria has investment capital to burn. Our part at Good Works International was reaching out to some of those stakeholders, and helping them partner with hip-hop visionary and entrepreneur Russell Simmons, and challenging them to invest locally instead of taking their money overseas. Motherland Grillz" is just the first fruit of that partnership, and I expect we'll see more very soon."
Grillz, for those who don't know, are cosmetic dental devices that fit over the teeth, like caps or a continuous frontal bridge. High-end grillz made of platinum and other precious metals, often inlaid with diamonds and created from an individual mold of the wearer's teeth are worn by rappers, entertainers and wannabes with excessive amounts of money to spend. Less pricey versions are made from inexpensive materials, and may be mass produced rather than individualized.
Obasanjo addressed one reporter's question about quality. "As a materials engineer I can assure you that all our Motherland Grillz are made from the finest African platinum, diamonds, silver and gold, mined and refined in African-owned facilities outside the conflict zones, in workplaces where employees are entitled to trade union representation. They will be custom fitted by qualified technicians and sold at the finest locally owned jewelers at select locations, initially in seven African nations and eventually throughout the continent."
"It's the American way, using hip-hop culture to serve as a bridge between our people in America and our people in the Motherland."
Other reporters queried Simmons on his connections to DeBeers and other diamond mining interests, who paid for a nine day "fact finding" mission to several African companies late in 2006, and returned to the US to encourage Americans not to worry, but to buy more diamonds. This happened at a time of mounting concerns over the connections between diamond mining and smuggling, the exploitation of children as soldiers and near-slaves. The trade in "conflict diamonds" as they are called is said to have been vital to the continuation of murderous civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and play a part in the continuing Congolese war, which has claimed more than five million Africans lives. Simmons stoutly defended his own businesses ethics.
"We're entrepreneurs, making a legitimate profit by giving consumers what they want. Freedom is about them being able to express these needs, and us being able to satisfy them. Africans want this stuff, same as our people in America do. It's the American way, using hip-hop culture to serve as a bridge between our people in America and our people in the Motherland, a movement we are proud to be at the forefront of. Believe it and look for it, mister. Motherland Grillz and accessories will be part of our all new Mutha Phat and Afro Phat lines of clothing and accessories which will be previewed in numerous music videos on both sides of the Atlantic, and which will be available to the public in fine jewelry outlets and clothiers in Africa by the end of February, and in the states by midsummer."
When this reporter inquired whether pimp cups, spinners and canes will be included in the catalogs of the new product line, the connection went dead. Our efforts to reach the offices of Mr. Obasanjo in Nigeria, Andrew Young in Atlanta, and Russell Simmons in Manhattan have so far been unsuccessful, but we will keep trying.
BAR Managing Editor Bruce Dixon insists that he does not know the meaning of the word satire, and that he is not W. E. B. Blingen, even though they sound the same on the phone and appear to have the same cell number. Nonetheless, Mr. Dixon has graciously agreed to forward emails to the real author of this article. Dixon can be reached at bruce.dixon(at)blackagendareport.com.
Andy Young, Obasanjo Kin, &
Russell Simmons Announce
"Motherland Grillz" Venture
by BAR Special Correspondent W. E. B, Blingen
"Motherland Grillz and accessories will be part of our all new Mutha Phat and Afro Phat lines of clothing and accessories."
"At Good Works International we specialize in brokering free market, win-win solutions that empower people and communities in the developing world. Motherland Grillz is truly a pathbreaking initiative, and we are proud to be associated with it," announced international business consultant, ex-ambassador and former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young.
"The age-old cycle of foreign capital extracting African resources, shipping them overseas for processing and selling finished products back to Africans is about to be broken. That is the real significance of the Motherland Grillz project, chimed in Dr. Oleoseun Obasanjo, a principal partner in the venture and reportedly a relative of the president of Nigeria.
"Our market research shows there is an insatiable demand on the part of African youth to be part of hip-hop culture," according to entertainment mogul Richard Simmons. "Motherland Grillz is important because will fill that void. African youth want the same things white and black youth in America want. They know no self-respecting rapper would step on a stage here without his grill."
With these remarks last week, Young, Obasanjo and Russell Simmons kicked off a slickly produced transatlantic internet press conference announcing Motherland Grillz from their respective offices in Atlanta, Abuja, Nigeria and Manhattan.
"African youth know no self-respecting rapper would step on a stage here without his grill."
Reporters who questioned the project's value as an economic development measure were answered by Atlanta's Andrew Young.
"The way out of desperation and dependence for Africa lies in mobilizing African capital to invest in African businesses that serve the African consumer market," continued Young. "It's not as though there are no Africans with money to invest. As one of the world's largest oil producers, Nigeria has investment capital to burn. Our part at Good Works International was reaching out to some of those stakeholders, and helping them partner with hip-hop visionary and entrepreneur Russell Simmons, and challenging them to invest locally instead of taking their money overseas. Motherland Grillz" is just the first fruit of that partnership, and I expect we'll see more very soon."
Grillz, for those who don't know, are cosmetic dental devices that fit over the teeth, like caps or a continuous frontal bridge. High-end grillz made of platinum and other precious metals, often inlaid with diamonds and created from an individual mold of the wearer's teeth are worn by rappers, entertainers and wannabes with excessive amounts of money to spend. Less pricey versions are made from inexpensive materials, and may be mass produced rather than individualized.
Obasanjo addressed one reporter's question about quality. "As a materials engineer I can assure you that all our Motherland Grillz are made from the finest African platinum, diamonds, silver and gold, mined and refined in African-owned facilities outside the conflict zones, in workplaces where employees are entitled to trade union representation. They will be custom fitted by qualified technicians and sold at the finest locally owned jewelers at select locations, initially in seven African nations and eventually throughout the continent."
"It's the American way, using hip-hop culture to serve as a bridge between our people in America and our people in the Motherland."
Other reporters queried Simmons on his connections to DeBeers and other diamond mining interests, who paid for a nine day "fact finding" mission to several African companies late in 2006, and returned to the US to encourage Americans not to worry, but to buy more diamonds. This happened at a time of mounting concerns over the connections between diamond mining and smuggling, the exploitation of children as soldiers and near-slaves. The trade in "conflict diamonds" as they are called is said to have been vital to the continuation of murderous civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and play a part in the continuing Congolese war, which has claimed more than five million Africans lives. Simmons stoutly defended his own businesses ethics.
"We're entrepreneurs, making a legitimate profit by giving consumers what they want. Freedom is about them being able to express these needs, and us being able to satisfy them. Africans want this stuff, same as our people in America do. It's the American way, using hip-hop culture to serve as a bridge between our people in America and our people in the Motherland, a movement we are proud to be at the forefront of. Believe it and look for it, mister. Motherland Grillz and accessories will be part of our all new Mutha Phat and Afro Phat lines of clothing and accessories which will be previewed in numerous music videos on both sides of the Atlantic, and which will be available to the public in fine jewelry outlets and clothiers in Africa by the end of February, and in the states by midsummer."
When this reporter inquired whether pimp cups, spinners and canes will be included in the catalogs of the new product line, the connection went dead. Our efforts to reach the offices of Mr. Obasanjo in Nigeria, Andrew Young in Atlanta, and Russell Simmons in Manhattan have so far been unsuccessful, but we will keep trying.
BAR Managing Editor Bruce Dixon insists that he does not know the meaning of the word satire, and that he is not W. E. B. Blingen, even though they sound the same on the phone and appear to have the same cell number. Nonetheless, Mr. Dixon has graciously agreed to forward emails regarding this article sent to him at bruce.dixon@blackagendareport.com to its real author.
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