Hip Hop Music Video 'Tookie Williams Tribute |
Written by Robert ID3037 |
Sunday, 01 October 2006 22:33 |
To commemorate the upcoming one year anniversary of the 'save Tookie'' campaign, ThugLifeArmy.com is pleased to premiere a new hip hop music video, paying tribute to late Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Stanley ''Tookie'' Williams. The music video is called "Criminal Mind", and is performed by Canadian hip-hop founder Wes ''Maestro'' Williams. It is directed by well-known filmmaker Skin, who gives the video a "Law & Order" style, to show Maestro rapping in a courtroom about the educational messages of Stanley ''Tookie'' Williams, and why they are of vital concern to youth who follow hip hop culture. Maestro received national attention at home alongside fellow Canadian hip hop personality Raoul ''Deejay Ra'' Juneja for their work as part of the 'save Tookie Canada'' campaign, as they appeared on local radio and TV stations in late 2005 trying to raise clemency support for Tookie, and awareness of his children's books amongst multi-cultural youth. In 2003, Tookie's co-author Barbara Becnel arranged for Maestro to speak personally to Stanley ''Tookie'' Williams when the "Redemption" movie starring Jamie Foxx as Tookie and Lynn Whitfield as Barbara was being filmed in Toronto. "It felt like angels were on the set while we filmed Tookie's movie in Toronto," explained Maestro in a Canadian CTV interview. "It was a beautiful thing to be involved, and I told Tookie I was proud to make my contribution to his legacy - he's saved thousands and thousands of lives." The Tookie tribute music video also features a guest verse from well-known Toronto rap artist Infinite, and is actually a re-make of a 1985 Canadian rock song by legendary musician Gowan, who performs the new song's chorus. Maestro, Infinite and Gowan are all JUNO Award Winners (the equivalent of the Grammy award in Canada). The blending of rap and rock, the important political messages, and the focus on the case of Stanley ''Tookie'' Williams arguably makes this the most important hip-hop video to ever come out of Canada for the world to see. "Criminal Mind" is being released by Skin's Indever Films and Deejay Ra's Lyrical Knockout Entertainment entirely to raise donations for the ''Tookie'' Redemption Fund. If you enjoy the video, please make a donation at: View the video ‘Criminal Mind’ HERE ThugLifeArmy.com is proud to sponsor the Tookie Tribute music video premiere. Video hosted courtesy of CRN Live: http://www.CRNLive.com/ To see more of filmmaker Skin's music videos, visit: |