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February 25, 2008
$5 B. Claim Filed Against Jay-Z, Bruce Ratner
The Real Estate Observer
By Eliot Brown
This post on The NY Observer's real estate blog begins with a correction:
Editor's Note: This story originally reported that the Clive Campbell who filed the claim was the real name of D.J. Kool Herc, a founder of hip hop. In fact, it is a different Clive Campbell. Mr. Campbell is a Brooklyn-based activist. The story has been corrected.
Brooklyn activist Clive Campbell is seeking $5 billion from rapper Jay-Z, developer Bruce Ratner and Barclays bank, filing a “claim of lien” in property records that seeks the money for slavery reparations.
Mr. Ratner, Jay-Z, and Barclay’s are all linked through the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, for which Mr. Ratner plans to build a Frank Gehry-designed basketball arena for the Nets and more than 6,000 apartments. Jay-Z, a partial owner of the Nets, has been a major supporter of the project, appearing at press conferences to tout its merits. Barclays owns the naming rights to the arena, and has been accused of having links with the slave trade—an accusation the bank denies.
Though the suit may not go very far, it makes a strong case to the public that Bruce Ratner's sale of the naming rights of his planned Brooklyn arena to Barclays bank is a serious slap in the face to the African-American community. Naturally, Ratner's spokesperson declined to comment.
The news of the lawsuit is all over the online hip-hop media, including versions with the erroneously reported mistaken identity.
SixShot.com, Activist Group Filing $5 Billion Lawsuit Against Jay-Z & Barclays Bank For Slavery Reparations
SOHH.com, Jay-Z Hit W/ $5 Billion Lawsuit, Activist Seeking Slavery Reparations
HipHopdx.com, Jay-Z Sued For $5 Billion For Slave Reparations?
AllHipHop.com, UPDATE: Activist Clive Campbell Sues Jay-Z & Barclays For $5 Billion
HHE, Jay Z Named In $5 Billion Reparations Lawsuit
Gothamist, Nets Stadium Has 99 Problems, But Kool Herc Ain't One
Bronx legend Clive Campbell, who as DJ Kool Herc is widely credited as one of hip-hop’s founding fathers, is not suing Jay-Z, developer Bruce Ratner and Barclays bank, as previously reported by the Observer online. The $5 billion lawsuit is being brought by a much less famous Brooklyn activist also named Clive Campbell, and the mix-up is probably a big publicity boon for his lawsuit, as it echoed far and wide across the internets before the Observer corrected it.
Posted by lumi at February 25, 2008 7:49 PM