"As you know, this is a complex issue that involves gender, race, culture and artistic expression" said a statement from Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. "Everyone assembled today takes this issue very seriously and our dialogue is ongoing." Simmons assembled some of biggest execs in the business and then later planned an announcement at the Park Central Hotel on Seventh Avenue: Lyor Cohen, chief executive of US Recorded Music, Kevin Liles of the Warner Music Group, LA Reid of Island Def Jam, Jimmy Iovine of After radio personality Don Imus was fired for referring to the Rutgers girls basketball team as "nappy-headed hos," the record industry came under fire for profiting off a culture that degrades women.
Imus said that the offending phrase did not originate in white culture but in the black community. Simmons disputed that on the Oprah show on Tuesday, saying Imus was historically incorrect to suggest that and that "the hip-hop community is a mirror, a reflection of the dirt we overlook -- the violence, the misogyny, the sexism. They need to be discussed.
" Were CBS and NBC right to fire Don Imus?
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