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The Welfare Poets

Hip Hop Compilation Against the Death Penalty

About Me

A FEW OF THE OTHER SONGS ON THE ALBUM:
"Cruel and Unusual Punishment" - the album, was produced by the Welfare Poets. It was also co-sponsored by The Shield Magazine (out of Hunter College, NYC) and The Campaign to End the Death Penalty (NYC chapter). This Hip Hop CD compilation features some of the most prolific Hip Hop emcees from around the country (and world for that matter). Many of the artists that appear on the album have for years been cultural workers doing the necessary work to abolish the death penalty and make real change happen.Participating artists:Hasan Shakur -- His song -- Gots To Know was created before he was railroaded by the Texas system of injustice; The Welfare Poets - Rayzer, The Legendary MIC and Jamaki-Bo with music from Djibril and Jamaki (Harlem, BX and BK); Abiodun (of the Legendary Last Poets- NYC); HiCOUP (NJ); Blitz (Ghana/NYC); Hasan Salaam (NJ); Chosan (Sierra Leone/London/NYC); Son of Nun (Baltimore); A-Alikes (NYC); Tru-N-Livin (NJ); Warclub (Cali/Phili); Jav'lin (Amsterdam); InI Mighty Lockdown (New Rochelle); Hec-1 (NY/Chi); Rebel Diaz - Rodstarz and Lah Tere (Chi); Wordplay (Cincinatti); JuggaBlak (Mount Vernon); LemBoogie (Mount Vernon); Block McCloud (Brooklyn); Bolos (Brooklyn); Truth Universal (New Orleans) and Wise Intelligent (of Poor Righteous Teachers - NJ).
YOU CAN PURCHASE A FEW SINGLES FROM THE ALBUM RIGHT HERE!!!!!
Only the following 9 of the 19 album songs are available for single downlaod.
YOU CAN ALSO PURCHASE A DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE ALBUM IN MP3 FORMAT!!!!!!
This is an MP3 Download of the entire album - all 19 songs!
YOU CAN ALSO PURCHASE THE FULLY PACKAGED "CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT" CD (WITH US SHIPPING): $15
THE FULLY PACKAGED "CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT" CD (WITH INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING): $18
About Call for Hasan: Lyrics by Chosan, The Legendary MIC (The Welfare Poets), Lah Tere (Rebel Diaz), Jamaki-Bo (welfare poets) and Rayzer (welfare poets). The song was done for brother Hasan Shakur (hasanshakur.com), Texas death row inmate, activist and political prisoner who was executed on August 31st 2006.

About Hasan Shakur's track, GOTS TO KNOW, was written and recorded before he was locked up and sentenced unjustly to death row. He was about 18 years old then. The song shows where this young man mind was, at that age, and how he saw and treated women. No evidence was presented on his behalf to talk about the content of his character regardless of the family struggles he has gone through. We received the song in horrible condition, and have had a few people assist us in making it as clear as possible.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/5/2006
Band Website: freekenneth.com & myspace.com/thewelfarepoets
Band Members: Kenneth Haramia Foster along with Tony Egbuna Ford, Randy Arroyo and the late Hasan Shakur (executed unjustly by the state of Texas on August 31st 2006) contacted the Welfare Poets in 2004 and asked for our assistance in their individual cases and with abolishing the death penalty in general. These four brothers have been movers and shakers on death row. They are all artists, writers, thinkers and organizers on behind the walls who have fought to change things not only for themselves but for everyone else who yearn for true justice. The initial contact has led to the creation of this Hip Hop CD against the death penalty "Cruel and Unusual Punishment." The album was officially released Feb. 1st 2007, and on this past May 1st 2007, the news came down regarding Kenneth's execution date.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment was inspired by Texas death row inmate and activist Hasan Shakur (Derrick Frazier). This warrior struggled not only to save his own life, but the lives of any and everyone on death row in the united states. He was unjustly executed by the barbaric state of Texas on August 31st 2006.
Influences: "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" was influenced by the need to dismantle the inhumane death penalty system. Murder is barbaric on all fronts, in particular state sponsored. The death penalty is both racist and classist in its intention and application. The most important factor when determining whether someone is executed is the race of the victim. Additionally, the wealth of the defendant is directly related to whether he/she receives their due process. Death row continues to be filled with poor defendants who cannot afford their fair day in court, guaranteed in this country's constitution. These defendants are left virtually defenseless with less than incompetent attorneys against a system that is designed to murder them.This CD is done in the memory of Hasan Shakur, Frances Newton, Shaka Sankofa, Tookie Williams, Dominique Green and everyone put to death by this demonic country and their broken system of justice.

Rayzer
The Welfare Poets

Sounds Like: Background on how the Welfare Poets got involved with the death penalty:

In September of 2004, the Welfare Poets were contacted by 4 brothers on death row in the state of Texas to come down and support them and their cause at a rally against the death penalty. These brothers were Randy Arroyo, Kenneth Foster, Tony Egbuna Ford and Hasan Shakur, who we soon found out were amazing writers, artists, prison organizers and developers of non-for-profit organizations. They heard about our group and music from behind the walls on death row and reached out to us for assistance. We went down to Texas, attended and performed at the rally and in other venues, and began a journey to fight against the death-machine of Texas and the death penalty in general.

For more information, you can go to: welfarepoets.com, hasanshakur.com, tonyeford.com, geocities.com/randyarroyobaez and kennethfoster.de
Type of Label: None

My Blog

KENNETH FOSTER DEATH SENTENCE COMMUTED TO LIFE AT THE LAST MINUTE (AUGUST 30TH 2007)

BREAKING NEWS! Kenneth Foster Jr's Death Sentence Commuted! View Translation by Hans Bennett and Walidah Imarisha | 08.30.2007 BREAKING NEWS: Board of Pardons and Parole Rules 6 to 1 for Clemency...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:59:00 PST

THE DISTURBING CASE OF KENNETH FOSTER

Taken from Counterpunch.orgTexas Wants to Kill Another Man, the Law be Damned By RON JACOBS So, it's the week of the Fourth of July-the date the United States celebrates its ...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:02:00 PST

MUMIA ABU-JAMAL ON KENNETH FOSTER

Death & Texas: The Kenneth Foster Casecol. written 5/31/07] Mumia Abu-JamalFor a decade Kenneth Foster, Jr. has languished on one of the worst Death Rows in the U.S. - Texas.He now faces an execut...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Thu, 07 Jun 2007 06:37:00 PST

THE LAW OF PARTIES AND THE WAY IT RELATED TO KENNETH FOSTER BEING PUT ON DEATH ROW

(the following was taken from Kenneth Foster's site: www.freekenneth.com)Law of parties THE STATUATORY BASIS OF THE LAW OF PARTIES Section 7.02 of the Texas Penal Code outlines the following: A perso...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:43:00 PST

KENNETH FOSTER - FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE FROM TEXAS DEATH ROW

http://www.socialistworker.org/2007-1/633/633_04_KennethFost er.shtml Socialist Worker Online | May 25, 2007 | Page 4 BRYAN McCANN reports on the struggle to save Kenneth Foster Jr. TEXAS DEATH row ...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:39:00 PST

EXECUTION ALERT: AUGUST 30TH 2007

Taken from Kenneth Haramia Foster's site:  Freekenneth.comDear Readers - Once again, in along line of injustices delivered by this system, another has been added to their list. After waging batt...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:10:00 PST

KENNETH FOSTER GIVEN AN EXECUTION DATE OF AUGUST 30TH 2007

Who's Kenneth?The following was taken off of brother Kenneth Foster's website at www.freekenneth.com.Kenneth was born in Austin, Texas on October 22, 1976. He moved to live with his grandparents in Sa...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:05:00 PST

MUMIA'S LAST APPEAL

On May 17th the life of Mumia Abu-Jamal will hang in balance as a federal court in Philadelphia hears Oral Arguments from both sides. THIS IS HIS LAST APPEAL! IT IS EITHER FREEDOM OR DEATH!WE ARE CALL...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 04:03:00 PST

JUSTICE FOR SEAN BELL!!!!!!!

Foward: As an act of solidarity we are asking friends on myspace to change their photo to the image for the peoples' justice demo at www.myspace.com/peoplesjustice and to spread the word to your conta...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Wed, 14 Mar 2007 11:13:00 PST

LETTER TO THE HIP HOP NATION ON BEHALF OF KENNETH FOSTER (Haramia KiNassor)

SIGN A PETITION ON BEHALF OF KENNETH FOSTER AT: http://www.petitiononline.com/ee88911/petition.htmlDear Soldiers in the field, We bring greetings to you from the struggle. May this letter find you and...
Posted by The Welfare Poets on Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:37:00 PST