Ilyasah Shabazz Deejay Ra Record `X` Tribute

Released on = September 10, 2006, 10:28 pm

Press Release Author = Lyrical Knockout Entertainment

Industry = Education

Press Release Summary = THE ROOTS OF X
Daughter of civil rights icon, rap activist record for Alex Haley

Press Release Body = Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of world leader Malcolm X, recently
recorded a new radio PSA with Canadian music personality Raoul Juneja (a.k.a. Deejay
Ra), to commemorate the 85th birthday of \"Roots\" author Alex Haley on August 11th.

Ilyasah\'s PSA was recorded as part of Deejay Ra\'s \'Hip-Hop Literacy\' campaign to
also encourage reading of \"The Autobiography of Malcolm X\" amongst students of all
cultures. 2005 marked the 80th birthday of Ilyasah\'s father, whose autobiography is
now considered one of the most important books of all time.

\"The Autobiography of Malcolm X\" was created through Alex Haley\'s 1964 interviews
with the civil rights icon later known as El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, and was released
shortly after his assassination in 1965.

Completing the autobiography\'s epilogue about his friend\'s Africa unity messages is
said to have inspired Haley\'s subsequent ten year effort to compile his next book,
which would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize. Alex Haley\'s \"Roots\" was translated
into over 32 different languages, and the 1977 TV series was watched by two out of
every three American viewers at the time.

Closing episodes of a 1979 \"Roots: Next Generations\" TV sequel featured James Earl
Jones portraying Alex Haley, and a 1981 \"Death of a Prophet\" film cast Morgan
Freeman as Malcolm X. Twelve years later, Denzel Washington would iconize Malcolm X
to the \'Hip-Hop Generation\' through Spike Lee\'s \"X\" film in 1993.

Recent TV adaptations of Alex Haley\'s unfinished books have also gained significant
attention amongst today\'s youth, in part due to creative casting. A \"Queen\" TV movie
in 1993 saw Halle Berry featured as Haley\'s grandmother, and Queen Latifah, Mario
Van Peebles, Cicely Tyson and Blair Underwood were featured in \"Mama Flora\'s Family\"
in 1998, said to be the final TV production based on Haley\'s work.

Ilyasah Shabazz\'s autobiography, \"Growing Up X\", was released in 2002 and received
endorsements from Maya Angelou, Spike Lee and Ruby Dee among others. Ilyasah is
currently supervising the opening of a new Educational Center highlighting the
legacy of her parents, entitled \"The Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Memorial.\"

Deejay Ra\'s \'Hip-Hop Literacy\' campaign was launched early 2004 to encourage movie
and music themed books to students uninterested in reading, as alternative literacy
developing methods. Additional \'Hip-Hop Literacy\' radio PSAs feature \"Roots\" actor
Dorian Harewood, \"Mississippi Masala\" actress Sarita Choudhury and \"Ali\" actor
Giancarlo Esposito among others.

Web Site = http://www.LyricalKnockout.com/

Contact Details = deejay_ra@chrwradio.com
416-988-5363

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