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He doesn't decapitate Kenny, torch his farts or flout modern civilization via a glazed donut. Nevertheless, Eddie Murphy -- television's newest animation powerhouse -- is raising a stink of Mr. Hankey proportions with his mid-season series, The PJs.
Even before its Jan. 10 debut on Fox, the cartoon sitcom drew ire from Southern California's Project Islamic H.O.P.E., which claims The PJs endorses negative stereotypes of the black community through insulting portrayals of Haitians, Rastafarians and residents of public housing in general. Late last month, acclaimed director Spike Lee joined the protest march, calling the sitcom "really hateful" and "very demeaning."
Regardless of the well-publicized dissent, a team of hip-hop, funk
and R&B artists has stepped forward to support Murphy's most
recent undertaking -- the satirical story of building
superintendent Thurgood Stubbs and his tenants. Due out next month
on Hollywood Records, The PJs soundtrack includes a roster
of the nation's top urban music performers, like Snoop Dogg, George
Clinton, Krayzie and Bizzy Bone, Timbaland, Raekwon, Wyclef Jean
and Da Brat, among others.
"I don't find anything offensive about the show at all," says Da
Brat, who collaborated with Jermaine Dupri for a new track titled
"It's Nothing." "Most black entertainers were less fortunate, and
experienced public aid. I did. A lot of my friends did. And some of
my family members still do ... I can relate to a lot of the things
I saw [on The PJs]. Every character reminded me of someone
I knew."
Likewise, funk forefather George Clinton, himself a former public
housing resident, believes, if anything, the show depicts a very
real segment of the population and the media should neither ignore
ghetto life nor soften its harsh edges.
"I can't see nobody protesting reality. The situation is real and
denying it won't make it any less real," says Clinton, who composed
the cartoon's "cardboard condo" theme song with Quincy Jones, Jr.
"It's the same way with bad words. The only way to get rid of bad
words is to say them. Then they get overexposed ... by not saying
them you are giving them power."
As for the strong words spewing out of protesters -- and the scores
of feisty viewers logged on to the Fox Web site -- Clinton says
public discussion of taboo subjects should be encouraged at all
costs. "I'm just surprised that anyone is saying anything about
[The PJs] when it is so easy to use that energy to talk
about people that are in real trouble," he says. "There's a whole
lotta people living in cardboard boxes -- that's what I think the
protest should be about. But you won't see anything about the
homeless in a television show."
The Jan. 10 episode of The PJs attracted nearly twenty-two
million viewers, making it Fox's second-most-watched series
premiere in history. Whether they love it, hate it or love to hate
it, intrigued viewers are tuning in by the millions every Tuesday
night to see what all the fuss is about.
"I think it's all balanced because you have shows like King of
the Hill and The Simpsons that show low-budget white
families going through the same ordeal," says Rashawnna of the new
rap duo Infamous Syndicate, who contributed "Here I Go" from their
self-titled debut album due out March 16. "We say just hold on, and
stay with your values under God. Even if you see all these worldly
things going on, it's still okay."
ANNI LAYNE
(February 8, 1999)