Dr. Cornel West » HIDDEN BEACH FORUM RECORDING ARTIST DR. CORNEL WEST RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED RECOGNITION DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

HIDDEN BEACH FORUM RECORDING ARTIST DR. CORNEL WEST RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED RECOGNITION DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

February 22, 2008 @ 2:38 pm · Press

Cornel West

WEST TO RECEIVE AWARD OF EDUCATION DURING THE BET HONORS LIVE BROADCAST AND MTV’S 52 ARTISTS/52 WEEKS CAMPAIGN

Los Angeles– February 21, 2008— Hidden Beach Forum recording artist, professor, best-selling author, orator, and film star Dr. Cornel West is heating up the music entertainment networks this week with two highly esteemed honors. Viewers can catch a glimpse this week on MTV as Dr. Cornel West is the featured Artist of the Week and then again as West receives the Award of Education at the first annual BET HONORS premiering on Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

MTV’s 52 Artists/ 52 Weeks Campaign features a behind-the-scenes look at Dr. Cornel West as he takes his message to Grace A. Dunn Middle School in Trenton, New Jersey and shares a lesson with young students in Black history, race and class, and how to lead a respectful, righteous life. Viewers can also hear soundbites from the Dr. Cornel West’s third album project, Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations on Hidden Beach Forum. West’s new CD project gives an explosive critique- addressing major issues such as racial profiling, politics, 9/11, war, and a litany of other concerns of not just Black people but America at large. Hip Hop and R&B heavy hitters like Prince, Andre 3000, Black Thought, Kanye West protégé’ Rhymefest, KRS-1, Talib Kweli, Dave Hollister, and the late Gerald LeVert, among others, join in the effort and creatively share the mic on this musical collaboration produced by Sacramento-based writers and producers, Mike Dailey and Clifton West of Black Men Who Mean Business.

The excitement doesn’t end there. THE BET HONORS premiere will kick-off the night with a show-stopping performance as Grammy Award winning, R&B artist and label-mate Jill Scott gives a powerful rendition of “The Real Thing” to honor Dr. Cornel West along with Hill Harper of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation who presents this special award. Other honors of the night include Richard Parsons (Corporate Citizen Award), Tyra Banks (Media Award), Alicia Keys (Entertainment Award), Maxine Waters (Public Service Award) and Janice Bryant Howroyd (Entrepreneur Award) as THE BET HONORS celebrate black achievement in business, entertainment, social justice and philanthropy along with electrifying performances by some of the biggest names in music.

“The Hidden Beach family is excited for one of our own as Dr. Cornel West receives celebrated honors from two acclaimed entertainment networks. We are thankful for the BET and MTV recognition of a man we feel is truly deserving of this honor,” stated Steve McKeever, founder, president/ceo of Hidden Beach Recordings, parent to Hidden Beach Forum.

For more information about the Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations CD project, visit hiddenbeach.com or cornelscorner.com.

About Dr. Cornel West

Dr. Cornel West is a professor of religion and African American studies at Princeton University and is considered one of America’s most gifted, provocative, and important public intellectuals. He has won numerous awards, including the American Book Award, and has received more than 20 honorary degrees. In his scholarly work, he has authored more than 20 books including the best-selling Race Matters which has sold nearly 400,000 copies to date and continues to influence a national dialogue on race. A political theorist who’s worked on presidential bids by Bill Bradley, Al Sharpton and now Barack Obama, West has also been involved with such projects as the Million Man March and Russell Simmon’s Hip Hop Summit. He continues to be an integral part of social change as well as a driving force in pop culture. He has appeared in both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions playing one of the elders, Councilor West, while also providing philosophical commentary on all three Matrix films in The Ultimate Matrix Collection. He is a widely sought after public speaker and guest commentator on many national television programs and an integral part of social change in bringing back the essence of Black music with a ‘real’ purpose. He has, without question, earned his place in American history as one of the greatest public intellectuals of our time.