It looks like the Hip Hop community now faces its biggest challenge. Forget police task forces or discriminating night club owners, folks will now have to gear up to do some serious battle with a Los Angeles businessman named Richard Gonahangya and his company America Media Operative Inc. For those who don't know AMO Inc is a little known company that specializes in lobbying Congress and advising government officials on media policy. They yield a lot of influence over the FCC and other agencies that determine policy. The word around town is 'what they say goes'.

Gonahangya a staunch conservative, held a small press conference in Compton, Ca yesterday to announce that his company AMO Inc had recently trademarked and brought the rights to the word/phrase 'Hip Hop'. As a result they will soon start charging a licensing fee for anyone who wishes to use the word in a commercial/ for profit project.

Taking advantage of a provision in the recently amended Millennium Copyright Act of 2001, Gonahangya explained that he and his company have all the legal ammunition and clearance to own the rights to the phrase 'Hip Hop'. He noted that the Hip Hop industry has generated over 20 billion dollars last year in the United States alone. The phrase Hip Hop is now a powerful marketing tool and his company is posed to profit handsomely in 2003 from its 'proper' usage. The new licensing fee is estimated to net AMO Inc a whooping 5-8 billion dollars a year.

"Any business including record labels, videos, radio stations or television shows that use the phrase 'Hip Hop' in the title or marketing body of their work will have to pay AMO Inc a licensing fee", Gonahangya told reporters. 'We are not attempting to stifle free speech or muzzle popular culture.. we have no legal grounds from preventing anyone who wishes to use the word in everyday speech, however if you are using the word in a manner that associates you with a salable product, then we fully intend to collect our fee".

Gonahangya laid out his company's strategy for 2003. He explained that AMO Inc is giving record labels and performers a one month grace period to get their business affairs in order. Starting in May letters will be sent out to anyone who is using the term 'Hip Hop' explaining that the word is now trademarked and that if they wish to continue to use it in the body of their work, they will have to register with his company and be assessed a licensing fee. Letters have already been sent to several Hip Hop internet websites with more to come. He estimated the average fee will be anywhere from 2-5 thousand dollars plus residual fees per project. Permission to use the word will be on a case by case basis. In addition any future projects released using the term ' Hip Hop' will have to have the 'TM' symbol next to the word.

(BTW-April Fools)