Nas And Fox News War Spills Onto TV, Bill O'Reilly Denies Racism Claims

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Published: Thursday - July 24, 2008
Words by Miles Bennett

Bill O'Reilly and Nas (Photo: Fox and BallerStatus.com)

The Fox News protest that took place in the streets of New York on Wednesday (July 23) poured over to television airwaves later that night.

Bill O'Reilly took it upon himself to respond to accusations of his network being racist, via his "The O'Reilly Factor" show Wednesday night, saying the protestors were "zombie followers."

While O'Reilly responded, Nas was appearing on "The Colbert Report" to perform his track "Sly Fox," in which the rapper lashes out at Fox News.

On Wednesday, political organizations, ColorofChange.org and MoveOn.org, took to the New York streets in front of Fox News' offices -- with Nas in tow -- to petition against what Nas called a "propaganda machine."

Nas and the two organizations are upset at several recent comments made on the network. During their protest they referenced how Fox referred to Michele Obama "Barack's baby momma," their portrayal of the fist bump that Barack and Michelle Obama shared they called a "terrorist fist jab," and Bill O'Reily's call for a "lynching party" for Michelle, who may one day in the near future become the First Lady.

O'Reilly, however, denies that he or Fox are racist, and went as far as to call MoveOn.org "the New Klan."

"The Move On organization espouses a radical left agenda and attacks those who oppose that nonsense," O'Reilly said on his show. "The latest smear from Move On is telling their Kool-Aid-drinking zombie followers that Fox News is smearing Barack Obama and is a racist concern. Of course, that's a lie. This broadcast and FNC in general have been exceedingly fair to Senator Obama. ... But in order to intimidate anyone from criticizing Obama in any way, Move On is playing the race card."

Later that night on Comedy Central's "Colbert Report," Nas came with signed petitions, boxes of them, claiming Fox would not even see them.

"They refuse to see the petitions," the rapper told MTV News. "They don't want to deal with it. They want to try to act like they want to get away from it. I been getting a little word that people from Fox have been trying to call and talk to me and stuff like that, but right now it's about getting as many as people as we can [to sign]."

According to MTV, Nas is willing to debate with O'Reilly on neutral ground.

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COMMENTS (42)

Ann Jarboe Says:
Wednesday - August 6, 2008 at 10:06am

I don't understand why Obama and most others call him African-American when he is bi-racial.....white mother, black father. He doesn't appear to be proud of his white blood. I would think white people would be offended. He's not a black or white.

joe Says:
Wednesday - July 30, 2008 at 12:12am

Fox??? man the whole fuckin world is racist. every continent, country, state, city, neighborhood, and town... racism was here then, it's here now, and it'll be here 2moro. get over that weak shit!!!

poster boy Says:
Tuesday - July 29, 2008 at 6:14pm

Kool aid drinking bill o'reilly refers to is from the 70's when Jim Jones convinced his followers to drink that Kool aid that killed a bunch of idiots. You ignorant morons do some research before u speak on somethin. There fore dont drink the kool aid dumbasses or u just like everyone else

drezz Says:
Monday - July 28, 2008 at 12:54am

Racism will never die, o'reily sucks and so do nas nothing but mouth...Kiss ass.

Darko Says:
Saturday - July 26, 2008 at 3:33pm

O'reilly was quoted as saying that Nas's followers are "Kool-aid drinking zombie followers". If thats not racist I dont know what is. I am white but I cannot stand the guy.

brad Says:
Friday - July 25, 2008 at 10:13pm

how come black people are alowed to make fun of white people but if a white person says one little thing black people freek out? and just to let all of you know obama is hafe white but forsome reson he is plaing the black card really hard i wonder why?

dana Says:
Friday - July 25, 2008 at 7:05pm

NOT racist? NOT bias?? yeah right! so it's totally accecptable for a news organization to refer to a PRESIDENTIAL candidate's wife as "baby mama" ?? of course they're racist! what, if anything, has been said about McCain and his wife? do they constantly make remarks about how old, white, and out of touch McCain is? ...... but all in all, we shouldnt stress it! if all the propaganda machine that is FOX news can come up with to detract form the obama campaign is stupid racist comments then we (dems. and obama supporters) are doing DAMN GOOD! they dont have shit on him, so now they're throwing hail marys hoping that americans are just stupid enough to have their opinions changed by this nonsense! it's funny to me! these "intellectuals" resorting to straight up idiocracy. one thing i think is good about all of this, is that all these "closet racist" are being exposed.

Terry Says:
Friday - July 25, 2008 at 11:15am

Chagrined, I sort of hope your comments are a joke. Sure Fox News is a bigoted organization that should be spurned, but by saying Irish Catholics, as a group (race?) are not patriotic or have not sacrificed for this nation, you are making a spurious point that detracts from the overall argument that Fox News behaves in a partisan way and should have its FCC license revoked. Ever hear of the Fighting 69th? The Irish Brigade? Excelsior Brigade? Dan Daly? Crack a history book. It will give you better perspective. Terry

gpw Says:
Friday - July 25, 2008 at 10:07am

NAS don't debate that bigot. Please don't give Fox or him the attention. Your time would be better spent on other issues. You can't change those cold, mean spirited hearts. It would take a life time and they are not worth it. They are worthless.

gpw Says:
Friday - July 25, 2008 at 10:00am

Nas is right on. I hate FOX news and those old racist jerks. I turned off Fox news years ago. They are very racist and bias towards Obama and his wife, Michelle. God is in control of Obama and no matter what they do he will come out on top. God bless Obama and NAS. I love you NAS.

Chagrined Says:
Friday - July 25, 2008 at 1:21am

During Ireland's potato famine, the British asserted, "These potato people have no morals, we don't know what to do with them. Unfortunately they came to America and many, O'Reilly and Hannity, cannot adjust to a civilized society. They are "ugly Americans" who came to a country with a democracy and Constitutional freedoms for which many brave people, including African Americans, excluding Irish Catholics, fought, sacrificed and died. If hey are too fragile for our freedoms, they should return to Ireland. African Americans are our most patriotic citizens. Chagrined

ohmywhodat Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 11:55pm

So this is the subject that brings all the white folks out the closet. Why are they even on this Hip Hop site? Are the white folks monitoring this site? Fox news is not hip-hop so fuck em and anyone on here defending them!

BigD Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 9:42pm

Frank is a punk, and the rest of you are watching FOX NEWS, by the words you are using, you are a dead give away.

iplay2loud Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 8:24pm

Everyone knows the False News Network is whacked.Little things like leaving microphones live trying to get something to boost their ratings. Bill O' is really way out there and out of touch with reality. All republicans are running scared now. They know that Obama is going to be the next president. Rock on NAS!

think about it Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 7:06pm

why is it now that Obama is running for pres. that the race card is being used more and more. he wanted to bring the Country together and from his friends and church he went to and the comments he makes, it seems that he is the racist. and if any one says anything bad about him or don't think he is the second comming of god, then they must be a racist. it's riping the country apart. and that never a good thing, every one should grow up and think for themself.

todd goslin Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 5:36pm

Bill O,rielly obviously has a problem with Kool-aid! He's probably one of those right-wing, fascist, can't-think-for-himself, Hi-C drinkers! And you know how they are.

Frank F'real Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 5:18pm

OMG i canT believE thiS CraCkR Bill OreILLy hAS The balls to call all of us KooL aid DrinKn Zombie Followers.... anybody that is a nas FAN/Listener must have some sort of heightened consciousness- PLain and SimpLe, Bill O Reilly is a straight up racist that needs to be dealt with-interpret it how you can- this man should now be allowed to be on TV at all... OH and BELIEVE THIS MTTHR FCKR OREILLY IS SCARED-OR ELSE HE WOULD HAVE NEVER ADDRESSED THE SITUATION ON AIR- HE KNOWS THE HIP HOP COMMUNITY IS DEEP AS FCK! even though nAS MIGHT be Doin ThiS fOR pUBlicItY- HE IS oNE of OUR LEaDERS and We shoulD PRAY FOR HIM... PRAY HE DOESNT GET ASSASINATED- PRAY THAT HE WILL KEEP GON AND NOT TURN HIS BACK on uS... LONG LIVE NAS! PS.. STILL WAITIN ON THE REVOLUTION... F.

n/a Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 5:09pm

Wow - complete publicity stunt on the part of NAS. Funny how he's brainwashing "his people" to get his payday. He doesn't care about you or the so-called racist issue, he cares about your money. Go ahead - keep your mind closed and keep on paying...

rooty Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:57pm

first of all, nas has not been relevant in the hip-hop scene since stillmatic in 2001. but its comforting to see that he is using his celeb status to bring awareness to one of the greater poisons of american culture: tv media. if you read bill o'reilly's block quote above and if at least one racially charged phrase doens't jump out at you, then you, my friend, cannot grasp the power of words. you might as well dub yourself a racist and tell your friends. otherwise, have a nice eating everyone's shit in the herd.

mike Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:53pm

jj cornish: to say that NAS, whoever that is, grew up in the real, because he grew up in a housing project is simply assinine. the real world is not the projects!! also, just as assinine is your calling anyone who doesn't agree with you a bigot. look in the mirror, and you'll see the real bigot in this chat area.

clugs Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:32pm

Nas debate O'Reilly? Come on. I don't like O'Reilly at all, but he is worlds smarter than Nas and would make him look like the undereducated attention whore he is. Fox news is racist? Obama attended a church for 20 years that in it's bulletin claims to be for the betterment of black families above all others. Imagine if O'Reilly attended a church like that....

Truth hurts Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:32pm

jj cornish is right.. wake up, sheeple.

jj cornish Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:29pm

Dumb inbred white racists said the same ugly things about the jazz music Nas' father played in NYC as they do now about hip hop. Times change... white bigots stay the same.

Truth hurts Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:29pm

Sorry to say, but the majority of you people are bigots. In denial.

jj cornish Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:26pm

Brandon, you're an ignorant bigot. Bill O'Reilly has no idea what's going on in the world. He's just a smallminded bigot who appeals to other smallminded bigots. Guys like Nas who grew up in the real America have a much clearer picture. Nas comes from a housing project in New York. He didn't grow up in Hollywood. Nas' father was a jazz musician. Bill O'Reilly's father worked for the oil industry as an accountant. You Republicans are the dumbest inbred racists on the planet. Get a clue.

Brandon Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:15pm

I would love to see NAS debate O'Reilly; all of these Hollywood characters spouting their positions like they have a clue on what's going on in the world...NAS should go on the view and whine to America with Rosey O'Donnel. MoveOn.org, CAIR, apparently NAS and other organizations are completely fascist in their ideology of discrediting anyone who disagrees with them...just because FOX isn't a completely liberal biased news station doesn't mean that they're racist, it just means that they don't completely conform to the rest of the media bias and have a different perspective on world events.

730.NO Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:12pm

But The Simpsons is fun tho.

Who's Asking Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:09pm

FACT: Anyone involved in hip hop or rap music is racist; anyway rap or hip hop and music is an oxymoron!

juan Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:06pm

This is the worst of race-card playing. Over playing. FOX News is as racist as any other organization, and probably less so than NAS. Fight on the ideas and the politics, don't fall back on the "you are a racist, so nothing you say matters" BS. This may help sell albums for NAS, but it spreads more racism and hate for the rest of us.

Raffi Aidiniantz Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 4:02pm

I DO think Fox is a racist, chauvinistic news service, both covertly, and often overtly. For example, during flare-ups of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the past, Fox would bring guest speakers on to their news programs to debate the issue. The Israeli speaker they brought in would be fluent in English, well spoken, etc. The arab guy would have totally broken English. What does this do in the mind of the viewer? It makes Arabs more alien, and Israelis more familiar. Fox could just as easily picked a n Arabic person who was fluent in English, so why didn't they? This is what I call covert racism, because the viewer will hardly know what's happening, yet the effect of marginalizing one group has been acheived. If you want overt, just watch Bill O'riley and others. There is, I believe, an intention to divide and marginalize certain groups of people that don't fit into the white-angrlo-saxon-protestant, conservative, republican agenda.

sheep Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:56pm

The majority of you people are sheep.

david a dowding Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:55pm

Fox News "fairly unbalanced" We decide and report whatever we want." The next step is to eliminate watching any Fox shows which I have done.To use Bill Oreilla-the poster child for sexual harrassment - as an example of anything other than hypocricy is what I would expect from these Klan members in blue suits and striped ties. The dress may have changed but the lik remains the same. David Dowding

you you Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:53pm

If you believe that fox news is not racist then....well you're a retard.

Carol Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:46pm

Have any of you ever watched FOX news? I doesn't sound like it. If you did, you'd see they're not racist and they're not biased. They tell the truth. The problem with organizations like MoveOn is that they ARE so biased. Anyone, including FOX news, who doesn't agree with them is wrong. Now, tell me, who's the real "propaganda machine"?

GW Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:42pm

I do not know if fox is racist. I do know this guy is just trying to get publicity for his new album. If he were concerned about these issues he would not have tried to name his latest release Ni**er (a tad hypocritical)

JBBW Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:31pm

I don't think they are racist - Fox is equally unfair to everyone who doesn't agree with them.

goonygunz Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:22pm

STL Shorty: ya dad says FOX is racist..so now they are racist..ya dad is racist..u half breed koolaid drinkin..watermelon eating..spear chuckin..shucking and jivin..monkey on the porch..spoon..jiggaboo..tar baby..let ya soul glow lookin nigga..peace in ya hair grease..

molccod Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:21pm

Moveon.org and the other far left wing bomb throwers should move to where the Kool-Aid flows free for them--maybe like Cuba or Somalia or Iraq / Iran. They all should get over their lack of insight and their ideologies.

Drew Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:19pm

First of all, who the fuck is Nas? And second, since when do rappers and hip-hops stars become involved with political organizations like MoveOn.org? It sounds like Nas is hurting in the money department (much like Curtis Jackson) and is trying to perform publicity stunts for his own gain. Hey Nas? Why don't you shut up and rap and let people worry about things that really matter, like how our soldiers are defeating Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan? Hey Nas, how about we let Fox News and the media tear you apart into little pieces and let them feed you to the loyal American people....then we'll see how loyal, a hungry dog, really is...

steven c. jackson Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:13pm

nas sounds like jesse jacksons rainbow coalition in another form. Both believed in playing the race card to get there own way.

STL Shorty Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 3:09pm

EVERYBODY know FOX is racist...why is FOX acting like it's the first time they've heard this?...My dad says FOX is racist - and MANY more......you go NAS for having the balls to stand up and challenge the Machine!..I love you babe

Munny Says:
Thursday - July 24, 2008 at 2:46pm

Wicked! Nas is tight... I wish Pac was here thought to handle it, but still.. GOOD stuff.