Sunday, March 8, BET will host a three hour concert on the 50th anniversary of Selma's "Bloody Sunday," in Selma, AL. President Barack Obama is slated to speak and many will join in memory of a brutal day representative of America's history of civil rights struggles.
According to the Washington Post, President Obama and former president George W. Bush, will be in attendance at the famous, Edmund Pettus Bridge, where peaceful protestors marching for voting rights for African-Americans, were brutally beaten on March 7, 1965.
Thousands are expected to attend this day of speeches and various events to commemorate the 50th anniversary. The day will also include a BET-sponsored concert. Rolling Stone reported, Paxton Baker, the president of BET event productions worked with civil rights activist/singer/songwriter Harry Belafonte, to create the lineup for the concert. Artists confirmed to perform include Rick Ross, Bell Biv DeVoe, Flavor Flav, Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, D-Nice and Vanilla Ice. Other artists have yet to be announced, Rolling Stone reported.
AL relayed, the three-hour concert will feature Bill Withers, Cicely Tyson and Belafonte along with other performances.
A lot of talk and question concerning the "Ice Ice Baby" rapper's participation circulated the internet. In an interview with AL.com, Baker explained the decision to add the rapper:
"Vanilla Ice was in the Soul Train Awards two years ago, and he's a really cool person. When we call him for things he likes working with us and we like working with him," Baker told AL.com. "He's one of the people we call to participate in things with us, and if he can do it he absolutely will. I sent him a text and within two minutes his response was two words: 'I'm in.'"
The concert will include an anticipated ensemble performance of hip-hop classic, "Self Destruction." The classic was released in 1989 as apart of The Stop The Violence Movement.
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