Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas star Taboo has taken a stand against new Arizona state immigration laws, which come into effect on Thursday, by posting a protest video online.
The I Gotta Feeling hitmaker has filmed a promo for a song called One Heart, One Beat and debuted the video on YouTube.com on Monday night.
Taboo appears in the video and states, "It takes one person to stand up for what he believes in and I believe there's been an injustice in the state of Arizona. I oppose Bill 1070."
The new legislation gives Arizona police new powers to arrest and detain anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant. The video, which includes footage of world leaders and great Americans like President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., also features taped audio messages from Eva Longoria Parker and boxer Oscar De La Hoya.
Mexican-American Taboo says he felt compelled to make a stand against the new bill because he has a dark family history of Arizona racial abuse. He explains, "My grandmother was born in Jerome, Arizona and she too was racially discriminated against, so I thought it was my call for action to be involved... I know that I'm not gonna change the law but hopefully the powers that be will see how important it is to myself and other artists to get involved and to stand up for such an injustice.
"I agree that there needs to be something done about the immigration problem but this is not the solution. I actually performed in Arizona and I'm embarrassed and kind of appalled that this would happen so soon right after I performed there and I gave it up for the state. It made me feel like I didn't have full range on what was going on... I just want to be involved as much as possible."
Taboo isn't working alone - Rage Against the Machine, Kanye West, Conor Oberst and Maroon 5 are all part of a new organisation called Sound Strike. The acts have spoken out against the new law and have announced a boycott of all gigs in Arizona until the legislation is reversed.
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