In the wake of the Mike Brown shooting and Ferguson protests last year, many in the Black community called for Black celebrities to speak out against the injustices shown to their own people. Some Black celebrities rose to the occasion, using social media and TV news outlets like CNN to say their piece.
Others, like Nelly, preferred to move in relative silence and let their actions do the talking. Following the events in Ferguson, the St. Louis rapper came under fire for not visiting the city right away. He eventually visited Ferguson to speak with protesters and created a scholarship fund in Michael Brown’s name.
The scholarship was not merely a sentimental act to honor the slain college student but a part of a strategic plan to help bring change to the Ferguson community in the only effective way he believes he can.
“I try to do it through education because that’s the only way we’re going to get it. The only way we’re going to get this is to elevate,” Nelly explained in an interview with Hello Beautiful just after the Ferguson anniversary on August 9, 2015. “We have to get the kids to go out of these communities. Graduate. Get the knowledge. Come back to the community, and then they can run it because they understand the people and understand the severity of the situation.”
The Mike Brown scholarship isn’t the only act of altruism Nelly has taken in the area of education. He has sent two students to college on scholarships every year for the past 10 years. To critics who have rebuked him for his lack of vocal support for the events at Ferguson, the “Hot in Herre” rapper asserts that sometimes it’s better to do things quietly.
Common has been acting for a while (“Selma”, “Now You See Me”, “Just Wright”, “Single Ladies”, “American Gangster”) , and now he’s starting to get in the game behind the scenes too. According to 
Now, over 30 years after they’ve formed and three years since their last album, Public Enemy has released Man Plans God Laughs, offering much-needed and necessary protest music once again. The video for the single “No Sympathy From The Devil” was just released today, and it packs a chilling punch. It ties historical acts of racism with the racism of today – and so much of it looks the same (at the 1:56 mark, 
In addition to King, Benjamin joins returning stars Lili Taylor, Felicity Huffman, 
Timothy Hutton, Elvis Nolasco and Richard Cabral — all of whom will be playing new characters in a new setting. Season 2 is filming in Austin. Ridley executive produces American Crime with Michael J. McDonald for ABC Studios.
The casting is a reunion for Ridley and Benjamin. Ridley wrote and directed the Jimi Hendrix biopic Jimi: All Is By My Side, in which the actor and Outkast rapper Benjamin starred.
“Personally, I couldn’t be more excited than to work again with André,” said Ridley in a statement. “He is an amazing individual, a true artist, and All is by My Side is one of the reasons I was given the reins on American Crime. Folks at ABC were absolutely moved by André’s performance in the film, and by the overall language of cinema we used in telling the story. It’s fair to say American Crime might not exist were it not for our previous collaboration.”
article by Denise Petski via Deadline.com