Al Sharpton Withdraws Planned Award for Def Jam Chairman LA Reid

Al Sharpton has changed his mind about an award he was scheduled to present to Def Jam boss LA Reid this week. According to the New York Post, Sharpton was set to award Reid with the James Brown Memorial Cultural Impact Award at his National Action Network’s annual convention, which begins today. The controversial activist told the Post that he had “suspended” the award in an effort to avoid a conflict of interest. Earlier this week he announced that he would be going after entertainers and record companies that he feels are marketing harmful music to the public, and that he would name those targets during the convention. "We're going to target companies over the issue of lyrics. I'm going to be more forceful. I'm not going to send mixed signals," Sharpton told the Post. He says that he spoke with Reid about the suspension and they both agreed that it would not be appropriate to move forward with the ceremony.