Pop-punk siren Hayley Williams of Paramore, who gained the hip-hop community’s attention when she teamed up with B.o.B. and Eminem for “Airplanes,” is at it again. She and Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory and Ethan Luck of Relient K collaborated to give Internet superstar Antoine Dodson’s Billboard chart-busting “Bed Intruder” (Run Tell Dat) rant a punk rock twist.
Huntsville, Ala., resident Antoine Dodson became an Internet sensation after a local news report about an incident with his family was televised. Dodson’s sister was the victim of an attempted rape, prompting him to post a viral plea on YouTube to “Help the Dodson family” complemented by a humorous but serious urban-pop song that outed the culprit.
When Wiliams, Pundik and Luck heard the news, they partnered with the producers The Gregory Brothers to help Dodson’s story gain national attention from major outlets.
Dodson created a Twitter account, a personal website and a YouTube account. The website contains his videos, notes from Dodson, and on the right column, a “Donate” button for anyone who wants to help out the family. The link leads to a PayPal account.
“Official merchandise” is also available through Dodson’s Zazzle store. The merchandise contains some of Dodson’s popular catch-phrases: “We Got Yo T-Shirt” and “Run And Tell Dat.” The following phrase is at the top of the Zazzle page: “The profits from this store will go to helping Antoine’s family get out of the projects.”
The Dodson family’s tragedy has turned into an enterprise and hopefully they will find a safe place to live. Is Dodson’s strategy to raise money one that charities seeking donations should explore and put to use themsleves? –yvette caslin
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