The Source's Chickens Coming Home to Roost

Here's the full press release from the lawyers representing Kimberly Osorio, former Editor-in-Chief of The Source, and Michelle Joyce, former Source Vice President of Marketing, on which most of the news reports seem to be based.  MTV's Chris Harris has numerous details and additional background on the suit against Benzino and Dave Mays.  Apparently The Source has released a statement that, true to form, makes personal allegations against Osorio and Joyce.  Osorio and Joyce's lawyer Kenneth P. Thompson says there will be an additional lawsuit filed.

Besides Chris Harris' report, the best stuff seems to be coming from hip hop scholar, activist, blogger Jeff Chang who reports on the speech Kim Osorio gave at the recent Hip Hop and Feminism Conference, that I've been writing about at Hip Hop Logic, as well as a typically self serving statement from The Source in which Benzino unresigns.

Typically bloggers are thought of as outsiders but both Jeff Chang, who blogs at zentronix, and Jay Smooth, who blogs at hiphopmusic.com, are long time hip hop writers and insiders who will probably know a lot of stuff that they can't say publically.  Keep checking their blogs for interesting statements like Jay Smooth's comments on The Source press release:
"Anyone who doesn't understand why this press release is dripping with hypocrisy/absurdity should read the chapter in Jeff's book [Can't Stop Won't Stop] about Benzino's role in the rise and (mostly) fall of The Source."

I really get the feeling that this situation will get extremely nasty because so many writers have been burned by The Source, including many left/lib types who are probably quite sick of The Source's claim to be an important progressive force within hip hop culture.  It looks like The Source's chickens are finally coming home to roost.

Update: Please see Source Docs at SOHH and a Clarification.