How Do We Hold Our Black-Ass Faves Accountable?
Welcome to the fifteenth installment of This Black-Ass Life! This week, we’re going to discuss if/how we hold problematic faves from Nas to Kanye to Fabolous to J Cole to even the Breakfast Club crew accountable.
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l. The Facts
We’re focusing on problematic Black men (since it’s been a week of L’s for them), but throwing in some other problematic faves, too. Check out this exhaustive list that barely scratches the surface:
Black men in power have abused women, especially Black women, with virtually no repercussion. Biggie verbally abused, choked, hit and pulled a gun on Lil ‘Kim; Tupac allegedly raped women; Kelis said Nas physically abused her; Jay-Z said Jewish people own all the property in America; Fabolous beat up his partner and threatened her family; J Cole started his album Born Sinner with a series of homophobic slurs to “make a statement;” Kanye happily caped for Toupée Fiasco’s racist ass; and The Breakfast Club laughed at a “comedian” threatening Janet Mock’s life a day after hosting her on the show.
Buzzfeed even reached out to 43 artists who worked with KNOWN CHILD ABUSER, PREDATOR and SEX TRAFFICKING R&B superstar, R Kelly, for comments on his alleged sex cult.
Even liberal darling Joy Ann Reid has been caught being anti-Latinx immigrant AND people dug up some not-so-old very-much-so homophobic blog posts of hers.
Let’s briefly discuss White women: Shania Twain accidentally showed her true orange-loving colors, Rose MacGowan played victim when a trans woman demanded Me Too be inclusive and never forget the 53% of White women who supported Kandy Korn Kremlin.
One last trash example: Perez Hilton compared Black women’s reasoning for calling out his racism to Hitler’s reasoning to defend concentration camps.
Why is this important?
People can be creative geniuses, liberal darlings, and rap icons and still be trash at best, destructive to other humans at worst.
Thinking more of, and putting a higher value on the intellectual capabilities of celebrities is what helped get us into this shit with Sunkist Satan.
What can my Black Ass do?
Like Zora told us, “All My Skinfolk Ain't Kinfolk.” Remember that.
Stop putting celebrities on a pedestal. Also, don’t let them stress you out. Surviving Orange Julius’s America is stressful enough. It’s okay to be disappointed, roll yourself eyes, sigh, and keep it moving.
ll. Other Things
Y’all watchin this (unintentional Bravo promo)?
I (Mitu) LOVE the show Your Husband Is Cheating On Us, a reality show on the making of a chitlin circuit play. This is a can’t-miss show filled with B-level stars and, for some blessed reason, Ginuwine.
The Real Housewives of Potomac is like Atlanta before the rape accusations, prisons terms and Kim’s #MAGA antics. I (Jumoke) am trying to tell y’all it’s fun. We got Karen Huger, who is a lying ass laywoman with a $100,000 car; cute-ass Juan and his delusional ex-wife Robyn; Ashley, who is married to a geriatric man who was creepin’ on grindr; and Gizelle who uncomfortably fed her boyfriend strawberries in an open field.
Some of our other favorite shows: Thou Shalt Not (maybe the best and most ridiculous true crime show on television?), Greenleaf, Queen Sugar, The Chi, Power, Grown-ish (I know this is for younger audiences, but the show is so damn good), Being Mary Jane and Atlanta.
Our Black-Ass song of the week (Jumoke):
I’ll just leave this here: A letter to Kanye Omari West. Over his own beat.
Obligatory Kanye check-in:
Kanye shared a picture of his new haircut inspired by Parkland shooting-survivor and activist Emma González who then shared a picture of Waffle House-shooting hero James Shaw, Jr.
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Mitu) am looking forward to Gabrielle Union’s upcoming action thriller Breaking In, where she will show viewers there’s nothing her Black-Ass mama character wouldn’t do to protect her babies.
I (Jumoke) am looking forward to watching The Avengers, even though I’m only going for the Black superheroes and know nothing about the DC universe. Kidding! I know it’s Marvel!
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Mama
Thanks to our Black-Ass reader Phaedra for sharing her mama’s heads up to open up your third eye to the bigger plan.
Stay Black and remember Straight Black Men Are The White People Of Black People. We’ll hit your inbox next on May 14.