“Becoming an adult and doing my own research has REALLY opened up my f*cking eyes, and I get upset to know that…..”
– Azealia Banks
The past few months have been incredibly interesting in the social media and hip hop realms. With the jihad against black men by the police and the non-stop riots and protests in Missouri, many entertainers have become vocal about the societal ramifications of white supremacy. Some drew massive praise and did their just due to shed more light on the issue of justified black homicide. Others have severely offended many people intently following these cases of injustice and caused major backlash that could possibly result in less support for their next album. Take Kendrick Lamar for example.
In a recent interview with Billboard Magazine, Kendrick Lamar shared his thoughts on Ferguson. Lamar plainly stated:
“I wish somebody would look in our neighborhood knowing that it’s already a situation, mentally, w
here it’s f*cked up. What happened to [Michael Brown] should’ve never happened. Never. But when we don’t have respect for ourselves, how do we expect them to respect us? It starts from within. Don’t start with just a rally, don’t start from looting — it starts from within.”
In a nutshell, Kendrick Lamar is placing the blame and burden on the whole black community for actions that a police officer with an already documented racist past based out of innate fear and bigotry. Fans and protesters have every right to be outraged. This is even more disheartening, seeing that Kendrick is supposed to be the savior of hip-hop that brings introspective thinking and consciousness back to the art from. Remember when everybody was on that? Forget J. Cole and my man Big K.R.I.T. Kendrick Lamar is this generation’s game changer. Right?
Nevertheless, several of Kendrick Lamar’s fellow rapper peers debunked Kendrick’s statements. However, no comments were more poignant than Azealia Bank’s. Although she’s getting immense love now for her social media activism, there has been serious criticisms for the methods she uses to get her points across and the “agenda” behind her. Many commenters analyzing the different verbal altercations she’s gotten into with various individuals over the past couple of months believe that she’s being pro-black for attention and fame. What an oxymoron!
Be honest, is the afore mentioned viewpoint even possible? How can you challenge a societal construct and bastardized mindset that litters the minds of many powerful individuals that run the industry you strive to flourish in and “get fame”? If anything, s
he’s sacrificing possible endorsements and other big money deals by not bowing down and speaking her mind. Her past of being a sexual deviant and proverbial “bed-wench” is questionable but no one can deny that she’s bringing major attention to the issues of reparations, cultural appropriation and miseducation. Let’s not forget she’s putting pressure on the culture vultures and coons to reveal their true intentions.
Let’s think strategically family. Azaelia Banks has an estimated reach of over 17 million people across the three most popular social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and she’s talking about things that actually matter. Most of her fans are in the 18-25 age range and are actually taking heed to what she’s saying outside of her Twitter disputes. Publicity stunt, fad hopping or not, this is a good thing! If anything, she’s the messenger. Let her lead people to the water and hope that they drink it and come back themselves to quench their thirst.
Isn’t this what these white news outlets do? They don’t care about the personal ideologies and motivations of these different entertainers and politicians who spew this “black people are our own worst enemy” rhetoric as they commence to add it to their propaganda campaign. They have their own agenda to protect and look out for. Our agenda should be to get enough people to embrace the skin they’re in and inform them of what’s going on in the world. Azealia Banks is serving our agenda perfectly and she should be saluted. If she gets off the pro-black tip, I could care less! All I know is that she’s making my job of putting the millennial generation up on game easier.
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