It’s so funny how you can damn near set your watch to someone blaming Hip-Hop for anything these days. This morning I bore witness to the “heated” exchange between the now INFAMOUS Don Imus and everyone’s favorite “Spotlight Stealer” Al Sharpton. Unless you’ve been living in a cave without wireless internet you know that the radio talk show personality Imus pulled a Michael Richards of sorts when discussing the Women’s NCAA Championship game between Tennessee and Rutgers.
“Nappy Headed Hoes” Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9BjB7Bzr0
In regards to the ladies Imus called the Rutgers players “Nappy headed hoes”, while saying the Tennessee ladies were pretty and what have you. Now this is what I want you to understand. Both squads do have a a “fair” share of Afro-Americans players, yet here’s the thing. The Lady Vul’s are mostly light skin and Rutgers are dark chocolate. Anyone who knows anything about being black knows the issues women (in particular darker women) have with skin color. To throw salt on the wound someone (don’t think it was Don himself) refer to the Spike Lee joint “School Daze” saying that it was like watching the Jigga-boos vs, The Wannabe’s.
Jiggaboos Vs The Wannabe’s Spike Lee’s School Daze: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlxI3-8BVKQ
HOLD THE FUCK UP!!!! Yeah someone went far on the boldness rector. Later Imus went on the “Sorry Negroes” tour, apologizing via the Al Sharpton talk show. Yet where this gets Hip-Hop related is when the to fools appeared on Good Morning America. In another classic “I’m not a racist” “Yes you are” word fight, Imus babbled off “We all know where this word started from, we all know it came from black males degrading their women”. Excuse me…he didn’t just say what I think he said did he? Did Imus just say it’s all good to say the phrase becomes black people said it? Did he just pawned he’s sin on Black Men?
Imus B.S. Apology: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaGnu0l8shs
*Note that Dude didn’t even apologize til a few days later and he’s on radio M-Saturday*
Imus On Al Sharpton Show (Negro Apology Tour): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jknRJnuTCn8
So I brush this off as some “Oh Hell Naw!!!” shit, until I come home later on and see the Great Coon Hype Al Sharpton on TV again arguing with some random catsr. Apparently the writer felt the only reason Imus said such things is because Hip-Hop or should I say “gangsta rappers” have made it common in OUR society. FUCK OUTTA HERE with the b.s. Now there’s discussions popping right and left turning away from Don Imus hurtful comments to the young women, to that of how bad Hip-Hop is. What kind of mess is this? Why is it whenever something goes wrong and Blacks are involved it’s Hip-Hop’s fault? Someone even dared to say (because Sharpton is seeking to get Imus fired) that if Imus is fired, that rappers should be fired from labels. My thing is this, yeah I agree about rappers needing to upgrade on manners, but if you keep people living in hell how do you expect them to act?
The real matter is this, America (be it White/Black/Orange) needs to stop using Hip-Hop as the scapegoat to all it’s deeper issues. The issues that racism on all sides still exist. The Real problem is that this man with the ease of blinking an eye shitted on these innocent women. I don’t give a fuck about what Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the NAACP or whoever thinks. What matters is these women who became the target of “hate” speech for just being themselves. Hip-Hop is not the main source of societies woes, if anything it’s just the mirror that reflects how society is. If they want to blame anything with Hip-Hop blame the rich people running the labels that feed you garbage and hide the 4 star meals. Matter of fact blame yourself America, because in all truth it’s your fault. The reason being that you can not shift everything to Hip-Hop when something is involving blacks. These things existed before Hip-Hop was born. I’m sure there where Slave Masters calling black women bitches and nappy headed hoes as they raped them Imus! If anything I hope those girls kick his old ass…no that’s wrong of me but I don’t give a fuck right now.
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The funny thing here as disconnect as Imus is with the Afrikan AmeriKKKan community he may have thought by the mainstream media hip pop stereotypical lyrics, visual representations that this is how “WE” talk amongst ourselves- not an excuse but a rationalzation of his and program managers racist, sexist comments.
Peace
Hip-Hop is a kind of popular dance nowadays,it hotted by young people. I met a black boy on EbonyFriends.com and he was a good Hip-Hop dancer.
I think that honestly, everyone should mark down “I KNOW too little about the incident to have any opinion.” period. All the media reports, all the little clips that we’re seeing barely even discuss the issue. For pete’s sake. Whenever you can explain away any situation whatsoever that’s causing controversy with a 1minute, 30 seconds clip on Google/YouTube than you better understand that you’re not getting much of a ‘a good summary’ or anything the like. But of course ignorance is bliss and plus, everybody must have been so mad at the Kramer case so EVERYONE thinks he or she has a monopoly on the facts so they just start mouthing off about how stupid imus was or how ridiculous the Revs are being and double standards and reverse racism and hate speech and ignorant blacks and bigoted whites and racism and discrimination and black crime rates and black voter turnout and so on and so on. It’s a huge melting pot of spectacular ideas that have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS CASE! ALL this 1minute, 30 seconds ’summary’clip does is show the great amount of resentment and anger held secretly in american attitudes towards one another–giving people a chance to really express their opinions instead of being kept quiet behind the chains of political correctness. IT’s a crucible of thought that can actually do us some good-gets things out in the open!
I knew someone would blame hip-hop (more accurately, rap music). But dig this: so called “black feminists” have claimed for years that there are too many light-skinned straight hair women in rap videos so the nappy headed hoe thing really doesn’t apply. Further, how do we know that rappers are explicitly referring to black women when they speak about bitches and/or hoes? Has any rapper ever explicitly referred to a black woman as a nappy headed hoe? If not, there seems to be a number of leaps people are making in connecting certain terms to black women. Imus, however, explicitly referred to black women and that is the problem.
What song had “Nappy Headed Hoes” in it? The Black community rarely uses that term anymore. Chicks got perms and weaves now. lol.
Sounds like that “country club” talk to me. No one even says “Nappy Headed Ho.” So he got that from himself, not hip hop.
I’m sick of everything being turned into racial remarks or being blamed on hip-hop.
I’m Black… If i saw some of them girls I would’ve made the same comment Some Nappy Head Hoes.. Not meaning they are but just how my community talks…
I saw FREE Speech….Like everyone said the other team had black girls on there as well.
Is it his fault Sexy Candice for Tenn Vols had her hair together. If the girls head was nappy so be it Free Speech
The question I have, is why can the whole world jump on Imus and Kramer for their comments towards black people, but when comments are made about other races, whether it be white, hispanic, asian, or whatever, by someone who is NOT white, nothing is said. I see it as kind of a double standard that white people should be held at a higher level of politcal correctness while everyone else never gets called out for bashing another race. Also, before people jump all over me, I do think Imus crossed the line with that one. He’s on a news show. You don’t say ‘nappy headed hoes’, much less on a news show!!
He even called the white chics nappy headed!
I wonder how many young white kids will see that and go around talkin about nappy headed hoes? Aside from the racist point, I think there should be higher standards in broadcasting, period. For many kids, TV is a surrogate parent, and if this is what we’re teachin um, then it’s no wonder how society is slipping down the tubes. There are no standards any more, its all a big free for all, and we’re now seeing where that has got us. Its time to get some responsible people in broadcasting. Dont get me wrong, this issue has brought up an important debate, so in that respect, its kind of a good thing, but there are better ways to spark debate, this (Imus’s comments and subsequent outrage) is not one of them. It’s time to move past the outrage, and time to grasp the debate.
This was indeed a necessary evil that needed to work its way out of the closet of segregated hate. While we all may make inappropriate statements in the company of our families and friends, those comments should never be spoken where thousands will hear and be affected in some way. Hip Hop does need to be refaced, as the Hip-Hop I know and love is no longer the music that promotes unity and strength and foster a sense of pride amongst our people. However, it should not be used as a springboard for ignorance as in the manner Don Imus and countless others have attempted. These young women were hurt for no reason and therein lies the travesty that we have gotten away from. I am bothered by the terms used by our people to describe US, but I was once there and I matured and was taught to get away from the same self hatred that was taught through years of oppression and continued inequality in an America that will fight for freedom in other lands, yet ignore the ills that plague this fine country.
Yes, this is our chance to wake up and face the mess that has been many decades in the making. Furthermore, I can see the concentrated hatred in people that was hidden until this unfortunate series of events. Look at how many people feel we in the black community are still beneath them and how they expect us to just forget whatever wrongs come our way. Sure, Rappers, comedians and the like entertain us with their inappropriate words, but Don Imus’s platform is/was up there with those that employ the rappers and comedians; He was only fired because when a man speaks what the others have spoken and is heard, he is like the last cockroach that is left standing when the lights come on…and then he is squashed.
Yes you are right racism existed before hip hop. But hip hop music is keeping the racism alive rather than fighting against it. Why do our own people continue to feed into the very racism that we all get so upset about. You can’t deny that much of the music on the radio and in videos refers to black women as hos, b’s, and everything else. Why is it okay for Too Short to call me a Ho, but not Don Imus? Why doesn’t everyone stop calling me a ho because the fact is black women have carried the weight of our people on our backs for a hundred years and I have to say we have done a darn good job. Why don’t our own men start respecting us a little bit and just maybe, the rest of the world will begin to follow suit. The fact is these slip ups by white celebrities will continue to happen for as long as we are openly disrespecting ourselves and giving them ammunition to work with. Imus should be fired and BET should be taken off the air for the same reason.
I agree Diana, but respect first begins with the self…Let’s be fair and not assert that it is the rappers disrespecting the women, but they themselves; no one forces these video queens to wear next to nothing and “booty-shake” for the world to see…if it began with self respect, then there would be no exploitation…each one teach one.
I knew the media would shift focus and scapegoat hip hop.Imus is a grown man he is solely responsible for this mess he created.( His cast on thte show too)
Y’all are not only nappy, but hugely hypocritical as well. What a freakin joke most of the Black culture is.
I Mus
I mus say I cannot weigh hearts, so nor can I judge “men”…
In order to be forgiven, what is sincerity measured in?
Imus was rightfully fired for his sexist outburst…
But my favorite rapper has said worse, in more than one verse…
The curse is we care more about others racist outburst…
But what we say to each other TRULY hurts…
We gotta get SELF straight first…
And now I mus turn my attention to our black “leaders”…
I mus ask where exactly is it you are you trying to lead us?
I mus question the decisions that you are making…
Is this the road Malcolm or Martin would have taken?
2007, because we lack power black masses still beg for scraps…
When whites say something wrong we beg them to take it back…
The power of racism is NEVER reticent…
What Garvey said is forever evident…
“POWER is the only argument…”
So my time is not spent arguing with racist intent cause I know just what Garvey meant…
We hold what whites say about us in such esteem…
We seem not to focus on how much we affect each other’s SELF esteem…
Imus in effect said black women are hoes…
But too many black men show black women that they believe this is so…
If actions speak louder than words…
Then right now too many of us are going unheard…
I know from whence these words and actions came…
Yet I still wince when WE call each other out our name…
Imus said things he will regret for some years to come…
One can only hope it is not just from his lost of income…
In some ways I’m glad he said what he said…
What has been shown is that prejudice is not dead…
But instead it also shines light on the SELF hate in black’s OWN heads…
In the end I’m not as hard on Imus as I am on US…
The truth hurts but I just say what I mus…
Shophar
4/13/07
It is a sad day when we can call each other disrespectful names and get away with it because it is done over a catchy beat. Imus didn’t say anything about Black women that hasn’t already been said (and worst) by Black hip-hop celebritites. Hip-hop never wants to be the blame. Everything that comes out of rappers filthy mouths is justified by pointing the finger at White people and saying America is to blame. Of course the sad state of Black America is not simply in part due to the lyrics and videos of hip-hop musicians, but they share a heaping share of the blame. How people don’t see the relation between Imus’s words and the words of many of our “musicians” is crazy and ignorant
Don Imus and all of the house niggas who say that his comments werent all that bad because of what SOME rappers say should not be taken seriously by anyone who holds themselves in high esteem, especially if their black. This racist coward, along with the members of his radio program insulte every black woman that das ever existed. Thats your mother, sister, daughter, wife, grandmother. He insulted everyone and all the uncle toms out there who think that he should be pardoned should realize that something in you hates yourself and should be checked, quickly.
As for all the attention brought on hip hop (which really includes all of the black race in the minds of those against it) this attention is ungrouded and unnecessary. What some rappers do does not represent all rappers or all black people PERIOD. Justification of ignorance with ignorance is just plain dumb.
Ignorance has no color.