Last week, buzz surrouding a white female rapper named Kreayshawn and her signing by Sony was all over the blogosphere. Some people were all for her, and others were underestandably displeased.
The Crunk Feminist Collective dissected Kreayshawn in a very well-written piece that resonated with me on so many levels:
The White Girl Mob media darling blowing up the interwebs whose potential deal with Sony is making waves makes me angry in a way I haven’t been in a long time. Her appropriative swag is yet another reminder (not that we needed any more this month) of how little black women are valued in our society, even in genres we co-create. In a moment where cool is synonymous with swag, a particular manifestation of black masculinity, Kreayshawn’s dismissiveness and denigration of black women animate her success.
However, The Clutch really got to the heart of my issue with Kreayshawn and her general persona:
It’s ironic how the White girl mimicking Black culture has been viewed as quirky, cute, and interesting in the past. But sisters who fashionably rock bamboo earrings, gold nameplate necklaces, and blonde streaked weaves, will inevitably be considered “ghetto” by society. It’s equally problematic that every female emcee post Queen Latifah and MC Lyte who has had massive mainstream success all had to sell sex. Kreayshawn, on the other hand, is able to avoid an over sexualized image because of her whiteness.
That is my problem with her, aside from the fact that her music is garbage, overplayed and overly hyped up. She is able to build buzz and make a name for herself because she's a modern day version of Jim Crow.
Whips have a long history that is botched in blood and enslavement. Used to subjugate animals and men alike. A weapon of metal intimidation and extreme agony and pain.
The one who stands over the subservient individual who has fallen prey to the pain inflicted by the whip feels a sense of 'god-like' power of emotional, mental, and physical control over the slave of the whip. A feeling that the weapon is an extension of the user. A feeling of power than corrupts for generations and to this day has controlled generations of weak minded individuals to fall and bow to the control of the whip.
The whip has evolved over the generations. For thousands of years the whip was simply a stiff handle with various forms of flexible protrusions. The type of protrusion defined the main purpose of the device. However, in modern society the whip has evolved into so much more. That handle has become a steering wheel. And that steering wheel is attached to an automobile.
Yes, Folk talking about the modern day whip. Initially the urban slang word for an expensive automobile, which has become the term for any automobile. And unlike like the whips of the past that subjugated generations of slaves the modern whip brings about a mental and psychological enslavement that the original whip could never achieve.
I don't want to get into too many tawdry details, because they are so many when it comes to Kat Stacks that it's hard to keep up. If you don't know who she is, I consider you blessed because it probably means you haven't been caught up in the wasteland that glorified and dehumanized this girl all for some piddly little internet celebrity. For those of us who have visited black celebrity blogs to pass the time, then I am sure you know who this gal is.
Quite frankly, the fact that she mentioned that she slept with Lil' Wayne got her some notoriety on the white blog circuit for a minute, but when she went to slightly less relevant rap cats, it was a wrap. White folks know a Drake, Jay-Z, and Lil' Wayne. They don't know--and I'm sure most of us discerning black folk don't either--what or who a Lil' Twist is or even what a Young Money is save for its two highly irritating "stars" Nicki Minaj and Drake.
Kat Stacks first got what seemed like everyone's attention when she released videos to the coonery propaganda machine that is WorldStarHipHop.com. She even set up a website and twitter (none of which I will link here because it's just not what she needs right now) to further her "groupie" career. She regaled us with tales of tawdry sex--hell, even prostitution--with rappers, both relevant and hopelessly irrelevant. She wasn't kind about it either. She was very biting and naturally, that wouldn't fly with these damned near feral commercial rap cats. Some guys kept it classy--I guess--and others took it further.
Right before Memorial Day weekend, she was attacked at a club by two to three black men, one of them affiliated with rappers Bow Wow and Fabolous. She was beaten and then grabbed like she were a common whore who offended her pimp or her john, and told to apologize to the camera. It was hard to watch and I got angry. I was angry at her but I was livid at these cowards who would attack a woman.
As you can see, nothing has changed. Many Twitter beefs later, she found herself once again at the end of a jumping and beatdown/attack, this time by goonettes who told her to say that she lied. Several black blogs ran with it, and while I can't be too harsh (they're just trying to make a buck), I am tired of seeing it. This is, simply put, wrong; this is immoral in the level of lechery it's reached.
One person commented, "Why are there always cameras present?" I have to ask myself if this person has forgotten that they are living in the 21st century. Cell phones, most of them armed with cameras, are everywhere. Couple that with people who are thirsty enough to want a filthy 15 minutes of fame on sites like WorldStarHipHop.com and other black blogs, instantly you have televised beatdowns of a helpless woman who is by herself.
I don't care if this is real or not. I don't care if it's staged or not. Both are problematic. Both are disgusting. Both show a side of our youth and ourselves--particularly our community at least from cyberspace--that is ugly and vile and obsessed with schadenfreude. Some of us are so dark in our hearts from years of abuse, mental and/or physical, that we say that we don't care because she's a "whore" and a "slut" and she put herself in those situations.
If this is real, we are seeing someone who is obviously on some substance (and she has admitted that she has a criminal record--proof was online--and that she has mental issues as well) or in a very dark, horrible place. If this is an act, then she's the only one laughing, and so are her lackeys, because she has managed to elicit hate from the young black collective or misguided appreciation for her antics.
I'm not saying that Kat needs to be praised for being irresponsible, indiscreet and possibly an unfit mother. Promiscuity for the fuck of it is not something to be praised or admired. It's fucking with no discernment. But I don't think that our disdain for her lifestyle, real or fake, should ever warrant a chorus welcoming and praising her dismantling on camera.
So this is my appeal to the black blog heavyweights out there. Please do not engage. PLEASE leave Kat Stacks alone. When a video pops up on Twitvid or WSHH or Youtube or wherever, leave it alone. Don't even open it, and if you do, please don't post it. Let her disappear because as long as you keep broadcasting, people will keep watching, and Kat will be beaten, attacked and possibly seriously injured, if not killed.
If this is fake, really leave it alone. Is this the kind of production we need to be supporting? We can't even get good, in-depth movies or television shows about black people save a handful, and then we complain, but yet still Kat Stacks gets thousands upon thousands of views, and no one asks to boycott her?
Is it worth making a buck off of someone's problems? Remember, Kat Stacks is a pseudonym for a woman that is a mother. She is troubled. She is not right within, fake or not faked. Would you have liked to be filmed at the lowest point in your life? Would you have liked to be exposed to all so your faults, and we all have them, could be critiqued by people who don't know you?
Yes, she is putting out videos. Yes, she is talking shit. And? How does the old saying go? "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" Let her talk to herself so that maybe she can stop to hear herself when you ae no longer listening. Hopefully then, she will be able to focus on the fact that what she's really saying in her videos is "I need help. Validate me because I don't love myself enough to do so."
I haven't been on Twitter much lately because I'm tired from the joy that is my third pregnancy, but I logged on to see that Fresh (@Freshalina) from Crunk and Disorderly posted an excerpt of an opinion piece failed rapper Slim Thug (pictured above on the left) did for Vibe.com.
He's a moron of epic proportions, but I was able to syphon out what he was trying to say in the beginning. I knew, however, that the "Shit-on-Black-Women" parade would begin posthaste. He did not disappoint. Do the stupid ever?
Anybody who reads this blog on the regular can tell you how much I highlight the plight of the urban negro in these economic times. As if we needed more proof and justification for a true jobs bill. In steps Marion "Suge" Knight. A name that in-spite of being knocked the fuck out by virtually unknown patrons at night clubs, still invokes fear. Yep, just ask Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg; I think they both still sit down to pee in their own homes because of the bald bully.
Check out what Suge who at last count only had $11 in his bank account has been up to lately; and yet another reason Obama n'em better make it happen with a jobs bill:
Suge Knight is a wanted man once again. The former Death Row Records head honcho allegedly beat and robbed rapper Yukmouth last night ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.
Sources say it all went down at around 10 PM at a Ralph's supermarket in the San Fernando Valley.
According to a law enforcement source, Suge and roughly 10 members of his posse allegedly beat up Yukmouth and then took $92,000 worth of jewelry from him.
Sources say Suge and his entourage are suspects and cops want to question them.
We're also told there's a previous misdemeanor warrant out for Suge's arrest -- which makes it unlikely he'll visit the police department. (source)
Fuck is up with that Marion? Outside of a Supermarket? Posted up and knocking folks in the head these days? What, are you trynna get your street cred back after taking those ass-whoopins outside the club?
Forget that question. What's more important is how is Yukmouth able to afford $92, 000 worth of Jewelry? I mean there's no way he still has "I Got Five On It" money, especially after you adjust for inflation. Does Suge really think that cat still has $5 on it?
Well, only if he's doing those things that niggas certain citizens do to get by, I suppose. Which leads to another question: When did "gangsta rappers" start calling the cops and pressing charges? 'Sup with that Yukmouth?
See Barack, the streets ain't safe anymore, son! And until Negroes have jobs it's only gonna get worse. If Suge is gonna do that to broke-ass rappers. What do y'all think he's gonna do to regular folks like me and you, and all the old ladies out there as they cash their checks and go grocery shopping? Watch ya back, folks.
When I first saw this video below at Crunk and Disorderly, I literally watched the whole damned thing through because it is hard to fathom someone playing themselves openly and boldly on camera for thousands of people to see. When I first spotted it, it only had 119 views. It now has over 4,000 as of this time and climbing. How could it not? This is like the circus coming to town. You know who the ringleader is?
Nicki Minaj and all that Harajuku Barbie shit she talks about has taken another one. If you don't believe in zombies, I highly encourage you to get a load of Nicki Minaj stans. They are worse than Beyonce stans. At least Bey stans have tangible reasons for being rabid fans. Nicki Minaj fans, not so much.
Nicki Minaj has turned a legion of black women, both young and old, into babbling, fake British accent using, gregarious weave wearing, teenage mutant Barbie wannabes. The above basket case in the video is probably one of the worst cases of Nicki Minajitis I have ever seen in my life. And it won't get better. The chick has steadily built up more PR about her, so she's generating more rabid, and devout, fans every day. I almost feel like it's Armageddon.
I know this is a societal problem, but I'm more concerned that black women are on their "white girl" because someone with what could be classified as identity issues (Nicki Minaj refers to herself as the Nicki Lewinsky, black Sarah Jessica Parker and black Hannah Montana) is making them believe it's cool. Everything about the video screams narcissism and delusion, but what's seriously disturbing is this disdain for anything perceived to be black, and the desire to sound like a ditzy white girl. And people wondered why I railed against the So In Style Barbie line Mattel unveiled.
I guess sounding like an intelligent black woman is a complete fail, when sounding like a ditzy, bougie white girl is apparently where it's at. And this is the appeal that Nicki Minaj has for her rapidly growing, and pathetically vapid, fanbase. She is Lady Gaga-esque in that she makes the absurd and moronic look totally legitimate and sensible. At least we all know that Lady Gaga is a hybrid of many cool artists, most notably Grace Jones (who did it better) and even Kelis. Who is Nicki trying to emulate? What are her influences aside from colorism? Nicki Minaj peddles the "White Valley Girl" steez to her fans like she is selling snake oil to pay rent.
What's disconcerting is that far too many black women have fallen for it. Another aspect of her appeal is this perceived femininity, but that femininity isn't natural. It's drawn from age old notions that white women, and all of their quirks, action, style, etc. are feminine, so therefore emulating those stereotypes (some of the worst ones) will therefore make one feel feminine. This is problematic because that, in and of itself, stipulates that black women and their quirks, their actions, styles, etc. are not feminine.
What would've been a plus--her being irreverent and quirky and different--turned into a negative when she associated that with "whiteness." The message equates being different with being white. But if you ask Grace Jones, being different and "odd" had little to do with race; it just happens naturally.
I'm not begging her to talk about toting guns, or gangbanging or baby daddies or riding or dying; all the things that people would assume a black woman would rap about. I'm just asking if the REAL Nicki can please stand up and reveal herself, because this shit right here about being a "ditzy white girl" with a fucked up British accent is sad.
Why do black women latch on to some of the worst "role models?" Why do we as a collective praise the Natalie Nunns, Nickis; you know, all the Sapphires and Jezebels of pop culture, and completely disregard the queens? Where are those who want to emulate Corrine Bailey Rae, or India.Arie, or Ayo, or Sade, Jill Scott? Why do black women run to the women who peddle self-hate and envy of others? When will we learn to embrace people who embrace US?
P.S. Before anyone gets on this whole "you envy her" thing like they did in the Beyonce post, please understand that whether or not you choose to see it, it is clear when sisters have fallen for the "trap." This is not about being "blacker than" or anything like it. I just want to know why Nicki has made it clear that she equates coquettishness and the atypical with "whiteness."
If I knew that shit would be as f*cked up in the new millennium as it is, I would have partied harder in 1999 – damn you Prince. Let’s see, Bush gets elected, and then a few months after his inauguration I lost my job due to corporate downsizing – hell, the towers hadn’t even fallen yet. And here we are almost 10yrs later and pretty much everybody is up shit’s creek without a paddle or a friggin life jacket. Damn I miss the 90s, with Puff Daddy and the shiny suits.
So the other day I’m whippin’ the ride around the city, and I turn to one of the two local stations for Hip Hop. Of course I rarely listen to these stations but this day in particular I had an itch. After maybe ten or fifteen minutes of listening I was infuriated. No, I wasn’t mad at myself for being a glutton for punishment by listening for what today passes as Hip Hop music. Instead, I was mad because it seemed as if all these assholes with songs on the air were clueless to the fact that we’re in a deep recession.
When the unemployment rate is at a 26yr high nationally and the rate of employment for Blacks and other minorities are as staggering as they are. The last thing I wanna hear is some fool on my radio talking about how much money he has and how much of it he throws away or wipes his ass with. When there’s a home foreclosure every 13 seconds in this country I seriously don’t think I wanna hear about how you make it rain on hoes or your 75 inch rims on your 1976 Chevy Nova, or how your pitbull drinks Cristal. I mean, that's unless rappers are the only employed Black people right now, that is; then and only then is that type of talk positive, uplifting and motivational.
Yep, why finish high school when you can be a rapper, right?
No seriously, I know rappers are not the only people currently with money in this country. And the fact that they are insulting my intelligence in ways that a big booty stripper could get away with back in the day pisses me off. I mean obviously these chowder-heads aren’t aware of the state of the economy. Shit man, not trying to be the disgruntled old school Hip Hop fan, but whatever happened to music that related to everyday people, or the realities of the everyday struggle? You know, that whole “Don’t, push, me, cuz', I’m, close, to, the, edge,” thing? What, did they hand out reparation checks and forgot to let a brother know?
In the ever popular “keepin’ it real” landscape that is Hip Hop, is this truly what is really happening? I’m 39yrs old and if this is indeed the way rappers are living someone needs to let me know quickly. Yes, because that would mean that at my age it’s not too late to pursue a onetime childhood dream of being a dope MC, meeting Kim Fields and getting married.
Damn straight!
While the rest of you losers are out here complaining about the state of the economy, and the price of milk while waiting on unemployment checks. I’ll be spending my ringtone money and eating food off of the platinum plaques on my wall as I watch the movie Scarface for the 5,500th time; why should Lil' Boosie and company have all the fun gettin' wiped down. Somebody get me Mr. Rourke's phone number so him and the midget Tattoo can make it happen.
Who said dreams never come true, right?
Oh well, don't tell that the guy who wrote this song...
His name is K'naan, he was born in Somalia and is currently a rapper...
“He who warned uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed.” -- Sarah Palin on Paul Revere
