Photo Credit: Kenny Sun
so…
I had my Complex debut this week -- but I was kinda tight about some of the reception. A lot of people enjoyed it, but very few people in the replies to Complex’s tweet cared about what the piece was expressing about sensitivity to Kanye’s mental health, they were predominantly bashing Complex for perceived hypocrisy.
I’m not trying to make this about *me.* My situation was just the catalyst for another reminder that there’s an outside perception that for media outlets, what we cover, and how we cover it, is who we are. Unless you’re a well-known name, your byline is gonna get flattened by the outlet’s reputation. It may not be fair, but it just is for now. We’re all homogenized.
It made me think about how the collective is covering this latest round of Kanye madness. For the most part, we’re deserving of the ire here. Forbes kicked off this round of hysteria with their interview about his “Presidential campaign,” then had the nerve to publish a condemnatory op-ed about his “rally.” They didn’t mention mental health in either piece. Maybe as the capitalist outlet that announced his billionaire status, they didn’t want to have to admit that money doesn’t equal happiness.
Tabloids like TMZ are gonna be as salacious as possible, but it’s sad to see actual hip-hop outlets subscribe to the ephemeral, sensational model, especially with stories like this that deserve more than 150-word bytes.
What really gets me is that most outlets have run stories acknowledging that he may be in the throes of a manic episode — but then they’re still reporting on the stuff he says! It would seem like once you acknowledge that he may not be himself right now, you wouldn’t then try to scrape through his comments to see if there’s something worth fueling the gossip mill with. I feel like as journalists we owe the people more than to make editorial decisions where clicks weigh heavier than integrity.
But at the same time, I get that outlets are just supplying a demand. A lot of people, no matter how much we incessantly talk about mental health awareness, just want the mess. We don’t care about how mania affects people’s behavior and thought patterns as much as gawking at their actions. Humanity and grace aren’t virtues that most people extend outside of our loved ones — if even them. I wish more people would use these moments to talk extirpating the stigmas — but who messed with who is more interesting I guess.
Everything about this situation is exhausting. Last month, in the midst of protests, I saw someone tweet something to the effect of, “I appreciate Kanye’s silence right now.” That was a big jinx.
quick takes
A tale of two “movements:” When Noname apologized for going back at J. Cole, people may have felt disappointed, but they understood it. When Nick Cannon apologized for his anti-semitic comments, so many of the men who celebrated him (for their perception that he was right) immediately called him a sellout and spit on his existence like he was worse than a KKK member. It’s one reason why I can’t stand that Tariq Nasheed/Umar Johnson sect of Blackness. These men push for everyone else to be martyrs so they can eventually assume the mantle of patriarchy. There’s no community or proactive grace. How are they gonna topple anything acting like that? It’s really faux nationalism that’s overly obsessed with whiteness.
Joey Badass called himself “the mumble rap exterminator” on his latest EP. My thing is do he and other “New York not soundin’ like New York” people not have enough awareness of their hometown to realize that New York has always been a cultural mecca? That anyone doing dope shit is gonna plant their flag in New York, and that will shift how things look and sound? Why would the whole world be exploring boundary-pushing music, but a cultural mecca still subscribe to a traditionalist sound? That doesn’t make sense to me.
This Sage Steele thing made me think about how often Black people try to do the “Black card revoked” thing. It’s a joke, but it reflects a real pathology. You can’t other people you don’t like. If you want to acknowledge the full scope of Blackness, you have to acknowledge the unfortunate reality that there are people who’s Blackness is carved by colonialism. And honestly, a lot of the Black people calling someone “not Black” for one reason or another cling to that same proximity to whiteness in less overt ways, so they need to relax.
bars of the moment
“All the dragging many have done to Azealia Banks and mocked her Mental Illness, yet it's Pray for Ye? This community can truly be so male identified for men who display hatred to the women and culture. It is so disgusting.”
“If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.
-The Combahee River Collective Statement, in Keeanga Yamahtta‘s Until Black Women Are Free None of Us Will Be Free piece
“I teeter and totter between wanting a persona that isn’t who I am and then not wanting one. I don’t really know how to be anything other than myself. I’ve come to realize that all these sides of me that people are beginning to see are all me. Every mask that you’re putting on, it’s you, it’s just a different version. “
- Kari Faux in Meet Kari Faux, The Clever Rapper-Singer Who Won’t Be Defined piece
“…when it comes to coping through creativity, I’ve found it’s essential to remember your craft is so deeply rooted in who you are. No one can take that from you. My point being: If you find yourself happiest while creating, create en masse. Make “shitty” art. Make “great” art. Just make. Sweat it out. Get to it. You’ll feel better.”-
- Donna Claire-Chesman in Happiest While Creating? piece
artifact
Snoop Dogg and DMX did their Verzuz last night. I loved when Snoop started freestyling at the end. It’s like riding a bike to him, he’s a natural. Here’s a back and forth freestyle section between Snoop and Pac. They had such good synergy. I wish things had gone way different and they’d have an opportunity to do a lot more work together. Bonus: DMX and Jay-Z cipher from the Backstage doc (the Adrian Murrell jersey!).
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Venmo: Andre-Gee