Reassigning the F-Word

Written By:
Richard Corey, Hip Hop Maestro of the Steez Conglomerate


Ice T, once in an interview with Arsenio Hall, remarked how he was tired of blacks worrying about what white people think. His eyes were enraged and his mighty lisp sent spittle flying toward his host. I don’t even remember what the question was or the topic of discussion. All I remember was his response. And I tend to agree, mostly because I’m not a faggot.

But let me explain.

At the 2009 BET Awards and its impromptu "tribute" to Michael Jackson (our own tribute will arrive late Tuesday/early Wednesday), some eyebrows were raised when Lil’ Wayne and his Young Money crew performed their hit “Every Girl,” while several underage girls danced around them onstage. Filmmaker Byron Hurt, in an open letter to BET, stated that the show, specifically Lil’ Wayne’s performance, was embarrassing. Embarrassing?

Many others who were in attendance and those who witnessed it from the censored safety of their television agreed. The world was watching! Mainstream America was tuning in. “This is horrible,” people protested, “why must we portray ourselves this way?” “Why are they representing us in this fashion?” Oddly enough, R. Kelly was quoted calling the performance “fiendishly brilliant” and was last seen backstage, jumping up and clicking his heels while furiously rubbing his hands like an early 20th Century silent movie villain.

The general sentiment, and one I found echoing online from blog to blog was, “Oh no, they’re embarrassing us…and in front of the white folks!”

Really?

Surprisingly, the idea that blacks should act a certain way, no matter how artificial, for the sole purpose of elevating their collective self image isn’t that alien of a sentiment. There are a lot of black folks out there who believe our art’s only purpose should be to convince white people that we’re cool to hang around. These people, for lack of a better term, are, in essence and in my opinion only, faggots.

Yup…that’s about the size of it.

The idea that somehow Lil’ Wayne represents us, as a whole is…retarded. Lil’ Wayne represents Lil’ Wayne. He doesn’t represent Will Smith, he doesn’t represent Obama, and he doesn’t represent me. And by the way, aren’t we the ones fighting against that same blanket generalization in the media that likes to make assumptions about our community based on the actions of a few? So how are we now doing it to ourselves?

And moreover, why should we behave for them? Am I the only one bothered by that concept – grown men and women being told how to act, and even dress? “Why can’t you wear a suit and tie? Look respectable!” Why? For who? The tired argument that there are times that require a suit hold little water when even the dumbest street artist can differentiate between a job interview and the raucous, alcohol and ratings led sensationalism of a cable awards show. Many of these artists are also businessmen who regularly wear suits to meetings. I know, because they rap about it a lot…a lot, a lot .

The really sad thing is that no one else gives an eighth of a shit about how we perceive them. Do you think Jerry Seinfeld worried that his show’s depiction of older Jews may be stereotypical? What about Ray Romano and his show’s portrayal of Italians? And I doubt before Ozzy Osbourne putters onstage at whatever rock event he stumbles upon that there are moral sentinels praying he doesn’t go too over top, because Lord forbid black people see it. Do they care how we feel? No, they’re too busy caring about how many of us they can employ and layoff this month.

Sadly, more and more blacks are becoming a culture of whiners and crybabies, a bunch of insecure school yard children, afraid our classmates will make fun of our old and ripped jeans. Faggots. Faggots, faggots, faggots, faggots!

Now I apologize if I offend anyone, but honestly, I think the word may have been attached to the wrong demographic all this time. Take Al Sharpton for example. Remember when he rallied against Def Jam and blacklisted Nas, one of the most provocative lyricists of modern American poetry, and successfully prevented him from releasing his “Nigger” album per his artistic vision? Didn’t that just scream “faggot” to you? I know it did for me.

Instead of following in the footsteps of Dick Gregory and Randall Kennedy, two black scholars who have named their books “Nigger” in an attempt to examine the word, Nas was deprived of his artistic right. You want to know why? It was because of the deep fear that any Wally and the Beav’ could skip happily down to their corner malt shop/record parlor, pass their 5$ over the counter with their taffy-sticky hands, and ask for that “new Nigger!” along with their Sarsaparilla.

(And Christ, what does that say about his perception of the youth. Why didn’t he try to ban the books? “Oh, it’s okay, them little fuckers don’t read.”)

Am I comparing Lil’ Wayne to Nas? No, I’m not. Was his performing the raunchy “Every Girl” while a troop of pre-teens danced around him classless and in bad taste? Definitely. I’m not even saying he is beyond reprimand. All I’m saying is that if you’re going to be upset, please let it be for a reason that’s not so…faggoty.