While the typical stereotype of a black person, is that they are mean, angry, ghetto, inhospitable and hard to get along with, the truth of the matter is that blacks are probably the most open and welcoming when it comes to sharing their culture.  And one aspect of that culture is music.  Any non-black person, who is perceived as having a soul and an appreciation/imitation of “black music”, is generally accepted by the masses.  This is especially true if an already established black artist endorses them.

While we have all enjoyed the soulful sounds of Tina Marie, Adele, Justin Timberlake, Amy Winehouse and the lyrical geniuses of Eminem, my question is, are we too open? Once we have made the decision to let outsiders in, must we accept them as a cultural peer?  Of course most will say NO, but then how do we protect ourselves from sharing our culture with leeches disguised as butterflies.  With this I am speaking about the recent controversies of the likes of Justin Bieber, Iggy Izalea and Katy Perry. 

Justin Bieber, seems to be very fond of the KKK and making jokes about n**gers.  My confusion comes to play, because I was not even aware that the KKK’s influence reached his native home of Canada.  Beyond that, it is not the KKK who listens to his music, rather those n**gers being cut up in his chainsaw jokes.  It was a n**ger named Usher who took Bieber in and taught him how to be successful in the music game.  Little n**ger girls love him and n**ger boys imitate his style, that he essentially high-jacked from them, oh the irony of cultural (mis)appropriation. 

And the white female rap artist from Australia, Iggy Izalea is no better than Bieber.  In the opening of her song “D.R.U.G.S., she states, “When it really starts I’m a runaway slave master”.  A white girl from Australia, who probably has no idea of the systematic racism and prejudice that exist within these imaginary American borders; described herself as a runaway slave master to a group of people, whose ancestors, not even 5 generations removed were enslaved. And she makes reference to crack rock in her song.  I wonder if she knows of the mandatory minimum sentencing that accompanies crack rock, in which many black families and communities have been torn apart and broken down over.

Furthermore, on Katy Perry’s latest tour, she has her dancers dressed in mummified costumes with over-sized pads added to their butts, large earrings typically worn by black women and over-sized caricatured lips.  Her depiction is that of the stereotypical hyper-sexual black female body and it is disgusting. 

The worst part about these situations is that as black people, some of us have become so desensitized and brainwashed about who we are and what we are willing to accept that we defend these hurtful actions.  T.I. who signed Izalea, Bieber’s mentor Usher and the 37-year-old boxer Floyd Mayweather, who hangs out with the barely legal 20-year-old Bieber have all defended these disgusting acts.  And many black people have taken to Twitter, Instagram and other forms of social media to both defend and condemn these acts.  However, the greatest voices heard are the Ushers and the T.I’s  and those who are in the spotlight, who are defending these artist and their ignorance.  The same mouth that Floyd Mayweather called T.I.’s wife Tiny, a Bitch with; and the same man (T.I.) who defended his wife from being disrespected, both turn around and collectively defend those who disrespect their children, mothers, sisters, brothers, grandparents and ancestors who died for them to have a voice.  The irony.  I suppose the slave will remember his place, when the master is bringing in millions.

Tupac said:

“Don’t ever change, keep your essence /The power is in the people and politics we address”

When did we change and lose our essence as a people and how do we get it back?