Why Denzel Washington will NEVER be in a Tyler Perry Movie
Yes, I agree with Spike Lee 100% on this issue. Tyler Perry sells coonery and buffoonery and get’s paid. His excuse is because he makes so much money and employs black actors, this justifies his simplistic and stereotypical brand of comedy. But real talk, big time crack and heroin dealers make a lot of money too, and keep money in the pockets of black folks that work them corners, but it doesn’t excuse their negative impact on our community. Big evil corporations like Wal Mart make a lot of money and employ a lot of people, but they flood the market with cheap goods squeezing out smaller companies that make quality products that are actually worth purchasing.
Spike Lee will go down in history as one of the most important film directors of our time. Not only for his certified classics like “Malcolm X” and “Bamboozled“, but also because he was never afraid to take on issues that made us uncomfortable like Willie Lynch (School Daze), racism (Do the Right Thing) and interracial relationships (Jungle Fever). That doesn’t even include his two documentaries on Hurricane Katrina, “When The Levees Broke” and “If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise“, and one of my personal favorite movies, “Inside Man“.
Tyler Perry has an incredible personal story. I am extremely happy to see a brother go from being homeless to being a multi-millionaire that owns a jet and a movie studio. In fact, Tyler’s journey would make his best movie by far! But we haven’t seen that picture, just the same tired formula with Perry rocking a wig and a dress. Perry will go down in history as a guy that made a whole lot of money making a bunch plays that he made into crappy movies and TV shows. Not to mention that he produced “Precious” and “For Colored Girls” two of the worst depictions of black people to ever hit the big screen. Hey Tyler, I got a screenplay about a black man who’s an illiterate, child molesting, serial killer that drowns puppies in his spare time. I think it would be perfect for your next movie.
There’s a reason you will never and I mean EVER see Denzel Washington in a Tyler Perry movie.
Me and my brother fellow MC, Tahir Jahi, recently addressed the negative portrayal of Black men and women in our song “Remote Control” featuring some sobering words from Spike Lee. Let me know what yall think.