Since the Black Lives Matter movement has become an increasingly popular movement around the world, African-American rappers have been asked the same type of questions in interviews: “What do you think about the Black Lives Matter movement?” or “How does this movement alter your life?” These questions are fair and appropriate especially when it comes to such influential members of the black community like rappers. For decades, rap music has been an outlet for black people to express their concerns and misgivings about the way society treats us. To be specific, rap was created as a way to promote very heavy political messages about “White America”. Specifically, the police.
Rap group N.W.A. are among the most notable to have had that message in their music with songs such as “F**k Da Police”. However, they were not the only rappers to do so. Hip-Hop pioneers Biggie and Tupac were known for their anti-police rhetoric and pro-black ideals. Though Biggie and Tupac are no longer with us and N.W.A. is no longer a group, their message still resonates with black America. It resonated so much so that generations after them, rappers like Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. a.k.a Lil Wayne would eventually begin to follow in their footsteps and produce music of the Gangsta Rap genre. With such historical and powerful influences, it surprises everyone that Lil Wayne had the nerve to say “[I] don’t feel connected to a damn thing that ain’t got nothing to do with me” when asked his opinion about the Black Lives Matter movement.
Sadly, Wayne has not been the only rapper to say such things. A$AP Rocky, T.I., and Kevin Gates have all denounced the movement as either an irrelevant thing (Wayne) or something that needs to be put off until we focus more on “black on black crime” (T.I.). It seems that these rappers, especially Wayne, have forgotten their own backgrounds. Wayne grew up in Hollygrove, a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisianna, to a 19-year-old mother and a father that left their family when he was 2. So essentially, he was raised by a single mother. Not only that, but Wayne was able to enroll in the gifted program while in elementary school and was an honors student before he dropped out of school at 14 to pursue music. So he was a high school dropout. Lil Wayne is one of the most prominent statistics that exist for African American males. He was raised by a single mother, he dropped out a high school and has served several months of jail time yet he believes the Black Lives Matter movement is not connected to him because he’s managed to become successful? Okay.
In the interview with Nightline, Wayne pointed to the cameraman and said, “That white man, he filming me,” as if the mere presence of a white man in the same room as a black man means that systematic racism and prejudice has ended for good. By golly, Wayne has obviously tapped into something that the rest of us have not because from where I stand, that white man was just doing his job as a cameraman. And the fact that Wayne now has enough money to live a stable life does not excuse the fact that there are millions of African Americans still struggling to find jobs in a system that judges us for the names our parents choose to give us.
I don’t know what bubble these rappers have put themselves, but I want to be a part of it. If being in this elite group of black people who are somehow exempt from all racism and prejudice that exists in this country means that I can be ignorant and naive without repercussion then please, let me spit a few verses. As a rapper, you are already connected to a movement that was in existence before your career even began. The men you look up to understood that there are deeply rooted problems in this country, and it’s a shame that you don’t. America does not understand black people just because you have money, it means that YOU as a black man have forged a path for yourself to become successful. America had nothing to do with your talent and America didn’t get you into that gifted program. You did that. America doesn’t care about your life or mine or the lives of any black person in this country, so don’t pretend like you’re above the movement.
