1. Eminem inducting Run DMC into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.
The Kings from Queens are one more set of heavyweights that validate the importance of their borough to hip-hop. It would’ve been more appropriate to have a Queens notable like Nas, Kool G.Rap, A Tribe Called Quest, 50 Cent or even Run’s brother Russell Simmons to perform the duty. Why not the Brooklynite hip-hop historian who hosted the first rap TV show on MTV Fab Five Freddy? Eminem is from the midwest and the only reason he could’ve been picked is because he is the white boy that did good. If they wanted someone that was hot on the charts currently then there is the other New Yorker from Brooklyn Jay-Z who just dethroned Elvis for having the most number one albums for a solo artist.
2. Flo Rida having difficulty using a brown-skinned woman in his “Suga†video because the powers that be wanted a light-skinned Latin woman to play the part. We thank Sandra Rose for this scoop and we’re glad that Flo Rida was able to have a brown-skinned star in the video anyway.
3. The Supreme Court ordering the high court and directing the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia to consider reinstating the $550,000 fine that the Federal Communications Commission imposed on CBS over Jackson’s breast-baring performance at the 2004 Super Bowl.
As of September 15, 2009 the FCC still wants to investigate Nipplegate. This incident took place in 2004 what more can I say?
4.Eminem verbally attacking Mariah Carey.
Back when Benzino took delight in exposing Eminem’s past issues with Black woman on an old mixtape of him ranting about his dislike for African-American women after a failed relationship we believed him when he said it was the rantings of young ignorant man. But the escalation of the ongoing problem between Eminem and Mariah is gross. Rappers don’t beef with R&B and pop singers. Whether he had a relationship with her or not it is inappropriate for him to discuss it in a public forum. The fact that he continues to chide her even after she married Nick Cannon comes off like obsession and yes racism. Mariah’s ethnicity has always been debated but by American standards she’s ultimately a Black woman. If Mariah lied about their relationship why does he care? He’s a worldwide rap star with no shortage of potential women to date so why the fixation on Mariah? As a guy raising two young ladies why does he still want to spew all this anger towards women in general? And this is also bad because of the way he attacked Michael Jackson in the song “Without Me” even though this month he just said he could relate to Michael’s drug addiction because of his own. I’m going to assume that Em is sincere but the woman bashing must stop.
5. Various media outlets and viewers complaining of too much Michael Jackson coverage after his sudden death.
Michael Jackson ruled the ’80’s and he redefined the notion of the pop star. He is considered to be the greatest entertainer ever by many. To say that the coverage on his death was too much could only be racist because of the type of coverage that was done on Anna Nicole Smith and Heath Ledger
who did not even have a third of the achievements of Michael Jackson. This shouldn’t have been a
topic at all.
6. The unfair attack on Kanye West for interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMA’s when the week before Republican Joe Wilson disrespected the first Black president. Kanye actually helped Taylor Swift become more famous.
Kanye West was rude but he didn’t kill, rape or rob anyone. And after sitting there listening to Madonna’s disgusting Michael Jackson speech and God knows whatever other corniness that transpired at the event he probably had enough. Kanye knows what impact Beyonce’s music had in 2009 with the viral sensation of the “Single Ladies” video alone. But whenever these things happen the racists come out in droves. Twitter was filled Kanye’s name attached to the N word. But these same people didn’t feel that Joe Wilson calling Obama a liar a week before was wrong because they think Obama is the N word too.
7. Madonna’s self-serving, arrogant speech about Michael Jackson at the VMAs.
Madonna is the most successful white female culture vulture to ever do it so for her to give that vacuous speech about “understanding what Michael needed” was arrogant and came off like she was scorned because he wasn’t impressed, attracted or interested in her on any level. She even tried to compare her life to his as if anyone could. Michael Jackson’s own family didn’t understand him or had any comprehension of what it was like to be him so how could she? When Michael was four years old he could dance just like James Brown and when he was eleven years old performing on the Ed Sullivan show Madonna was at home with her family watching it. By the time Madonna started her career in New York City in the ’80s Michael had already been the lead singer of the most successful teen act of the ’60’s on Motown, worked with his brothers as The Jacksons and conquered the world with Thriller. Madonna’s “date” with Michael was a publicity move on Michael’s part and it was clear from her retelling of the story that Michael didn’t even like her. Shortly after this event Michael’s friend the Rabbi released recordings of Michael stating that he did not like Madonna. As someone outside of Black culture who became rich from exploiting it but never really giving enough public praise to the Black people who created it except for securing Meshell Ndegeocello’s short-lived contract on her Maverick records and a marginal shout-out to legendary vogue dancer Willie Ninja she was not the person to speak about Michael’s legacy. And the fact that she spoke right before Michael’s little sister Janet was to perform a tribute to him made it worse. Madonna has made millions from her risky for white middle America attempt at sexiness but was nowhere around to defend Janet after Nipplegate. This speech was for someone like Berry Gordy or Smokey Robinson who are legends in their own right who have important history with Michael and already gave great tributes to him at his public memorial. Even one of Michael’s siblings would’ve been better suited for job. Madonna’s speech was paternalistic and came off like a woman scorned because although Michael was obsessed with whiteness on one level he was not taken with hers.
8. Denise Brown sister of Nicole Brown slain wife of OJ Simpson being the domestic violence expert on TV after the Larry King interview with Chris Brown.
Chris Brown didn’t kill anyone and he was the first Black man maybe even man to publicly admit and apologize for domestic violence. Dr. Dre, Miles Davis, Jim Brown, OJ Simpson and James Brown never admitted to these kinds of act and apologized for them. They did not try to raise awareness around the issue. Dr. Dre spoke about it briefly in the song “Guilty Conscience.” Brown may not be sincere in his attempts to repair his image but only time will tell. But to have Denise Brown speaking about the incident comparing it to her sister’s relationship with OJ Simpson is not right because Nicole Brown ended-up dead and the general public still believes OJ did it or had it done.
9. Justin Timberlake casually telling Entertainment Weekly he wished he had “supported Janet more” after the Superbowl incident. Only a successful white boy in his position could nonchalantly make this statement six years after the event. Why didn’t he wish he had been more supportive just days after the incident or even that year? Now that it’s safe for him to discuss it he make a statement about it. The event caused Janet so much trouble that she can’t mention it all in interviews. This is clearly a case of Justin exercising his white privilege.
10. The way the media hopped on Eminem’s disturbing rhyme about his penis size and rape after the BET cypher.
On a stage filled with the legendary KRS-One, Black Thought, Mos Def, the up and coming media sensation Nicki Minaj and Buckshot it was Eminem’s disgusting rhyme about rape that the media chose to focus on.
11. Whitney Houston being snubbed by the Grammys. When Britney Spears fell off and lost her mind and her kids in the process the media had fun with it. But when she made a comeback they loved her all over again. Whitney releases a good album and does her best but is snubbed by the Academy? On what grounds?
