Conservatives Coming for Your Mom's Favorite Rappers, Poets
CONTROVERSY! The co-star of "Just Wright" and one of the stars of "Why Did I Get Married" parts one and deux are crazy radicals who hate the police and black men who date white women! And First Lady Michelle Obama is an unrepentant fan as she invited the two, amongst many others, to recite poetry at the White House.
Oh, wait? You didn't know that your mom's favorite rapper, Common, star of such films as "Date Night" was some kind of cop killing, gangster rapper? Or that Jill Scott, the neo soul singer your mom likes because that Erykah Badu is too "edgy" and she was in those nice Tyler Perry movies she loves? Yeah. Those two. EDGY BLACK ANGRY RADICALS! Who rap about love and hope and self-improvement and self-worth and pride. Yup, they supposed to be at the White House tonight, slanging poems! Banging on the iambic meter!
Tucker Carlson's conservative Get-Along-Gang does NOT approve.
While conservatives search for the radicalness in lyrics like "Let's take a long walk around the park after dark," you and I know that Jill and Common are basically your typical "Oprah Winfrey Approved" celebrities who on the scale of "dangerous" are more Will Smith and Queen Latifah than Sister Souljah and C-Murder. Especially C-Murder. All Souljah did was write some books, piss off Bill Clinton and pen the Public Enemy-esque "Slavery's Back In Effect." C-Murder actually murdered someone.
But, last checked, Souljah or C-Murder were not on the First Lady's invite list to recite poetry at the White House. It was those black folks your mom likes to read about in Essence. Where your mom goes, "Oooh! Did you see the cover of Ebony this month! It looks like Jill Scott is losing weight! Why can't you lose weight!" or ... "That Common sure is uncommonly good looking! Don't you like him? Why can't you date a guy like him? The last guy you dated was just so ... ugh. He was just common. Not 'Common.' Just a common piece of trifling ass."
This is one of those moments where I realized that pretty much ever person who's ever said or written anything, no matter what kind of life they've lead or what their reputation is, can be "Shirley Sherroded" at any time. I imagine that if I ever get to a nice, comfy Amy Holmes level of punditry fame and somehow stumble my way into the White House for a shindig, maybe I'll get the privilege of someone grossly misquoting one of my "radical" college newspaper columns where I liked telling folks who didn't believe I wasn't fully African American that I was "mixed with slaver master." (Oh, me! I was so radically hilarious then.) Or that I'm mentally unstable as I used to "stalk" CNN's TJ Holmes. Or that someone will misinterpret a column I wrote in the defense of Soledad O'Brien to define herself as whatever she wants and say that I was actually accusing her of not being black enough.
Oh, wait. That last one already happened. It's only in a book for all perpetuity! But you see my point. Today's hottest sins are omission, "taking things out-of-context" and misappropriation! Misquote first then apologize (maybe) later.
Or not. Ever.
P.S. Oh, yeah. Forgot this. (H/T from Timetogo)
Politics, common, jill scott, michelle obama, music, poetry, pop culture, racism, white house 
Reader Comments (11)
actually C was only convicted of murdering someone. everyone knows he didn't do it. the same people who will tell you that common is a gangsta, are the same kinds of people who sit on juries in jefferson parish, where C was convicted.
he's got ogletree and some other high-powered attorneys working on his case, he'll be home soon.
jill scott looks GOOOOOOODDDDD.
Say that! Say ALLLLLL of that...And Jill does look good, like she lost some weight or some'fin. How can I be down?
Well, Common did glorify Assanta Shakur and advocate setting the former president on fire in two separate songs. That's not very appropriate, all thing considered.
This entire controversy is a joke. The critics act like they had Drake, Nicki and Lil Wayne up there. I mean, really, Common???? Is there anyone safe?
Boy, they keep trying to scare white people into believing that the President and first lady are the leaders of some secret, subversive, DC wing of the black panthers, don't they? This is just laughable. If they couldn't stick him after J. Wright, I highly doubt that "Jilly from Philly"'s heartfelt, honest account of how seeing a friend with a white woman made her take pause and reflect or Common's conciousness will do the job.
For some people, a black radical is any black person whose worldview is different from Clarence Thomas'.
Jill looks fabulous and Common - threatening?
G-T-F-O-H
For some people, a black radical is any black person whose worldview is different from Clarence Thomas'.
tell it.
Jill looks great on the Ebony cover. Conservatives will take down any Black person whom they disagree with. Just because Jill Scott was concerned about the effects of IR dating/'marriage in the Black community, they label her as being "racist." Last time I checked it was White leaders who made the laws against IR marriage. Over 40% Republicans in Mississippi were hostile to interracial marriage. Why don't conservatives make a stink about their fellow bigots on that score instead of picking on celebrities such as Common and Jill Scott. On the record, Jill Scott never opposed interracial marriage. Take that, White conservatives!
I know I'm late but is anyone still laughing from the "I'm mixed with slave master" line...too much!
"New Jill" looks amazing. Wow!