Lil’ Wayne had some *ahem* interesting remarks when he was questioned about the Black Lives Matter movement yesterday on Nightline.
In the video above Lil’ Wayne feigns confusion when asked about BLM by ABC News’ Linsey Davis. He says, “What is that? What do you mean?” He goes on to point out that America has made him rich and that he’s being filmed by a White cameraman which proves that America understands that Black lives do matter. Later Lil’ Wayne says that he doesn’t feel connected to the movement (or anything “that ain’t got a damn thing to do with me”) and that if you do (and here he emphasizes not “the camera” but Ms. Davis) than you are a “crazy as sh**.”
The Twitter Reaction to Lil’ Wayne’s rant was quick, decisive and at times angry, humorous or sympathetic.
Anger:
& white folks are gonna throw that up on YouTube like, “Lil Wayne DESTROYS ‘Black Lives Matter'”…what a selfish, useless maggot.
— Shawn (@saytruuuth) November 2, 2016
Sympathy:
I saw the Lil Wayne interview. I have no judgment, just sadness. The brother has problems. I can’t even explain it. Drugs & fame.
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) November 2, 2016
Humor and Social Critique:
All this outrage over Lil Wayne’s take on Black Lives Matter reminds me of the wise words of Dave Chappelle… #WheresJa pic.twitter.com/h62mW5JZV4
— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) November 2, 2016
By far the most interesting reaction came from 9th Wonder’s Twitter page. For those who don’t know 9th Wonder, he is a hip-hop record producer who has worked with many conscious hip-hop acts and mainstream acts as well. His first reaction to Lil’ Wayne’s tirade was a big fat “so what.”
I’m lost. Everybody mad at Lil Wayne for his interview…but when an rapper talks black empowerment in their raps..y’all don’t like it
— 9th Wonder (@9thwonder) November 2, 2016
9th Wonder’s first point is valid. The best selling artists are rarely the most conscious or the most experimental. People buy Kendrick Lamar’s records but Drake’s records fly off the shelves. After his initial tweet, 9th Wonder spent a lot of time arguing with people about who comes to conscious hip-hop shows (not many!) with his basic point being that Black people made a guy (Weezy) famous who doesn’t want to make socially conscious hip-hop. Weezy was chosen over Tribe, De La Soul, Common, Little Brother, Murs, Del, Slum Village, The Roots, Dead Prez and so many more.
Which brings 9th Wonder to his next point: Why are you surprised? As he pointed out time and time again yesterday on his Twitter page, to non-comprehending trolls, you shouldn’t be surprised by Lil’ Wayne’s opinions. He has been rapping for twenty years and he has never shown acumen for intelligently discussing any kind of social issue. Alright, he once made a comment about Hurricane Katrina, but that’s it. In general we know what Lil’ Wayne’s music is about and we know it’s not conscious.
Lil’ Wayne released a pseudo-apology today in which he blamed the whole thing on being upset about Davis’s questions about his daughter and misogyny in hip-hop. The reaction to the apology hasn’t been as strong though it’s safe to say it’s probably insufficient.
Lil Wayne’s apology is a useless as his face tattoos!
— Ambee K (@IMambeek) November 3, 2016
