I don’t know if anyone followed the Jay Z and Harry Belafonte tiff in the news a few weeks ago. I got on that bus very late, but seeing the repeated use of the phrase, “My Presence is Charity”, oft accompanied by a titter or sarcastic smiley, made me curious enough to research the history of Jay Z’s statement. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, civil rights leader Harry Belafonte, Civil Rights apparently called out the Carters for not being more effective in using their wealth to make a positive, sustainable change.
Harry Belafonte:
“They (Black Hollywood) have not told the history of our people, nothing of who we are. We are still looking. We are not determinated. We are not driven by some technology that says you can kill Afghans, the Iraqis or the Spanish. It is all — excuse my French — shit. It is sad. And I think one of the great abuses of this modern time is that we should have had such high-profile artists, powerful celebrities. But they have turned their back on social responsibility. That goes for Jay-Z and Beyonce, for example. Give me Bruce Springsteen, and now you’re talking. I really think he is black.”
(I do think Mr. Belafonte makes a good point on celebrities shunning their social responsibility. Oh, hey Rihanna!)
And Mr. Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter, like the erudite young man he is, pushed alphabets, pauses and punctuations together to haemorrhage the following pained, yet surely laughable, response:
Jay Z:
“I’m offended by that because first of all, and this is going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am. Just like Obama’s is. Obama provides hope. Whether he does anything, the hope that he provides for a nation, and outside of America is enough. Just being who he is. You’re the first black president. If he speaks on any issue or anything he should be left alone…I felt Belafonte he just went about it wrong. Like the way he did it in the media, and then he big’d up Bruce Springsteen or somebody. And it was like, “whoa,” you just sent the wrong message all the way around…Bruce Springsteen is a great guy. You’re this Civil Rights activist and you just big’d up the white guy against me in the white media. And I’m not saying that in a racial way. I’m just saying what it is. The fact of what it was. And that was just the wrong way to go about it.”
Now, if you really think (no matter how contestable) that all you need to do to contribute to solving the world’s many problems is to grace the world with your glorious presence, then your ego as well as your common sense are due for a Reset to Factory Settings.
I found some of the comments and responses on the huffington post on Jay-Z’s comments, a rather interesting debate.
MRS RICH:
“Belafonte and many others continue to Miss the Point! Belafonte applauds artists like Mahalia Jackson for simply articulating the struggle and nurturing the people through her lyrics. Jay Z does that exact same thing for ME and countless others. The problem is that Belafonte does not understand the entire sentiment of the lyrics. It is disgusting to me to find these old Black activists pointing the finger before trying to gain understanding. Things were NO better when they were “leading the charge”. Lack of High School Graduates in the Black community DID NOT START WITH HIP HOP. Crime did not START or INCREASE with Hip Hop! Its disgusting to see a group of artists so bullied after already surviving a terrible circumstance.”
And in response to Mrs. Rich, Keary 88 went in incisively and tore her comment apart.
keary88
“Yes its so terrible to see the poor millionaire former drug dealers who help ruins people lives dealing drugs and now propagate negative stereotypes about loose black women and oversexed black men partying in the club and blowing money on Kristal and throwing it all up and watching it all fall down in the strip clubs being bullied by these mean old civil rights people who got bricks thrown at their heads, chased by lynch mobs and denied basic human rights. So sad indeed.
Belafonte who grew up in poverty being watched by different people in his youth because his mother had to work so much while living in Harlem, A man who never sold drugs but somehow made it under worse circumstances, like racism, than Jay-Z and became an international artist. So bad of his kind who are so terrible to pick on those helpless gangster rappers. So evil of him! You…cannot see how we have become slaves to a cold rap and a hard beat that degrades our very being as a people and our women? WOW!! Just WOW!!”
And Migtoog64 took it home for the kids.
migrog64:
“As a black woman approaching 70 who participated in civil rights marches, my position remains. To prompt young African Americans with means to continue to fight for equality is not a display of a crab’s mentality.
My generation fears that the efforts made by previous generations may end up being for naught. We fought to not be referred to as N’s; your generation embraces it. We studied to master the “king’s language;” your generation massacres it. We understood the need to take the baton from the previous generation and continue to run for equality; too many in your generation have bought into the “our time” theory and revel in being able to give millions to rich white institutions.
We grew up with stars: Diana, the Supremes, The Temps, Marvin, & others; but, we had the good sense to know that we didn’t need to go to school looking like them. As an educator, I see the effects of young people coming to school dressed as video queens & rap artists. Oprah’s comments were unfortunate and an oversimplification. Our community didn’t fall into disarray under the watch of the belafonte’s. Leaders were murdered, movements squashed, many were forced underground. I say to Mr. Belafonte: the work we do must come from the heart and the fire that burns in one’s gut. It cannot be forced. Pass the baton to Chris Hayes, Joy Reed or some of the other young folks on MSNBC. A fire burns in their gut. The struggle continues.”
There is a lot of work to do and everyone should bear some responsibility for advancing their society. You heard Google, “It’s your Turn to Change the World.”
Oh Wendelyn! 