For some reason, mainstream news outlets love to blame Hip Hop whenever racist whites get caught using the N-word. It’s quite easy considering how widespread rap has become and how the music at large has influenced pop culture. This is why everyone from Talib Kweli to 2 Chainz are using their rather large platforms to tackle issues on race. However, for every moment of brilliance that pushes Hip Hop forward, there are events unfortunately degrading the movement. Case in point, Atlanta’s own Trinidad James.
Controversial CNN pundit Don Lemon welcomed the former Def Jam artist to debate the usage of the N-Word. This comes after another video from University of Oklahoma’s SAE chapter emerged with the fraternity’s dorm mother Beauton Gilbow was caught mouthing words to James’ sole hit, “All Gold Everything.” Of course, this comes after the organization was caught singing a racist chant and promptly removed from campus.
Unlike 2 Chainz and Talib Kweli, Lemon welcomed James enough to call him a potential co-anchor which seemed like a bad omen from the start. By the time the debate including Marc Lamont Hill and Ben Ferguson came to an end, the man who once was bold enough to say Atlanta ran New York Hip Hop sounded unintelligible despite making a few good points. Therefore, the conversation regarding race and usage of the N-Word went absolutely no-where.
With that in mind, allow DX to break down exactly what Romey Rome’s illegitimate child did wrong during his time at CNN.
His Appearance Was Too Distracting
Between the old feathered newsroom fedora, silky hair, bright red jacket and gold chains, it was hard to take James’ weak arguments seriously. Lemon, Ferguson and Hill were all dressed ready to have a serious discussion. James is still dressing like it’s 2012 and “All Gold Everything” is still hot. Take notice on this small but helpful advice, if he wants to be taken seriously on the world stage, the best thing for him to do is start looking appropriate.
He Called Ben Ferguson His Nigga
What began as an honest way of displaying how the N-word transformed from negative connotation for a group of people to a term of endearment, things went downhill when he referred to Ben Ferguson as his nigga. This is the same guy who openingly endorsed racial profiling among others at one point. Ferguson is a social conservative who is against everything Hip Hop stands for and therefore, isn’t a friend of the culture.
Flawed Logic That Elimination Of The Word In Rap Will Stop Usage
Looks like Joe Scarborough and James have solved the problem in regards to the N-word. If rappers cease usage of the word, the rest of the world will follow. The problem with that logic is that the original SAE chant was apart of the fraternity’s long honored traditions going as far back as the old confederacy. The 77-year-old Gilbow thought it was just humourous for someone like her to sing along to James’ sole hit. Like Hill mentioned, the usage of the N-word existed long before Hip Hop and as long as racist institutions exist, it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Says There’s No Racism In Trinidad
Maybe things have changed within the last couple of years but European colonization in Trinidad via slavery has left some scars. That includes opposition between descendants of African slaves and Indians that was orchestrated by white settlers. Obviously, an intellectual for the moment like James wouldn’t even care to understand that institutionalized racism exist in his homeland as well.
Attempting To Stretch His Long Gone 15 Minutes
To be completely honest, if Gilbow wasn’t caught on camera reciting the hook of “All Gold Everything,” James would have continued his long going descent into irrelevance. Since his gold selling single, the Atlanta native has failed to deliver a follow-up worth a listen. Mr. Nicholas Williams decided to capitalize on a serious issue by haphazardly blending ignorance with respectable politics. Bottom line, not only did James make himself look foolish, it didn’t help his lackluster career not one bit.
CNN and dom lemons moist uncled tom ass PURPOSEFULLY got get niggaz like Trinidad James to discuss someting…cause they know he will not say anything intellectual are deep enough to resonate. out of ALL THE PEOPLE he could have gotten from the urban ..or hip hip community…he goes and gets Trinidad James? That is ridiculous. He could have gotten Charlamagne..Lord Jamar, David Banner, anybody but Trinidad James…smh…what a fucking joke
Lord jamar is a bitch
Not Charlamagne dummy!
“Ferguson is a social conservative who is against everything Hip Hop stands for and therefore, isn’t a friend of the culture” Ummmm most black people are socially conservative. They vote democrat for other reasons though.
Couple things:
1. Trinidad never said we should eliminate the word all together. He made the point that some people can use the word correctly and some people can’t.
2. This goes into why he called Ben Ferguson his ni**a. He’s saying that if you know how to use the word like most younger black males use it as a term of endearment, it’s not like saying ni**er.
3. His appearance is too distracting? This is the “wear a suit and cops won’t kill you” argument. If someone is making a valid argument, what they’re wearing shouldn’t distract from their message.
4. Who said he was doing this for his career? He got called on because the mother of that SAE house was “caught” on Vine repeating lyrics to his song. Nothing more, nothing less. No need to try and make it seem like he wants to remain relevant or that he’s trying to stretch his 15 minutes.
Usually love these editorials but this one was overly bias without looking at the reality of the situation.
Stop it bruh
I think your comments were spot on. And as far as his appearance being distracting, I think that’s just hating because Pharrell goes on tv wearing all types of funny clothes and hats and people call him a genius. This article just seems like it was written by somebody who doesn’t like Trinidad James.
agree 100% bro…
But what everybody DONT won’t to hear is what he said at the end…You want to deal with racism, then everybody must learn to LOVE and Respect each other. Trinidad was on there because it was his song in the middle of the controversy. His look is too “distracting”? Think this article is the main issue we have..people judging books by the cover….
they should have invited Immortal Technique instead of this guy.
Maybe they’ll put on Riff Raff next as the official white spokesman
That BBC article is from 2002! There is not so much racism in the Caribbean, if anything it is religious discrimination. But the attitudes of blacks towards those from the East Indies come mainly from older generations – it is similar to how the Irish were disliked in England in the 1950’s, it doesn’t really happen anymore. Agree with the other points though
wow the hate in this article is real lol….
This is an obvious attempt by the author of the article to make Trinidad James look bad. Why go out of the way to discredit his art? Just because he doesn’t have a #1 Billboard song (whatever that means) he should stop being creative and is irrelevant. Numerous times you attacked his popularity making that the central focus of the article that was rotten of you Ural.
Ok, I’m a white person and I go to live concert like Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, Game, 50 Cent all the time, and when I join the rapper raping his shit out I say the word Nigga all the time and I dont think is something bad about it!
And nor should you be.The majority of people who buy hip hop and support the rich white label owners are white.its not racist it’s just the way it is.The talent comes from the blacks and is paid for and supported by the whits.You should be able to say what you want you want.you get what you pay for rite?People watch out for these black progressives who know nothing about equality things Real black leaders fought for these progressives only spread more hate and racism much like white radical conservatives do.they say there different but there agenda is the same just a different skin color.I only respond because I care about mass brain wash and what effect it has on an entire country.Learn to live and love.
he actually did not make a fool of himself. i expected something totally different. i do not think he was the right person for it, but he doesn’t deserve bad crticism for how he presented himself during his time on the segment.
Black people took an L on this, and Hip Hop did too. so all races were affected. You mfs
I cringed through the whole damm thing listening to this simple simon ass nigga.smh. Should have known that the creator of the “downsyndrome-rap” genre would make a complete idiot out of himself…………how many L’s is this nigga gonna take before he kill himself??
Co-sign. This was an embarrassing watch.
Trinidad James did good. No need to hate because he is not the best lyricist or anywhere close to being a Goat MC.. He argued his point well.. HHDX needs to stop focusing on the way he is dressed.. If anybody should obtain a lot of scrutiny.. It’s the white guy.. not because he is white but because of what he is saying.. Let’s look beyond race, materialistic things but rather towards the characteristics we possess as human beings.
…………….bwahaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaa, stfu lil bitch.
@Carlos Suck my dick bitch.. Whilst your mother fondles with my nutsack
Shoulda got Killer Mike.