Kareem “Biggs” Burke is the latest in a long line of Hip Hop elites who are finding themselves having to defend or reject the musings of Kanye West seemingly every other week.
Recently Biggs Burke spoke with TMZ to offer his take on West’s latest attempt at free thinking, those ‘White Lives Matter” shirts he had people rocking for Fashion Week. Biggs was a co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records along with JAY-Z and Damon Dash, the first label to sign Kanye West.
“I condemn the shirt,” Burke told TMZ. “That was born out of something else. Obviously, All Lives Matter. I think that’s what we should concentrate on, not the fact that somebody in Black Lives Matter may have stolen some money, and the movement may have taken a left turn somewhere.
“We should focus on the lives that were lost and the people that were hurt and all the injustice that’s been done. To be honest, the t-shirt hurt, and all the injustice that’s been done.
“You know, I love Kanye, and that’s my brother. I’ve always supported him. But I just think that even if his mind state was that Black Lives Matter was something that was handled improperly, the genesis, where it came from, with George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. The injustice is you know, we’ve got people that were killed, police brutality and so forth.”
Biggs Burke, who is the manager for Grammy Award winner Saint Jhn, also had a few things to say about their label, HitCo, selling their masters. In a recent interview, Burke accuses L.A. Reid and Charles Goldstruck of bad business because they didn’t tell Burke and Saint about what was really going on until it was too late.
“We were signed to HitCo, Saint was working on his last album. We didn’t know the company was getting ready to sell their masters until it was too late. We were hearing rumors of it, but it was being denied,” he explained in an interview.
Dame Dash Challenges JAY-Z & Biggs To 'Talk Like Men' Over 'Reasonable Doubt' Lawsuit
“When we found out it was actually being sold, we tried to step in and say ‘if you guys are gonna sell, we would’ve wished you would’ve come to us.’ Charles, the one who seems to be leading that venture. Him and L.A. are partners. But, then they said it might be too late.”
Blah, blah, blah. Most wealthy black athletes and entertainers have WHITE lawyers and accountants. When a black person’s life and finances are in jeopardy, they run to white people to represent them. Some black people need to stop with hypocrisy. Meek Mill didn’t have a problem with Bob Kraft and Michael Rubin when they escorted him from prison in a private jet. Their white lawyers life matter. Their white accountant life matter. Their white sport agents matter. Same people dissing Kanye West were the same ones out there campaigning for Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, two white men. See Jay-Z is quiet because he knows how this billionaire game is played.
No one said that they hate white people or not to do business with white people. When you see people wearing colors or ribbons to support aids or cancer research do you see anyone wearing shirts that say “all research matters”? Obviously all lives matter but when you have police officers manhandling people of color, it was made to bring attention to that. However, you had people who try to undermine that narrative. When the mothers of children killed by drunk drivers formed M.A.D.D. did you see people rocking shirts saying “we all are against drunk driving”? People are usually allowed to support whatever they wish unless it’s something that brings attention to how people of color are treated unfairly in certain situations.
Well Said.
Do you know how many UNARMED blk ppl were killed by cops in 2019? 9. NINE. So stop with the “cops are killing us for no reason” 9 out of 13 million doesn’t sound like the problem you’re making it out to be
What the fuck are you even talking about. Working with white people has nothing to do with “the system” and America in general undervaluing a black life. White people marched with Dr King, so a collaboration with someone of another race is not a form of hypocrisy. In addition, white people are still the majority in this country. So we’ll always need them as allies. But to call it hypocrisy to have a relationship- business or otherwise- with a white person shows a lack of understanding of the core issue with on your part
People who are dissing, threatening, and trying to cancel Kanye West think white people lives don’t matter. I don’t like the shirt because I think it’s adding gas to the fire. But all of these black celebrities who are dissing West have white people on their teams. If they think white people lives don’t matter, start acting like their lives don’t matter. If their lives don’t matter, their businesses, money, wealth, record contracts, sport contracts, shoe endorsements etc, should not matter
I tell ya…we are the biggest hypocrites..we really are. God created everything. So all lives matter. White..black and everything else. It’s not even a debate to me. That just happened to be 3 words on a sweater. It ain’t a movement and people losing their heads. We kill each other all day everyday but your pissed over a sweater gtfoh. Trust me there are bigger problems.
who cares what any of these people think? theyre entertainers modern court jesters with money which doesnt make you smart
The problem is that the name of the movement is too vauge and is not specific to any type of brutality. Its only specific to race. The opposite of the word “matter” is “doesnt matter”. So if you dont specify that youre talking about brutality VERBATIM, you loose the message. You end up just dissing other races who want to be judged by their actions as individuals, not as a group or race. Thats the problem with the name BLM. By its supporters own standards, its racist. They say its not, but if you change the race it becomes racist. Thats a blatant double standard. Change the name, the same way you expect sports teams and pancake syurp brands to change their names. There I said it, you got called out for using a “racist” name. Go change it.
No, it’s only entitled white persons like yourself that make themselves offended because you don’t get to run it or you feel like you’re being persecuted. You’re not part of the problem, cool but why can’t you accept that some of y’all are.
Yo DicDamone, how am I entitled ? Entitled to what ? Im not allowed to give my opinion if it disagrees with yours ? Its always the people who use the word “entitled” who make the most demands. I personally never reached out to any activist from BLM and told them to change the name. But since the same type of activists are demanding sports teams and companies change their names, Im merely suggesting they follow their own standards and do the same. LEAD BY EXAMPLE, fuck the double standards. Kanye called yall out. All im doing is breaking it down for those who dont understand why BLM is a double standard and not all blacks aint feeling it, just lile Kanye.
What makes you think you got a say in the cause?
Aint No White OG
As a “matter” of free speech, he is obviously within his rights and I support that. That being said. His wearing of that particular shirt as a sign of his “free thinking” while joined at the hip with Candace Owens…was a slap in the face to POC. In a rush to assuage the feels of the oppressor you step in George Floyd’s face.
Everybody ain’t Gon make it….
Clearly he is, but backwards logic, hate, and mental illness is what places that this site loves.
All lives matter. Ninja im creole, I agree all racial lives matter yet you cant support BLM the organization theyre a dysfunctional socialist organization looking for handouts instead of working on building up from within. How can you be BLM when only time your crying is when its a cop killing yet 80+% of violence is the same race add 41% abortion is by an AA mother 5x more likely to have one yet still a stagnant 12% of the overall population, thats not counting the white mothers who have abortions where the dad is AA shh the rate probably jumps to 55-60% of abortions are AA babies. Stocks know no race, investing neither just like the streets n jail survival of the fittest, as many AA that know numbers and got the hustle motivation if they got into stocks and finance shh there legit bank long term would sky rocket, generational wealth would be created in masses (everyone has a hustla in the fam) the race would progress for shh ppl hang around there tax bracket more than race its what you have in common.
tldr. An obvious tryhard, hate spreading troll. No lives. This is all you guys can do.
All black people know how to do best is tear each other down, as usual here we go again throwing the baby out with the bath water, obviously he is hurt black people didnt take his side when he was dealing with his divorce, but listen to the gems he drops in his interviews, we let a lot of shxt fly over our heads, until black people unite and stop hating on and killing each other we will all be eternally fucked in this here planet. What do black people own? All we do is cry and protest, stupid ass victim mentality. Na god go help una
Please stop trying to act like you are.
Why is it that the second someone doesn’t consider themselves to be a victim or calls their own race out.. you guys can’t handle it and claim “you’re not black” now I see why you voted for Biden. “If you don’t vote for me… you ain’t black” clowns and idiots. Low IQ fatherless morons.
9 unarmed blk men were shot and killed by cops in 2019. That’s 9 out of 13 million. And maybe if you guys would go and listen to why Kanye wore the shirt you would understand better. Also, BLM did absolutely NOTHING for blk ppl and y’all STILL support them?? 5 mansions. PC sending a canada chapter money to buy a mansion up there. Oh! And it’s rich… bc all these houses? White neighborhoods lmao!!! When CO went to her gate she had a WHITE MALE GUARD outside … you guys and yes I mean blk ppl are so easily swayed it makes me sick. You guys are so emotional and that’s why ppl take advantage especially your own people bc no one knows you better than your own kind. $60 MILLION is missing from blm donations.. why? Where did it go? I don’t see y’all upset about the guy who was arrested for using blm donations to buy guns, hauxs and live luxuriously.. what did blm do for the blk community???? You guys are your own worst enemy and don’t even see it.
Guy this your name ehn lol