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Don Imus Aftermath
"At the end of the day it is still white men such as Imus who are controlling what the world sees of black people."
By Patrick Johnson
April 25, 2007
Youth Radio's Patrick Johnson is watching the aftermath of the Don
Imus firing with a close eye, since, as a fan of hip hop, he worries that
the genre is taking the fall for a much larger culprit - its corporate
parents.
As a sports fan, I've known for a long time that the "game" is not just about what happens on the field. There is money being made by everyone from shoe companies to television execs to hot dog vendors. Similarly, in hip hop, it is impossible to disconnect the music from the money it generates. This is why I take issue with the rush to blame hip hop for Don Imus's comments - there's been no acknowledgement of the corporate structure
that supports and benefits from the sentiments expressed.
It's been widely discussed that the sentiments Imus expressed are pervasive throughout hip hop culture. But whose mindset are we talking about, anyway? I am the first one to admit there are serious issues that need to be addressed in hip hop culture. However, Don Imus is not Afrika Bambaataa and therefore should not be the launching point for such a
discussion. It's funny how hip hop becomes a convenient scapegoat for so many ills in our society, even a shock jock's racist slip of the tongue.
I've heard long time Imus fans say it's unfair that Imus is being punished for using terms that come up in rap songs and that his right to free speech is being violated. As one Imus supporter said, that is how black men talk and Imus just wants to be cool. The inference there is that black men are cool. But that swagger comes at a cost, one that Imus and people like him want but aren't willing to pay for. Or as a friend of mine said "he wants to eat the cake without the calories." It doesn't work that way, well at least not for us.
The blame falls on the entertainer because that is who is most visible. If you were walking in Whole Foods, you wouldn't know Jimmy Iovine if he smacked you in the face with some edamame. You may be more familiar with one of his employees, 50 Cent, Eminem or Dr. Dre. The international image of American black men is often limited to what is depicted on Top 40 radio and channels like MTV and BET. While mainstream rap artists like Snoop Dogg and Young Jeezy do play a huge part in shaping a distorted picture of blackness for the masses, we must also look at who is in real control of these images.
While we hear names like Jay-Z and Dr. Dre and believe they have real power as hip hop entrepreneurs, their wealth and true influence pales when compared to the Clive Davises and Rupert Murdochs of the world. At the end of the day it is still white men such as Imus who are controlling what the world sees of black people. Why would shot callers like Imus stop promoting these images when they can always throw up their hands as if to say, "It wasn't me, it was them" when things get rough?
The decision to remove Imus from the airwaves still doesn't address the vested interest that many people have in promoting less than flattering images of black people. If media companies really want to address black folks concerns' about racism in entertainment, they can start by putting money behind shows that depict a more well-rounded image of African Americans. I'm thinking something like shows like a Different World, which served as the TV archetype of black college life.
One by-product of such a decision would be providing a more positive image of black culture for the masses and making the bookwormish Dwayne Wayne as much of a hero to all races as the thuggish 50 Cent.
For Youth Radio, I'm Patrick Johnson.
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