so Harry Belafonte Condemns Jay-z and beyonce Vol. Bruce Springsteen is black to him

[futuremd]

I don't know if you saw what I said earlier, but I don't disagree with you.

There is nothing wrong with speaking out, but the manner in which you do it can help you or in this case, hurt you.

Belafonte loses because WE as a people don't gain ANYTHING by challenging those who dont do enough. Jay-Z is a successful black man (whatever that means). Period. Undeniable.

How do we as a "people" or "culture" win if we have the old guard talking crazy about someone who is revered? 

We gain something when he champions those who actually DO the things he wants to see. 

If someone bigger than you isn't doing what you want, you don't win him over by shooting him down. You make your own movement and show others how its done...THEN Jay-Z will get the message to associate with Belafonte. 

Now Jay-Z and Belafonte probably won't ever collab on anything. All because Belafonte was focused on shooting others down. 

Don't talk down on those who aren't doing enough. Praise the ones who are. That way, when the movement gets bigger, those who weren't doing enough will feel more INTRINSICALLY compelled to join in. They can't feel that deep and visceral connection if you're going to guilt them into supporting you. 

He was asked about minorities in Hollywood though, there aren't very many of them with power choosing to make a positive impact.

Who should he have applauded, Tyler Perry?

Belafonte already had his movement and put in his work, now he's looking at the new generation , observing them drop the ball and he's rightfully frustrated.

Drop what ball? 

That Drake isn't out here promoting UN resolutions?

That Wayne isn't out here stopping teen pregnancy? 

Oh, but let Lupe talk about "planned obsolescence" and everyone goes nuts. 

Belafonte is too old and too legendary to be concerned with who AINT doing something.

He needs to champion those who ARE doing something. 

He has his right to be upset, but he is foolish to think that you can just say who isn't doing "XYZ" ALL the time without giving some examples of what you DO want to see.

 

[goldenchild9]

The deal was between J. Prince, DAME and Irv.

Jay snaked Dame, took control of the assets that they shared and got a position as Def Jam honcho in return.

Thats the type of dude he is.

Dame tried to create an independent distribution situation, he opened an art gallery to showcase up and coming artists, he independently started Roc-a-Wear (which Jay sold out to Izod), sponsored street ball leagues, opened a music studio to teach young musicians (which NT'ers have benefited from), he accepted the responsibility for the social impact of the music that he released under his label and tried to change that with the Creative Control project. He bought Keds (not signed to them) and created his own MP3 player.

His timing and approach to his some of his moves may have been misguided but he has always tried to build self-determined and self-propelled infrastructure until Jay pulled the chair out from underneath him.

Dame is one of the reasons for the reemergence of reality rap championed by the new generation of MCs like Currensy, Joey Badass and BIG KRIT.

Dame always unabashedly spoke about being a Black Business mogul. Jay has been pushing this hustler persona forever. He brags about the spoils of his lavish lifestyle but rarely tells the truth about attaining it...save for the Corporate Takeover freestyle. He's too cool to break character or a sweat.

 

[goldenchild9]

Drop what ball? 

That Drake isn't out here promoting UN resolutions?

That Wayne isn't out here stopping teen pregnancy? 


Oh, but let Lupe talk about "planned obsolescence" and everyone goes nuts. 

Belafonte is too old and too legendary to be concerned with who AINT doing something.

He needs to champion those who ARE doing something. 

He has his right to be upset, but he is foolish to think that you can just say who isn't doing "XYZ" ALL the time without giving some examples of what you DO want to see.

Lets be real if Harry championed some of the people doing the grassroots work, the comment wouldn't have even been published.

Activism and altruism are no longer cool partly because of Jay-Z and people like him. "What you tryna kick knowledge?" "Truthfully i wanna rhyme like Common Sense but I made 5 mil...I ain't rapped like Common since."

You're filthy rich, you're a musical legend, you're on Forbes with Buffett...can you take a chance and help build with your people now?

You claim ain't enough Blacks in your tax bracket but what are you doing to help improve that situation?

 

[goldenchild9]

I grew up in a great household, albeit in a lower income community.

My parents instilled all the right things in me....but I still idolized Jay and other rappers growing up.

All around me I saw poverty and despair, saw my parents breaking their backs just to keep our heads above water but on the radio, television and on my CD player these cats were living the life. My parents told me to put my brain to use and go hard in school..but I didn't see any successful black professionals around me. The only place I saw success was in the NBA and on BET....Sheeit, Jay was so rich he didn't even wear gold, he wore platinum. Benz's were beneath him, he pushed Bentleys. And his mantra was simply "Money, Cash, ****." He flipped kis to get to the top, treated women like doormats and were squares if we didn't do the same.

As an impressionable youth, I fell for the gaffe and went astray...so did millions of others.

It wasn't until I got older that I realized that it was all a facade. That the dude talking about "the only wife of mine is a life of crime" was at that point in his life...really an intelligent, risk averse simp.

And I came from a strong household, imagine the impact that these guys have on children in broken homes with less resources.

We need to be real about this situation and stop giving these clowns a free pass and our unwavering support...talking about it's only entertainment.

Its much more than that and the state of Black America proves it.

 

[futuremd]

Drop what ball? 

That Drake isn't out here promoting UN resolutions?

That Wayne isn't out here stopping teen pregnancy? 


Oh, but let Lupe talk about "planned obsolescence" and everyone goes nuts. 

Belafonte is too old and too legendary to be concerned with who AINT doing something.

He needs to champion those who ARE doing something. 

He has his right to be upset, but he is foolish to think that you can just say who isn't doing "XYZ" ALL the time without giving some examples of what you DO want to see.

Lets be real if Harry championed some of the people doing the grassroots work, the comment wouldn't have even been published.

Activism and altruism are no longer cool partly because of Jay-Z and people like him. "What you tryna kick knowledge?" "Truthfully i wanna rhyme like Common Sense but I made 5 mil...I ain't rapped like Common since."

You're filthy rich, you're a musical legend, you're on Forbes with Buffett...can you take a chance and help build with your people now?

You claim ain't enough Blacks in your tax bracket but what are you doing to help improve that situation?

(You were right about Dame)

But this doesn't address the central point here:

What does Jay-Z owe you?

This is my point.

Why do you keep wanting something from someone who doesn't feel compelled to give it to you? You just going to guilt them into it?
 

I don't want anyone's help that doesn't want to help me innately.

Stop asking for Jay-Z to be captain-save-a-black-community. 

 

[goldenchild9]

He doesn't owe me anything and I'm not asking him for anything. If you read my earlier posts, I said that I'm not mad at him for living how he chooses, that's his choice but he could be doing more.

It has been an effective custom for successful people to reach back and help facilitate the progress of other members of their ethnicity. Jay and this new generation of celebrities seem to be bucking that trend of social responsibility and the effects are being felt.

I'm gonna do my thing regardless of Jay-Z but this thread was about his contributions and impact in particular.

 

[dathbgboy]

"A bunch of opportunists who were given opportunities, to make a difference [in music] but gave no opportunities."

That's pretty much it right there.

 

[futuremd]

He doesn't owe me anything and I'm not asking him for anything. If you read my earlier posts, I said that I'm not mad at him for living how he chooses, that's his choice but he could be doing more.

It has been an effective custom for successful people to reach back and help facilitate the progress of other members of their ethnicity. Jay and this new generation of celebrities seem to be bucking that trend of social responsibility and the effects are being felt.

I'm gonna do my thing regardless of Jay-Z but this thread was about his contributions and impact in particular.

AGGHHHHHHH!!! 

That term again!

Why is that even a "thing?" 

Being "socially responsible" isn't what got Jay-Z to where Jay-Z is. 

Belafonte was singing "Day-O" not "Big Pimpin" 

Would it be nice if he did, sure. But what is "more?" Jay does quite a bit and Belafonte has you all thinking that Jay-Z is just out here throwing crumbs at his fans. 

Jay does A LOT so Belafonte's argument falls apart in various ways ANYWAYS. He'd be better off coming at Dr. Dre or Wayne or something, but no of COURSE Belafonte is gonna throw stones at the easy target. 

 

[goldenchild9]

I haven't seen the fruits of these Jay-Z "donations" anywhere.

I have seen Dame's institutions, Marbury gave every PSAL HS student free kicks for a couple years, Magic Johnson's philanthropy is evident, Pharrell is building a futuristic $35 million dollar community center for children in Virginia....where are these mythical contributions from Jay? I don't see the proof anywhere

Never heard or read anyone say Jay opened this computer room, sponsored this tournament, funded this gym, kept this library open in Brooklyn, paid for this studio time...nada.

Dude made $63 million in 2010 and put $6,500 back into his own charity

"Men lie, women lie...numbers don't."

 

[goldenchild9]

Meanwhile dude probably has a net worth 1/10,000 of Jay-Z's and is far more ambitious and efficient with his philanthropic donations and use of his influence.

 

[offwhitewhite]

When you became the icon that Jay-Z you are foolish and selfish if you don't think you don't have to get back to the people. There are a lot of things you can do to influence people. Funny how Jay-Z always wants to be seen with Obama and all these powerful figures but doesn't actually contribute anything to society. Only when it's time to sell some records do you ever see Jay-Z in the public eye.

 

[futuremd]

When you became the icon that Jay-Z you are foolish and selfish if you don't think you don't have to get back to the people. There are a lot of things you can do to influence people. Funny how Jay-Z always wants to be seen with Obama and all these powerful figures but doesn't actually contribute anything to society. Only when it's time to sell some records do you ever see Jay-Z in the public eye.

And why is this?

People got it twisted man. Jay-Z doesn't HAVE to do ANYTHING for ANYONE if he doesn't want to. 

Only thing he has to do is pay taxes and he only does that just so he doesn't go to jail. 

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Meanwhile dude probably has a net worth 1/10,000 of Jay-Z's and is far more ambitious and efficient with his philanthropic donations and use of his influence.

I would guess that since dude is a "nobody" he is allowed to say what he wants to say and be as conscious as he wants to be.

Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense But I did 5 mill' - I ain't been rhyming like Common since

Says it all to me. Says J**** man. I don't think he is in a position where he is allowed to promote the black agenda. I am pretty sure if he did that ht would be muted, censored, or controlled. He has to play the game to stay where he is. He had to play that game to get to where he is.

 

[pepperjackchees]

There need to be more rappers out there willing to speak out like Nas. 

 

[solarius49]

Ok Putty, we get it, nobody is holding a gun to your head and making you do anything......now back to the topic at hand

 

[af1 1982]

Ok Putty, we get it, nobody is holding a gun to your head and making you do anything......now back to the topic at hand

 

[beh235]

P4L. I have a few thoughts on this, part of it is a generational gap. I'll finish reading this thread, digest it and come back with some thoughts of my own.

 

[offwhitewhite]

 

[sreggie101]

Uber-powerful minorities in a land of white privilege? 

I get that...but it's their choice.  I'm not going to judge them one way or another.  They are entertainers to ME.  Nothing more, nothing less.  What they do with their time/money is their business. 

We need to stop putting these folks on pedestals.  There are countless other people out there doing things in the public eye by way of community service, philanthropy, etc.  As it was mentioned before, who is to say that Jay-Z and Beyonce aren't doing these things privately? 

That's not the point though.  I enjoy what athletes and entertainers do in their field of work.  I don't get caught up in their lack of (or actual involvement) when it comes to social activism.  Like I said, to ME, they are entertainers. 

strong argument. i thoroughly agree we as a society need to stop riding these celebrities' nuts as if they're gods or something. they shouldn't bear the sole responsibility of making a difference in our communities. that just seems redundant especially when we consider these entertainers get paid millions with our money, while doctors, school teachers, nurses, engineers...people who actually make a difference in society, make worlds less. there are plenty of role models who don't have that level of celebrity who bring something to the table. word to my dude Neil Degrasse Tyson


AT THE SAME TIME, celebrities need to be aware that as persons whose sole purpose is to live in the public eye, there can have some kind of influence on people's lifestyles. Rappers are the easiest example...say rick ross. ideally, people should just take his music as such...just a form of entertainment. unfortunately, its not the case, and i can imagine a great number of youth who prolly cosign to the lifestyles ross preaches in his lyrics cuz they don't know any better. I've lost count with ross, but soooo many of his songs just glorify all forms of federal felonies, smashing women we all know he could never get as a snorlax sized corrections officer, and living that scarface lifestyle. I mean that definitely isn't the way to send a message to people to go achieve their dreams...or anything else positive for that matter. Taylor Swift flat out said she knows she has influence over millions of young girls regardless if its not her responsibility, but she goes about her singing career accordingly. i got mad respect for her for that. still wouldn't smash tho.

Again, responsibility lies on the people to make the right call about their lives and not let entertainers dictate that...in a perfect world. Celebrities don't have ANY obligation to use their fame to send positive messages and give back to the people. I guess you can call it exercising some moral responsibility tho, that they should consider it.

 

[superantigen]

Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense But I did 5 mill' - I ain't been rhyming like Common since

Says it all to me. Says J**** man. I don't think he is in a position where he is allowed to promote the black agenda. I am pretty sure if he did that ht would be muted, censored, or controlled. He has to play the game to stay where he is. He had to play that game to get to where he is.

That is a terrible excuse.

Tell me, who does Jay answer to? Who exactly is keeping him from promoting the black agenda?

It really just boils down to him being too selfish and afraid to say and do anything. Same excuse as "republicans buy shoes too"...

And all this talk about "he doesn't have to do anything if he doesn't want to" is nonsense; his business has largely been in the urban community; his base support is in the urban community; he made his fortune by catering to the urban market---a fortune, which if I may add, was wholly built on pandering to and exploiting inner-city youth naivete (see prostitution, drug dealing, violence, etc). He is where he is at today because he romanticized and glamorized the type of music Kanye appropriately called "crack music".

How many teens, who didn't know any better, have become caught up in that life because Jay made it fashionable to sell drugs? How many young boys have grown into men who objectify women because Jay said "big pimpin'" was the way to go? How many young men constructed ill conceived masculinities based in part on what Jay said on his tapes? Point is, Jay (and other highly successful rappers) have had a significant impact on youth culture in urban settings. Much of this impact, that which stems from the music, has been negative. That being the case, it behooves him and others like him to give back to these communities in a positive way because he's partly to blame for the dirt and grime that has become characteristic of these places.




...

 

[koudie from brooklyn]

I grew up in a great household, albeit in a lower income community.
My parents instilled all the right things in me....but I still idolized Jay and other rappers growing up.
All around me I saw poverty and despair, saw my parents breaking their backs just to keep our heads above water but on the radio, television and on my CD player these cats were living the life. My parents told me to put my brain to use and go hard in school..but I didn't see any successful black professionals around me. The only place I saw success was in the NBA and on BET....Sheeit, Jay was so rich he didn't even wear gold, he wore platinum. Benz's were beneath him, he pushed Bentleys. And his mantra was simply "Money, Cash, ****." He flipped kis to get to the top, treated women like doormats and were squares if we didn't do the same.
As an impressionable youth, I fell for the gaffe and went astray...so did millions of others.
It wasn't until I got older that I realized that it was all a facade. That the dude talking about "the only wife of mine is a life of crime" was at that point in his life...really an intelligent, risk averse simp.
And I came from a strong household, imagine the impact that these guys have on children in broken homes with less resources.
We need to be real about this situation and stop giving these clowns a free pass and our unwavering support...talking about it's only entertainment.
Its much more than that and the state of Black America proves it.

THIS !! .. I NEVER READ I REALER POST.

.. THEY ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE !! NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

People of that stature, Who have power to influence the masses.. should be held responsible.. to better society. its the RIGHT thing to do.. no if's and's or buts .. thats just that.

 

[ninjahood]

Y'all gotta understand that Harry Belafonte came up in an era in which many of the most popular and successful Black entertainers were social activists. Many of these people were actual leaders (something sorely lacking in the hip-hop world and entertainment world in general today) who played a tremendous role in the social changes that were taking place in the 1960s and 1970s. This included musicians (James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic, Parliament, etc.), athletes (Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell, etc.), and actors (Belafonte, Ossie Davis, Sidney Poitier, etc.). These were entertainers BUT they were also social activists. Do y'all not feel that it's a regression that essentially no such Black figures exist in music, sports, or acting today??

For those saying that Jay-Z probably contributes to charity privately, y'all are missing the bigger point. Belafonte is not talking about he wishes Black entertainers would contribute more to charity privately. He's talking about people being public leaders in addressing social issues and using their power to help stimulate social change...

d

Word to that great social conscious album on ur avi.

 

[futuremd]

Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense But I did 5 mill' - I ain't been rhyming like Common since

Says it all to me. Says J**** man. I don't think he is in a position where he is allowed to promote the black agenda. I am pretty sure if he did that ht would be muted, censored, or controlled. He has to play the game to stay where he is. He had to play that game to get to where he is.

That is a terrible excuse.

Tell me, who does Jay answer to? Who exactly is keeping him from promoting the black agenda?

It really just boils down to him being too selfish and afraid to say and do anything. Same excuse as "republicans buy shoes too"...

And all this talk about "he doesn't have to do anything if he doesn't want to" is nonsense; his business has largely been in the urban community; his base support is in the urban community; he made his fortune by catering to the urban market---a fortune, which if I may add, was wholly built on pandering to and exploiting inner-city youth naivete (see prostitution, drug dealing, violence, etc). He is where he is at today because he romanticized and glamorized the type of music Kanye appropriately called "crack music".

How many teens, who didn't know any better, have become caught up in that life because Jay made it fashionable to sell drugs? How many young boys have grown into men who objectify women because Jay said "big pimpin'" was the way to go? How many young men constructed ill conceived masculinities based in part on what Jay said on his tapes? Point is, Jay (and other highly successful rappers) have had a significant impact on youth culture in urban settings. Much of this impact, that which stems from the music, has been negative. That being the case, it behooves him and others like him to give back to these communities in a positive way because he's partly to blame for the dirt and grime that has become characteristic of these places.


...

You all don't get it.

You WANTING Jay-Z to do something doesn't mean Jay-Z HAS to do something.

Period.

 

[ninjahood]

With great power comes great responsibility...j****man.

 

[mr brown]

Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense But I did 5 mill' - I ain't been rhyming like Common since

Says it all to me. Says J**** man. I don't think he is in a position where he is allowed to promote the black agenda. I am pretty sure if he did that ht would be muted, censored, or controlled. He has to play the game to stay where he is. He had to play that game to get to where he is.

That is a terrible excuse.

Tell me, who does Jay answer to? Who exactly is keeping him from promoting the black agenda?

It really just boils down to him being too selfish and afraid to say and do anything. Same excuse as "republicans buy shoes too"...

And all this talk about "he doesn't have to do anything if he doesn't want to" is nonsense; his business has largely been in the urban community; his base support is in the urban community; he made his fortune by catering to the urban market---a fortune, which if I may add, was wholly built on pandering to and exploiting inner-city youth naivete (see prostitution, drug dealing, violence, etc). He is where he is at today because he romanticized and glamorized the type of music Kanye appropriately called "crack music".

How many teens, who didn't know any better, have become caught up in that life because Jay made it fashionable to sell drugs? How many young boys have grown into men who objectify women because Jay said "big pimpin'" was the way to go? How many young men constructed ill conceived masculinities based in part on what Jay said on his tapes? Point is, Jay (and other highly successful rappers) have had a significant impact on youth culture in urban settings. Much of this impact, that which stems from the music, has been negative. That being the case, it behooves him and others like him to give back to these communities in a positive way because he's partly to blame for the dirt and grime that has become characteristic of these places.




...

what??? how many teens got caught up in that life that never heard a jay-z record? how many haad ill conceived views on women before 1996? i don't see how jay gets the blame for all this? ya'll have these entertainers on pedestals and thats the main issue. you look to them to guide your life, then look to them to help you out when chips are down. but the thing is, jay-z is you b. he's not this higher being. hes a human being that grew up just like every other struggling black youth. the same way you got influenced by jay-z, jay-z got influenced by somebody that shaped how he thought and the choices he made. so when he starts rapping, he didn't make a conscious choice to promote negativity in his music to get rich. thats all dude knew. he was a hustler until 26. if anything, we should give him props for taking those topics out of his music when he got away from that life. and he always gave the flip side of the husltin' coin. but really, all dude is is a hustler turned rapper turned businessman. he wasn't a philanthropist as a hustler, or a rapper, so why would he be as a businessman? better yet, would do we expect him to be. we need to give him props for the initiatives he does take rather than be unappreciative, create this elevated level of expectation and then attack him when he doesn't meet it.