Dee-1 has pointed out what he calls “selective outrage” in Hip Hop, noting that it can send mixed signals to younger listeners.
In an interview with The Breakfast Club that aired on Friday (March 1), the New Orleans rapper shared his thoughts on the things people in the Hip Hop community choose to be angry about.
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“We got a lot of selective outrage in the Black community in general,” he began. “A lot of selective outrage. If a white person says the N word one time — all it take is one time for them to say it — and we at they top. We on they head: ‘Oh, no. You said the n-word?’ We tryna cancel you. We ain’t never let you forget that.
“But if artists, when they rap about murdering people in 50 percent of their songs, but in the other 50 — or in 80 percent of their songs — and in the other 20, they’re talking about economic empowerment and positive stuff, should that be okay? We’re content with a state of lukewarm-ness …That’s confusing to these kids.”
Listen to “Jay, 50, Weezy” MC discuss modern Hip Hop at the 10:48 mark below:
He also noted that the students he teaches struggle to relate to anything outside of the music they hear.
“I’m with the kids on a daily basis,” the 38-year-old added. “I’m a college professor currently, in addition to being a rapper … I’m seeing that these kids who ain’t from the trenches at all, now their identity is rooted in, ‘Well, if I’m Black, I gotta be able to relate to this type of music to even feel like I’m authentically Black.’
“And that’s because that’s what’s getting pushed … We made it from that, we shouldn’t have to be glorifying that stuff. There’s a difference between narration and glorification.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the rapper discussed his own struggles with mental health, specifically after his part in the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher.
“Right after that BET Cypher, I started going to therapy, bro,” he shared. “I was signed to RCA at the time. You on the BET Cypher and you think your life about to change after this night … Nothing changed after that night. After that, I felt like I blew my shot.
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“It started messing with me mentally to where I was like, ‘Damn, I kinda don’t even wanna be here no more. Not in the industry, but on this Earth … When I started realizing I was having suicidal thoughts behind feeling like I’m professionally a failure, I realized I couldn’t separate David from Dee-1 at that point. And that was unhealthy.”
Editorial note: Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts or their mental health is encouraged to call the toll-free 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.
