Akala with sister Ms Dynamite
“I remember the Daily Mail wrote an article about my sister (Ms Dynamite) at the time,” he says, “and essentially their argument was, ‘Well, she’s not really black, is she – she’s quite clever and she’s got a white mum!’ It was so funny the way they tried to co-opt us. Remember that big story about Bob Marley and his ‘white dad’ last year? He was unequivocally black power, but he’s rewritten as this fun-loving Rasta. Mark Duggan [the Tottenham man shot by police in August 2011] was also mixed race, but no one’s ever going to co-opt Mark Duggan!”
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“There’s an intellectual culture among young, working-class African-Caribbean children that comes from a certain strain of hip-hop – Gil Scott-Heron, Rastafarianism – and it’s completely absent from any narrative of that world,” he says. “My sister was worshipped in a way I can’t tell you; when we went to Brixton or Tottenham they wouldn’t let her pay for anything. And although no one said it out loud, we all knew it was because she was representing a side of intellectual black culture that is never usually acknowledged.
“I hate to say it, but this country is not comfortable with the idea of young, intelligent black people – especially men.
[Rapper Akala talks to The Guardian. Click here to read the full interview]
This is why I respect Akala. This man is no coward. He speaks his mind and tells it like it is. #NeverScared
I agree with what he says about this country not being comfortable with the idea of young, intelligent black people, especially men. This could explain why so many high profile black men particularly in the entertainment industry insist on dumbing down their intelligence whenever they step in front of a camera.
Your thoughts please…
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I agree with most of the interview but racism in the Black community affects both Men and Women. People are not comfortable with intelligent Black people period. I am not sure why every time people speaks about racism it’s always about black men.
God dam I love this man #thatisall
I don’t like his music per se, but love how he speaks and expresses himself. so true what he says
I lovve this brother…….good one!!!!!
I feel you Nubiahbella…. men and women…
Akala is so on point, white people have a serious fear of intelligent black people but especially black men. I remember growing up with white people and they loved it when I talked about sport or music, but the moment it turned to intelliegent conversations they hated it, and became very uncomfortable, something that still goes on now, for that reason so many black men play the coon, especially for white women
It’s funny I remember reading about the Loïc Rémy who recently got arrested for gang rape, he was born in France, yet in the article they mention that he family are from the Caribbean I remember thinking they never do this with white people and what the hell does this have to do with the article, I bet if he done something good where his parents are from wouldn’t even come up, white people put the white card on black people when it suits.@Nubiahbella he says black people but then especially black men which is true I hear alot of racism that black women face especially in the workplace.
Reblogged this on Forever Black Effusion.