Kanye West and Lil Mama: You Embarrassed Us

Beyonce’s astonished face said it all when Kanye West leaped on stage and interrupted country singer Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech during the 2009 Video Music Awards. It has been less than 24 hours, but collectively we have inundated each other with the mortification we felt after witnessing such a brazen act of rudeness in front of millions and millions of people. I (and every single person I happen to know) was completely embarrassed as an African American and/or as a member of the global Hip-Hop community by Kanye and Lil Mama. What SHE was thinking, I have no idea. Unlike Kanye, she is scarcely a celebrity and cannot really afford to have tantrums and banishment, because her star power does not generate enough energy to push her through corporate beef should somebody decide to stop her career. Not only did her leap of idiocy on stage with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys ruin a magic moment for viewers, it made her the laughing stock of the internet. It’s like people have no wise advisers and no internal check mechanism.Like Kanye, she did issue an apology.“I did not mean any disrespect towards Jay-Z or Alicia Keys. I admire them and look up to them as role models. ‘Empire State of Mind’ had my emotions running high. In that moment I came up onstage to celebrate my two icons singing about NY.” People will say what they will, but the worst/best in the public came out against Lil mama, a rap artist struggling for relevance. One blogger called her “Jay-Z’s adopted son” who decided to reveal himself on Sunday night. Rapper Fabolous tweeted continually about her saying, “#lilmamais the bird that flew outta Lady Gaga’s nest on her face!!” (As of this writing, Fab was still talking about it on Twitter.) And, then there were the fans – endless condemnation. Kanye’s act against the lily White country singer Swift brought out every racist slime ball to the yard. “What an ignorant n****r. I swear, what cry over that s**t? Seriously, go back to Africa, dumb f***ing n****r,” one bigot post. I’m not one to give credence to what scum thinks, but why fill their tank with more gas? This is all very simple and I hope ALL artists get it. They are they going to understand (we are going to make them get it) that they DO represent for us when they go up on stage, when they conduct themselves in public. And when they act a gotdamn fool, it makes us all look idiotic, irrational and as if we have no self-control! I know there are many that won’t admit to this, but it is true. Opportunities for other rappers or urban artists are created and/or destroyed by the success and failure, intelligence or foolishness of these top tier acts. The crazy thing is, we HAVE sense and most of us lust to be in the career position of these two. Perhaps Kanye took one for the “team” to boost ratings and hype like his rap counterpart Eminem and his accomplice Bruno both admitted to doing earlier this year. (I’m sure you haven’t forgotten Bruno’s a** in Em’s face yet, have you?) That’s not fully out of the question. Then, there would certainly be far more sinister implications and question for the VMA organizers.Lil Mama’s big moment and Jay-Z’s face. (Story continued after picture.) Hopefully, Jay-Z, Kanye’s “Big Brother,” offered some stern words of wisdom to his homey. And Lil Mama – who is actually a great spitter – may need to reconnect and re-prioritize her goals in this game. I understand the notion that “all press is good press,” ratings and all that good stuff, but this isn’t the way. We’ll leave it at this. Sometimes our biggest and brightest don’t know how to act and our smaller, talented artists get far too excited about some stupid press and a lil’ spotlight. I’m sick of it and I hope you are too. Another one of the infamous spazz outs by Kanye West. Kanye interrupts President Obama. LOL!