Jay-Z Responds to Harry Belafonte: “My Presence is Charity” – Let Me Explain Why He’s Wrong
By Dr. Boyce Watkins
Jay-Z is one of the most respected hip-hop artists in the world. His
lyrical brilliance is second-to-none, and he does things on the mic
that most of us could never dream of. Let’s just get that out of the
way right now.
But one interesting thing about money, power and fame is that it can
make you very defensive and sometimes even a little arrogant. This
week, Jay-Z spoke to Rap Radar about the recent challenge by activist
and entertainer Harry Belafonte, where Harry said that Jay-Z and his
lovely wife Beyonce could do more for black people than get us to shake
our b*utts and buy their records.
In response to the Belafonte critique and subsequent backlash, here’s what Jay-Z had to say:
“I’m offended by that because first of all, this is
going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am, just
like Obama is. Obama provides hope. Whether he does anything, that hope
that he provides for a nation and outside of America is enough. Just
being who he is. You’re the first black president. If he speaks on any
issue or anything, he should be left alone. Of course we want to
challenge [Obama] to do better, but I felt like Belafonte just went
about it wrong. The way he did it, within the media, and then he bigged
up Bruce Springsteen. It was like, ‘Whoa, you just sent the wrong
message all around. You just bigged up the white guy against me in the
white media.’ I’m not saying that in a racial way. I’m saying what it
was just the wrong way to go about it. My presence is charity! Just
this guy who came from Marcy projects apartment 530C, to these places of
me playing in Yankee stadium tonight.” –
Call me crazy, but I hear some of where Jay-Z is coming from.
Belafonte’s decision to attack Jay-Z likely triggered an automatic
defense mechanism that most mega-celebs have to “brush their shoulders
off” when haters come after them. A better approach might have been
that of Oprah Winfrey, who accepted Jay-Z for his imperfections, yet
challenged him to do better. Oprah is joining a group of other
billionaires who’ve all agreed to give half of their wealth to charity
when they die. That’s one of the things that makes her special in both
physical and spiritual ways.
On the flip side of that, I stick to my original position that Jay-z
should respect the fact that Harry is twice his age. Harry did more for
black America before the age of 30 than Jay-Z will probably do for the
rest of his life. He came along during a time when dignity mattered
more than diamonds, and standing up for your people meant more than
getting cozy with corporate America. In fact, he risked both his life
and his freedom for the black community, and there isn’t a celeb I can
think of who would be willing to do the same thing today. Jay-Z grew up
in an era where greed became God, so much of what we’re discussing
might be outside his sphere of understanding: I fully expect that he is
going to ignore me.
I’ve never met Jay-Z, but I built a bridge to work closely with his
friend, Russell Simmons. Our common ground leaned on the idea that we
both believe that the black community cannot prosper without committing
ourselves to ending the criminalization of young black men. I wish
Jay-Z had joined the 175 other celebrities who signed our open letter the president, but for some reason, he did not.
One thing I would hope is that Jay-Z is willing to allow himself to
be educated on two points behind his statement about Belafonte. Without
judging too harshly, here are two things that Hova needs to understand:
The first point is that your presence might be meaningful, but symbolism only means so much.
Jay’s comparisons to president Obama are very telling in that both of
them seem to believe that it makes sense to compensate the black
community with your face, so that they can “watch the throne” and dream
about becoming big shots one day themselves. Sure, this might mean
something to some people, but it can also be a cop out for a lack of
courage and commitment to doing what is right.
An example would be a father who believes that he is being a good
role model to his son by simply coming home every day and paying the
bills, or a husband who thinks he gave a woman a gift by getting married
and doing nothing else. But this doesn’t include the value of spending
time, making sacrifices, and all the other things that come along with
being a good partner or parent. When it comes to public figures who’ve
been given power and a voice, simply showing your face means nothing if
your presence leads to little or no action on your part.
The second thing that Jay-Z might need to understand is that there is a difference between charity and activism.
Charity is valuable, no question about that. But the black community
isn’t looking for Jay to fund a couple of scholarships or do a few free
concerts. Black America needs public figures with testicular fortitude
and the desire to stand up for them when they are suffering. Anyone who
peeks at the quality of life data knows that, without question, black
people are suffering in ways that are unimaginable. Jay-Z and Beyonce
have become like the megapastors who roll to church in a Bentley while
half of their congregation is starving to death.
Slavery wasn’t ended with charity. The civil rights movement didn’t
happen because Dr. King provided symbolism. Harry Belafonte never once
believed that the depth of his obligation to his people simply meant
showing his face and saying “Watch the throne b*tches and give me your
last twenty dollars.” Harry’s actions meant connecting to the depth of
his manhood, making tremendous sacrifices, marching, organizing,
testifying, refusing to perform, boycotting, speaking out, taking risks
and doing all that he could to prove himself to be a worthy soldier on
the battlefield of equality.
Mind you, not every entertainer is expected to be a soldier like
Harry Belafonte. He was certainly one of a kind. But Jay-Z can learn a
thing or two from the Sports Illustrated poll which asked if Michael
Jordan or Muhammad Ali was the greatest athlete of the 20th
century: Both men are champions. Both men were the best in their
sports. Both men are admired around the world. But when it was all
said and done, the contest wasn’t even close.
The reason that Ali dwarfed Michael Jordan is because for Michael,
his inability to give to a cause greater than himself makes him a
one-trick pony. All he is and ever will be is a great basketball player
who sold a few gym shoes. Muhammad Ali transcended his sport and
influenced people who’ve never seen a boxing match. He put his career on
the line to save thousands of lives from the Vietnam War. He spoke up
about racism during a time when his people were being beaten and killed
just for being black. He sacrificed the peak of his career in order to
stand up for his people. Unlike men like Jay-Z and Jordan, Ali never
let a white man turn him into a boy by scaring him into silence. That’s
why he will always be “the greatest.”
Jay-Z: Your people are suffering unemployment rates that are the
worst we’ve seen in decades. We’re being locked away in a mass
incarceration epidemic that is as bad as the Jewish holocaust. Kids are
finishing high school without even knowing how to read. Young black
males who look like you are having their heads blown off on the way to
school.
My question is: What in the h*ell are you gonna do about it? Just
show your face and do a few cute little charity events? Or are you
going to think like a man and stand up for the people you love? Your
voice has tremendous power. You’ve got hundreds of millions of dollars
in the bank. What in the world are you afraid of? That white people
are going to take it all away from you? It’s one thing for a poor man
to be fearful of taking political risks for important causes, but when
you are nearly a billionaire and just as fearfully silent, that is
tantamount to a form of mental illness.
The final point I’d make to Jay-Z is this: You came out of the Marcy
Projects in Brooklyn, defeated the odds, and rose to the top of the
world. This feat didn’t go unnoticed by the millions of 12-year old
Jay-Z wannabes, many of whom live in the same projects that you came
from. But the data says that 99.9999% of those young men are never
going to get a record deal, marry a woman as gorgeous as Beyonce or fly
private jets to foreign lands. A larger percentage of them are going to
end up dead, in prison, uneducated, unemployed, addicted to drugs and
alcohol, and all the other things that happen to countless young black
men across the country.
If your massive wealth, power, influence and fame only helps one or
two people who came out of Marcy projects and ignores the other
thousands of black children who live in the same situation, then the
blessings you’ve received from God have been wasted. God put you on
this earth to be a king, but you’ve allowed those around you to convince
you to be a mascot.
When you’re standing on the shoulders of giants, you can’t choose to
be a spiritual dwarf. We’ve got 99,000 problems, and you’re only
focused on one. That’s why Harry Belafonte dissed you.
