Edd’s MANtra: The Kreayshawn Conundrum

Have you ever come across a new mole that you ignored for months, until it got so gruesome that you had to take action?


Let me introduce you to my malignant mole, Kreayshawn.


For months, I’ve received requests to weigh in on Kreayshawn, who looks like the mutant spawn of Russell Brand and Amy Winehouse (RIP). She’s created a storm of controversy and I guess I figured if we all ignored her, she’d slink away.


No such luck.


Kreayshawn and her cohorts, DJ Lil Debbie and V-Nasty, collectively know as the White Girl Mob (sigh), have taken the Internet by storm this summer. Her song “Gucci Gucci” has 8 million views on YouTube. EIGHT MILLION.


The song is ridiculous, of course. Witness the carnage yourself.







“Gucci Gucci” is silly, but far from the issue. Kreayshawn and friends have made headlines for their faux gangsta act, including tossing the dreaded N-word around left and right. Just a couple of weeks ago, V-Nasty released a video claiming that she’ll NEVER stop using the N-word. You’ll have to Google around for that vid yourself, I won’t deface Georgia Mae with her BS.


Kreayshawn and company claim that it’s OK to use the N-word and other so-called “black slang” because they grew up in the hood. And it doesn’t help when, ahem, “respected” artists like Lil Wayne pat them on their backs and co-sign their ignorance.


It’s funny how the conspiracy theorists have been claiming for years that Jay-Z, Beyonce and Kayne West are part of an Illuminati plot to infiltrate and destroy black culture. But how come no one mentions Kreayshawn and her manufactured thug image?


I can guarantee that I grew up in a neighborhood that was at least as bad as the White Girl Mob’s so-called hardscrabble surroundings. You couldn’t even hang clothes on our backyard clothesline without shirts getting swiped. I’ve witnessed women getting slapped around and I’ve seen dudes get shot.  Despite that, I personally don’t use the N-word. Why? Because, despite what you have been told, that word still causes division and pain for many African-Americans. That’s a lesson I learned in MY hood – I guess Kreayshawn was too busy bustin’ caps to learn that herself.
 
But the wifey brought up a great point recently: Kreayshawn has been condemned for  capitalizing on negative stereotypes of black culture, but why does she get frowned upon while we turn a blind eye to the black folk who wallow in those very stereotypes?


It’s become commonplace to look away when black people indulge in negative stereotypes but when white folks join in, “OMG, DEY RACISSS!”


I’m here to tell you, playa, bad is bad, no matter what color you are.


Actually, it’s an atmosphere we have fostered. And it doesn’t help when we allow a select few to join in our debauchery. For instance, I’ve been told it’s OK for a non-black person to use the N-word if: they have a black parent, if they’re Hispanic, if they grew up or hang around a predetermined percentage of black people, if they don’t have “good hair” – need I go on? Since when did we start giving out hall passes to act stupid?


It turns my stomach to see a bunch of people dressed like extras from Malibu’s Most Wanted claiming to be hard. But it makes me even more queasy when I realize that we opened the door for them. Don’t get upset at Kreayshawn for “raping our culture” – we’ve been raping ourselves for far too long.