Rod and Karen discuss Kanye going on TMZ, modesty ponchos, SC bars under attack, L Joy working with Cynthia Nixon, Future not seeing his kid, black men fake mad at Issa Rae book quote, Taking Out The Trash and sword ratchetness.
Twitter: @rodimusprime @SayDatAgain @TBGWT
Email: theblackguywhotips@gmail.com
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I don’t know if Kanye is alright or not but what he’s been saying is dangerous because it’s them used in arguments by white supremisists against black people. If Kanye was as smart as he says he is he’d see that so either he is being willfully or doesn’t give a shit. kanye only seems to care about Kanye so he’ll only stop this bullshit if it affects his album or clothing line sales.
Dear Rod and Karen,
Like everyone else on Twitter, I was here for the jokes because I hadn’t seen the video just those comments. Rod said he wasn’t sure how to feel after seeing the video, but I’ll tell you how I felt…I actually wanted to cry. I know nothing about this man other than his music and his shenanigans, but maybe because I’m older I wanted to cry. It felt like we were witness to someone on a high-wire act had to play the role and couldn’t find a way out of it. And EYE think he’s been this way for a long time. I am not a psychologist and wont psychoanalyze him here, but I don’t think he’s ok.
I think it’s easy to blame Kim or Kris Jenner, but I don’t think they have much control over what he says and does. Notice Kim is never with him when he’s going off on camera. I don’t watch the show, but I bet he doesn’t have a big ‘role’ on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Really the only time we’ve seen him in the last year or two is those strange pictures with the family and pictures rolled out to support DT with the dazed look. I feel like he’s rushing to get in front of a mic to give his thoughts and outlets are rushing to give him one because they know it’s going to be a car wreck.
Like Turq said above, I just won’t clown this cat because I feel like there’s something really wrong and this shit stopped being funny to me a while ago.
Last thought: Just because someone is a genius at putting beats and words together, does not mean they are genius with all things. I feel like we’ve all said this about musicians we like from afar, but Ye really believes it.
Sorry for the long post y’all!
This is feedback I’m sending to both Three Guys On and The Black Guy Who Tips, because you both have addressed this.
Ok, about Kanye. I’m a petite white lady. BUT, I have in the past been in a committed relationship with someone who is bipolar (or, at least, has had severe manic episodes). Is that what Kanye is experiencing? The psychological community will not publicly weigh in because they have the Goldwater Rule, which states they can’t diagnose someone who they haven’t personally treated. But I’m not a psychologist, so I can say what I will.
Kanye is hurting. no doubt. But I think he may be manic. The behavior definitely looks like it. The voice is a sure tip-off — in some clips he sounds ok, but the TMZ rant sounds all too familiar. Mania follows a *very* similar pattern, and self-aggrandizement to the extreme but based, even in the smallest amount, on facts is a hallmark.
In my experience it is SO DIFFICULT to help someone who is afflicted by that. I tried, and tried, and TRIED to get my person help. Apparently if you don’t catch them in the two seconds between when they are ok and when they are full blown manic (that is pretty much how quick it is), you are out of luck. Unless you forcibly commit them. I wasn’t given that option at the time, but from what I’ve read for people with mania that usually doesn’t work out well either. So what the hell do you do?
It is SO DIFFICULT. If anyone wants to understand more, this documentary “A Summer n the Cage” which is now available in full on YouTube is highly recommended.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZANTo_czzPE
All the best to you and your fans in any case!
Hey Rod and Karen,
After hearing that passage from the Issa Rae book I laughed just like y’all did. The first thing I bought of was all the rap songs where dudes go on and on about foreign women. Hell I’ve heard my boys talk like that for years. It’s laughable that masculinity is that fragile.
However a funny thing came out of it, I started thinking about the most fragile masculinity rap songs of all time and I landed at that Sporty Thieves no pigeon song. I remember when TLC no scrubs and that song came out and it was like real like twitter argument. But the funniest thing I’m listening to is now is the TLC song was basically like I don’t want no street harassing twitter nigga and No Pigeons was basically “these bitches ain’t shit†so yeah any nigga mad about that shit needs to have all the seats.
I kind of feel bad for Kanye. If he’s being sincere then I think he’s unintentionally demonstrating to the world what black people have had to deal with since slavery: self loathing perpetuated by white supremacy. I really hope he gets some help and distances himself from some white people in his circle who I feel must be lending credence to his fucked up mentality (*cough Katelyn cough*).
I really liked Issa Rae’s book, listened to her read it on audio book (which was way better than just reading it) and I think she was making a really good point about how attraction is skewed away from certain groups. I think it’s culturally problematic that so many people chalk it up to “personal preference” and don’t explore why they have a certain preference. I think if you open your eyes to the people around you, it’s only too easy to see that there is beauty in everyone. Cultural norms want to blind us to that, but it doesn’t take much to let all that nonsense drop. I have been doing this thing lately where when I approach any situation I ask myself if I am responding with love or with fear. When I turn to my love response it never fails to amaze me how much better things work out.
I recently had an experience that tested this idea and it was a big one. My 15 year old told me that he is trans. He was born female and everything I understood about him up until this point is now a little different. At first my fears got the better of me and I wasn’t sure I could believe it. I said things like “are you sure you’re not just gender fluid or androgynous, etc.” I couldn’t stop thinking about the trans people who are killed every day and the violence they suffer. This is my only child, how will I protect him? Ultimately the love response won through because what he needed from me was acceptance and support. My fears are mine to deal with, my job is to love him for whoever he tells me he is.
All this to say, I love you guys! 🙂 Your podcast has helped me so much in terms of dealing with the political and social climate we are living through. When I argue with other white people I know I am not crazy because nothing I am saying is controversial to “normal” people, just insulated petty ass white folks who probably have never met a black person. So thank you!
Hi Guys-
Kanye is not well. He made me think of the old school phrase “stark, raving, mad” when he was on TMZ. This man is highly intelligent, but couldn’t put together a cohesive, logical thought. His mom was an English professor and his craft is writing so he knows how to use words with intent. It’s clear his brain is running a mile a minute and he can’t keep up with his thoughts.
His family should be scared because he admitted to self medicating, which means he’s already unable to handle his mental health responsibly. That, mixed with the fact that he was already a narcissist with delusions of grandeur, on top of the Black community already generally being hesitant about seeking treatment ( i.e. calling mentally ill people “touched” or “special,” praying the sick away, mistrusting the medical establishment, not having good insurance, if any, or feeling that therapy is for white folks), may turn into a deadly combination. I just hope his wife puts her foot down because ultimately it will be her and their kids who are hurt the most. Hopefully he’ll love them enough to seek help.
Peace,
Turq
P.S. It’s scary to me that people are entertained by this or think it is funny. We’ve watched Whitney Houston, Prince, and MJ die recently because they couldn’t get it together. I guess people are fine with the cycle repeating itself while ignoring that these people’s families (and fans) get hurt when these folks have preventable early deaths.
I don’t think Kanye is okay. I don’t think he hasn’t been okay for a long time. It could be grief, drug addiction, or mental illness. Remember when Charlie Sheen had his months-long melt down. People thought it was cool and funny because that’s just Charlie Sheen but it really turned out he was dealing with his HIV status and addiction. Maybe if everyone just stopped paying attention to Kanye, he would just sit down and get more help. I hate to also throw blame on the Kardashins, but I seriously believe that Kris Jenner absolutely encourages the worst in everybody because America loves watching this family’s trainwreck.
Kanye been on some white supremacy sh*t for a while, like years. The obsession with white women in his music and album imagery, the confederate flag on his merchandise a few years ago, the blue contacts and blonde hair, and now the Tr*mp support and blaming black people for the atrocities against us. He may very well be mentally distraught right now, but his views seem genuine to me. He keeps doing this. He’s been consistent in embracing white supremacy and distancing himself from blackness. And I think he means it. It’s a sad picture of the toll America has taken on that particular black man.
This is a very small thing to notice given all the stuff he’s said… but anyone else notice how he used the word “y’all†when he made that slavery statement? I was like: who is y’all, Kanye?! “Y’all??!â€
Kanye is the new OJ. I wonder what Jay is thinking right now.
Hearing the audio of the Kanye clip was a totally different experience than seeing it for me. His voice has such a desperation to it, it made me sad too. I wanted to commend Van Lathan for standing up and speaking out with integrity in response. What a clear example of having -actual- diversity of thought represented in the newsroom, pushing back against the status quo narrative that’s being labeled as “free thinking”.
Bruh I’ve been pretty indifferent to kanye and his shenanigans because I just chop it to ‘that’s just who he is’. With that said you’ve shown a level of empathy considering mental illness that made me sad. I just hope he gets better bruh. #tbgwt 4 life.