The debate about the appropriation of Black culture by other races is a constant one that sometimes flies under the radar.
With the all that has gone on in recent months regarding the grand jury decision in the case of Mike Brown and now Eric Garner, the question has been posed repeatedly: why haven’t White entertainers such as Iggy Azalea, Justin Timberlake, and Eminem, who make their living, some say, on the back of Black culture, made a statement of some sort?
Meanwhile, Roc Nation rapper J. Cole calls out Timberlake and Eminem among others on a long list of Caucasian entertainers who have a lot to thank Black music for on a recently leaked track called “Fire Squad” from his forthcoming album 2014 Forest Hills Drive.
Check out these lyrics:
History repeats itself and that’s just how it goes,
Same way that these rappers always bite each other’s flows,
Same thing that my n—- Elvis did with rock ‘n’ roll,
Justin Timberlake, Eminem, and then Macklemore…
We know how sensitive rappers can be. Though it seems to just be a simple statement on some of the more successful non-Black benefactors of Black culture, it’ll be interesting to see if there are any responses. Especially from the likes of Eminem, who is known to have a quick pen and even quicker tongue.
2014 Forest Hills Drive is scheduled to be released on Tuesday (Dec. 9).
