1000% spot on, my brotha. U know y I love Denzel, Sidney Portier, Cicely Tyson ? They refused to be put in a box or type cast. I remember seeing an interview w/ Denzel where he said he lost some $$ from turning down roles, but the respect he earned not only created far greater roles, but more importantly, his self respect was never compromised.
I was in the barbershop two weeks ago, & I asked the shop one simple question (& my shop is in thee mutha fonky hood):
Name the last song from a Black artist that didn’t contain lyrics glorifying killing each other or disrespecting our women?
Bro, clippers turned off, eyes in the air thinking. I said do u know why such “artistry” is propaganda’d all on the airwaves targeting our community & u won’t hear a Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake or any other pop artist w/ such lyrics? I simply gave them a history lesson from the Jim Crow form of entertainment, to the Blaxploitation form of entertainment, to the now Genocide form of entertainment, along w/ the coincidental result of degradation w/in the community.
I then stepped off my soap box by saying, ‘hey, but as long as they getting $$, taking care of moms & the homies, & revered w/in the community though, right?’