Read a Book

I just saw this for the first time this past week.  This was originally aired on BET show The 5ive, and I believe (from the CNN spots below) has been aired on the show 106 & Park, a daily top-10 rap video countdown.  The song, by poet Bomani Armah, aka D’Mite or notarapper, is a parody/satire of the state of the “urban” black culture.  Not surprisingly, people didn’t get it:

Part 1 (From CNN)

Part 2 (From CNN)

I love in the second part of the interview, that the guy doesn’t see how silly his complaints about this animated short are.  He keeps trying to make the video out as a PSA, removing it from the context where it was shown. Completely ignoring the fact that it was shown on a show (and channel) that regularly feature music videos that glorify violence and drugs, while at the same time objectifing women. 

When accused by the CNN host of being a provocateur, Bomani responds wonderfully:
“I didn’t think the idea of reading and hygiene and all these things was controversial”

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