Rather than seeking a quick way out via Flocka’s lyrics, Brzezinski would have done well to listen to his thoughts on how he believed the SAE members’ racism was “passed down.” Unpacking this portion of the CNN interview would have led to a more productive conversation on the roots of racism within this fraternity and America at large.īut Brzezinski’s blame of Flocka performed the opposite and implied an even more troublesome notion: that Flocka’s lyrics are the source of the SAE members’ racism. By blaming Flocka’s lyrics for SAE’s actions, she redirected the conversation from one that was focused on the issue at hand, to ridicule of the rapper (a panelist made a comment that the rapper should be addressed as Mr. Obviously, this comparison would be illogical, just like her blaming of Flocka.Įqually wrong with Brzezinski’s quotation is how she successfully distracted the panel (and the viewing public) from contending with SAE’s racism. This would include her “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough, who back in 2008 dropped the f-bomb on live television. Moreover, if Brzezinski’s logic is to identify Flocka’s use of these words as the cause of the SAE members’ actions, she then would have to call every media figure who uses these words into question. By suddenly implicating herself as an expert on Flocka’s music however, she should have noticed that he never explicitly expresses that individuals should use these words. Again, she claims that because Flocka’s songs are “full of n-words” and “full of f-words,” he should not be “disgusted” with the SAE members’ racist language, but rather, he “should be disgusted with himself.” However, if she can be disgusted by Flocka’s use of these words, and if Flocka should be disgusted with himself for using these words, then what inhibits him from being disgusted by the SAE members’ racism? This visible conflict calls attention to the crux of Brzezinski’s argument: Flocka’s use of these words influenced how these individuals talked and acted, and for this reason, he should be blamed.ĭuring the broadcast, she used a sample of Flocka’s lyrics as evidence to demonstrate her criticisms of his music. But this same narrative has been, and continues to be, inaccurate.īrzezinski’s inaccuracy specifically stems from her contradictory logic. Through these statements, she perpetuated the narrative that has surrounded gangsta rap since 1988. According to Brzezinski, Flocka “shouldn’t be disgusted with them.” Instead, he “should be disgusted with himself.” Brzezinski highlighted Flocka’s lyrics, which according to her are “full of n-words” and “full of f-words,” as support for her conclusions. During the next morning’s broadcast of “Morning Joe,” Brzezinski offered her opinion on Flocka’s comments. Flocka, as he is called by fans, told CNN’s Brianna Kelier in an interview that he was “hurt” and “disgusted” by the video, mainly because he had performed for these same kids before. In response to the viral video of SAE members chanting a racist song, rapper Waka Flocka Flame decided to cancel his upcoming concert at the school. This rhetoric surrounding gangsta rap has not changed, and MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski’s recent comments regarding the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) incident at the University of Oklahoma attest to this.
This scapegoating began in response to one of the sub-genre’s earliest releases: N.W.A’s 1988 album “Straight Outta Compton.” Many saw the violent and misogynist lyrics of the album as harmful to society, and as a reason for the poor living conditions of cities like Compton, Calif. In 2008, Ice Cube forcefully (though ironically) rapped, “I can say what I want to say ain’t nothing to it, gangsta rap made me do it.” These lyrics, and the rest of the song “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It,” satirize how gangsta rap, a subgenre of hip-hop, is constantly blamed for America’s problems.
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