As I am sure you are all aware, Black History Month is a time of celebrating Black achievements in the western world, primarily in the US (February) and UK. So in the coming weeks, we can all expect a diverse opinion on racial equality, role models, empowerment etc all over the internet. But I wanted to go left field and have a little bit of fun with this and highlight a moment that black people have now and again called the “Negro Please Moment”. This is the moment when a Black person sees another black person make a fool of themselves in public and we tend to react in three different ways.

The three types of “Negro Please Moments”.

1. “The Throwback” – this is the embarrassment that has most black people hiding under their covers like ‘Damn this n***** done sent us back 50 years’
2. The “You know you f*cked up right?” this is the “Negro Please moment” where you feel a sense of embarrassment for a split second then laugh it off after accepting that we are all allowed to make mistakes and that their actions don’t actually represent the whole race.
3. “Its not Us its the Media“: -then there is the embarrassment which makes you stop and reflect on the self inflicted nonsense that is going on in our communities.

10. Booker T calls Hulk Hogan a N*gga

Not only was this one of the most hilarious moments in wrestling history, but in TV history period. Booker T a wrestler at then WCW, gets lost in the moment and uses the N word to describe Hulk Hogan. The embarrassment turns into laughter when Booker T realises that he messed up and puts his hand on his head, then looking away from the screen and is comforted by his ringside assistant. Who lied and said wrestling wasn’t real? Priceless.

VERDICT: “You know you f*cked up right?”

9. WorldStarhiphop (or YouTube) Fights and Booty Popping

If you have been (un)fortunate enough to find yourself on WorldstarHiphop or bored on YouTube you will find hundreds of videos of hood fights and girls booty popping in their bedroom. Whenever I see these type of videos, its difficult not to be disappointed how the young generation of brothers and sisters think its cool to share their dirty laundry with the rest of the world. Now I add that this may not be a problem only in the black community, but when you have a Black run enterprise dedicated to this nonsense you cant help but think something is wrong.

VERDICT: “Its not Us its the Media”

8. Cam’Ron’s “No Snitching” campaign

When asked if he would cooperate with the Police if a serial killer lived next door to him, rapper Cam’ron answers no. This once again highlighted the misconception of what is a snitch. For those that understand the origin of the word, would know that this is not snitching. Snitching is when you are involved in a crime and you get caught and you end up telling on others to get a lighter sentence or freedom. Cam’ron’s answer was disappointing taking his into consideration his status in hiphop at the time of the interview.

VERDICT: “Its not Us its the Media Negros”

7. Lil Wayne trying to articulate a point to Al Sharpton

‘Weezy’ tries to make a point to Al Sharpton and tries his hardest to come across intelligent, but ends up using relatively common words out of context.

“They’d rather speculate before they informate, if that’s a word haha…..You know, ‘spect before check?, anyway”

*NEGRO PLEASE*

“Mr. Sharpton, and anyone like you, you don’t know me. So, if you’re not goin’ to try to, then what you say or think about me, or whatever I do is totally Casper the friendly ghost to me”

*NEGRO PLEASE*

And it doesn’t make you a good person to criticize before you improvise…doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person neither, but the characteristics fall heavily into bads way haaah”

Really? Improvise?

VERDICT: “You know you f*cked up right?”

6. Alexandra De Gale “Gangster Threats” on National TV

A Big Brother contestant Alexandra De Gale threatens another contestant by implying that she has her “gangster friends” waiting on her word like she is Don Corleone or something. Now this is what they call dry-snitching, and there was no reason for her to mention that her friends are “gangsters” wether true or not.

VERDICT: “Throwback Negro”

5. Dizzee Rascal’s Newsnight Interview

Most people who saw this interview were embarrassed and would happily place Dizzee into the throwback negro category. But I would argue that this falls in the you know you f*cked up category for the simple fact that in his own “care free” way Dizzee’s points were valid. Hip hop did play a part in getting Obama elected, yes Dizzee was not as articulate as we would have all liked him to be particularly at a time when the whole race was riding on the Obama bandwagon. But unlike Lil Wayne at number t, Dizzee was keeping it real and being himself, not trying to fit in. This performance doesn’t undermine that Dizzee is a very successful young man. So although cringeworthy, it was actually funny after a few replays. Its a shame that this came at a time when the majority of the race felt they went up a tier in social class because there was a black man in the White house.

VERDICT: “You know you f*cked up right?”

4. Skepta – All Over The House video

As previously covered on BWNG by @CredibleJ and @DonKwelu, the video for Skepta’s ‘All Over The House’ song was definitely the “Negro Please Moment” of the last 12 months. For that reason, this video merits two out of the three negro please verdicts, especially after he just did a tune with P.Diddy.

VERDICT: “Throwback Negro” and “Its not Us its the Media, Negro”

3. Michael Jackson “Beat It” West African Pop Idol contestants

I will let the video do the talking but the highlights for me were:

0.19 secs: “Biiire, Tiire Tiire,Tiire…go some fire where can I tend to”

The dancing with the ad-libs: “Come on Come on…”

0.44 seconds”I doesn’t care who is wrong or riiggh”

VERDICT: “You know you f*cked up right?”

2. R.Kelly BET interview confessions that he has “19 year old Friends”

Host: “Do you like teenage girls?”

R.Kelly: “When you say teenager, how old are we talking?”

Host: “Girls who are teenagers”

R.Kelly: “19?”

Host: “19 and younger!”

R.Kelly: “I have some 19 year old friends”

*NEGRO PLEASE*

R.Kelly: “If you were charged with something and you were found innocent. Then you cant be found guilty for being found innocent ”

*NEGRO PLEASE*

My reaction

VERDICT: “Its not Us its the Media, Negro”

1. Joe Jackson plugging his record label at his son’s memorial

The fraudulent behaviour took a step too far when the negro invited his home boy Marshall on the set to promote the record label.

Marshall: “…you know myself Marshall Thompson from The Chi-lites from Chicago. We are going back to the Micheal Jackson’s legacy…get some of the the kids from the streets just like Michael Jackson would want…we are going to bring them back up and take MarAnce records to the top..We Love You”

*NEGRO PLEASE*

Al Sharpton’s reaction between 0.44 to 0.55 was priceless. I can only just begin to imagine what was going through his mind at that time he heard Marshall start his sentence with “whats happening is in the entertainment side…”

Al Sharpton thoughts at 0.44secs: “These n*ggaz be tripping…”

Al Sharpton thoughts at 0.51secs: “Nah hell nah, GTFOH…”

We all know the pressure that comes with each and every Black person in the public eye. Its as though we carry the weight of the whole race on our shoulders when in front of the cameras – whether rightly or wrongly - it is something that I have only experienced in the Western countries, where we are a minority. So every second we get in the public eye, its as though we try to ensure that it doesn’t make us look all look bad, but the question I ask is look bad to who? who are we trying to impress or be kept in check for?

So whilst we will spend the next 29 days sharing all our greatness and achievements that we are reminded that we can also laugh at our misfortunes and not take everything too seriously. We need to accept that there are times we will mess up and there is nothing we can do about it.

In saying that the “Negro Please moment” can also be used as a tool for policing some of the bullsh*t that goes on in our communities and entertainment industry like Hood fights, Dodgy RnB artists hosting the MOBOs and old ass negros trying to use their son’s deaths to promote a record label.

I found this line from Malcolm X on – We Are The Stars – which I felt best summarises the type of attitude we should have when experiencing a “Negro Please Moment”

“Until the image of the black man in the mind of the black man has been changed, there will always be delinquency, parental and juvenile. The idea is not to change the attitude of the white man to the black man but to change the attitude of the black man to himself.” – Malcolm X

I would like the readers to share their “Negro Please moments” and your thoughts and attitude when you see other black people making a fool of themselves in the public eye.

The Yak

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