It wasn't just like a scene from Spike Lee's Bamboozled, it WAS a scene from Spike Lee's Bamboozled.

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open letter to andre from adam bernard, react magazine hip-hop guy:

Andre,

Really, honestly, what do you think you're doing? You used to be one of my favorite artists back in the day, and I'm not gonna hate on you simply because you're doing music I don't like, I have a much deeper reason for writing this letter. Your Grammy performance this past Sunday has to be one of the single most offensive things shown on television in the past decade. CBS has said nothing, television critics have said nothing, but this cultural critic is going to say it, you let yourself become a minstrel.

My jaw was on the floor. You coming out in what looked to be nothing more than some shabby ripped clothing (waaay too reminiscient of what a slave might wear had it been white rather than green), smiling and jumping around the stage. CBS then cut to shots of the crowd laughing and clapping. It wasn't just like a scene from Spike Lee's Bamboozled, it WAS a scene from Spike Lee's Bamboozled. Andre, you were shuck'n and jivin like your next meal depended on it. It's no wonder Big Boi is now booking gigs without and you and seemed to be slightly annoyed while accepting an award with you.

The fact that this performance hasn't been talked about, yet Janet Jackson's bearing of her naked breast caused a controversy, shows that our world still has a long way to go when it comes to race relations. Everybody seems to be fine with a once socially conscious black man actin' the fool to entertain the white man, shuck'n and jivin, being that "Happy safe negro." Remember, you were never let on stage when you were the intelligent black man, awww, but now you like to try to sing and dance for us, so we'll let you on stage to make us laugh, just don't get too close to the white people in the front row, OK?

What made this fiasco even worse was that immediately following your performance you and Big Boi were given the album of the year award. It was visual evidence that if you forgoe having strong beliefes, act the fool, shuck 'n jive, and in general sell your soul, you will be rewarded. They never gave that Grammy to Eminem depite being nominated twice, and they didn't give it to The Fugees when they were nominated. But they gave it to Outkast, and not for their classic ATLiens, but for a double album, half of which had nothing to do with Hip-Hop. The Grammy's just set a scary precident, they said "we'll reward black artists.... as long as they distance themselves from black culture." Sorry Andre, but it really seemed to me like your acceptance speech should have had phrases like "massa" and "yessirboss" in them. It was a sad sad moment for Hip-Hop heads everywhere. One of our favorite artists from the past got rewarded for leaving us.

Adam Bernard

― William Wiggins, Saturday, 28 February 2004 01:59 (twenty-two years ago)

man entertaining in the present, the end

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

zzzzzzz

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Does this mean Mos Def is gonna kill Andre 3000?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree wholeheartedly. That album is terrible, just like white people. End.

― dean! (deangulberry), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:17 (twenty-two years ago)

see folx, my Outkast P&J thread coulda been worse

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:24 (twenty-two years ago)

black person in "having fun whilst performing" shockah

― blah, Saturday, 28 February 2004 02:45 (twenty-two years ago)

what, I can't do spirit fingers anymore? Motherfucker.

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Saturday, 28 February 2004 03:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess the person who wrote that tirade was (a) English and (b) white.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 28 February 2004 03:41 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocf_0057.gif

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Saturday, 28 February 2004 04:47 (twenty-two years ago)

this is one of those moments when I realize that I am not such a gigantic chucklehead after all. At least I did not write that!

― Former Supposed So Called Nihilist Teenage Drug Disco Addiction Counselor (mjt), Saturday, 28 February 2004 06:06 (twenty-two years ago)

DE CAMP TOWN RACES COME 2 TOWN
(DOO DA DOO DA)
DE CAMP TOWN RACES 5 MILES LONG
(OH DE DOO DAH DAY)

― Jo Jo Sexy Dance RRR, Saturday, 28 February 2004 17:43 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/images_tv/comedy/ltn004.JPG

"Now what's cooler than being cool?"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 28 February 2004 17:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Adam Bernard

http://hometown.aol.com/asb1978000/

― Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

what a tool

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I really want to hit this guy

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm quite honestly curious: did people back in the day accuse P-Funk of shuck-n-jive minstrelsy?

Funny how Bernard saw Andre's "shabby ripped clothing" and saw slavery; personally, I was personally reminded of the lead singer from The Darkness.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

(Argh, I have to edit my posts more.)

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:14 (twenty-two years ago)

White guys with a show called "In Da Mixx" should not throw stones. I want to pluck every hair off his cheen individually with scalding hot tweezers.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:17 (twenty-two years ago)

it's a typo but I'm glad I referred to his CHEEN. The steenking bastard.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Anthony, why should a white person not call their hip-hop radio show "In Da Mixx"?

― M. Sparks, Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

what I'm saying is that they shouldn't if they're going to claim Andre 3000 is shucking and jiving.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

you'd think he'd try to avoid the subject of minstrelsy all together.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

So hip-hop slang is inherent minstrelry?

― M. Sparks, Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:33 (twenty-two years ago)

no more than being black and dancing on stage is.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Nothing's wrong with MC Serch per se, but if he started complaining about Uncle Toms I'd suggest he check himself.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Which you've already made apparent you don't think has anything at all to do with minstrelry, so why mock him for being a "white guy" with a show called "In Da Mixx" as if that invalidates his opinion?

― M. Sparks, Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/forumfun/sucks2.jpg

― Al (sitcom), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry xpost, but what the fuck does that mean?! White rappers are Uncle Toms?

― M. Sparks, Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Your entire rational for this wigga-baiting seems to be that since the guy who wrote the letter brought up race you now have an excuse for segregationist-minded attacks about how white people shouldn't be using rap slang or or rapping or discussing race.

― M. Sparks, Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

dude you really don't know me that well

http://www.ffeu.org/images/la/la8.jpg

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Anthony wins.

― Al (sitcom), Saturday, 28 February 2004 18:59 (twenty-two years ago)

It's so nice to see him wear a clean shirt for a change!

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:00 (twenty-two years ago)

(...er, who is that again?)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

still the best picture ever

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, the most amazing thing about this guy is that he spends all that time criticizing Andre and doesn't once mention how offended a lot of native american groups were by that performance.

― J (Jay), Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

ok i started "Bamboozled C/D" but can't find it wtf

anyways

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM28adA0Rwc&feature=related

^^^^^^ hot

though i was talking w/oilyrags the other day and it kinda suffers from the whole "ok are you still in character as a parody of a confused political rapper or not i can't tell" thing

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, 17 March 2008 15:40 (eighteen years ago)

I can't believe Speakerboxx/Love Below is 4 years old! OUTKAST RIP

― nickalicious, Monday, 17 March 2008 15:48 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV2U3yLSDvQ&feature=related

― nickalicious, Monday, 17 March 2008 15:54 (eighteen years ago)

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