The New York Post is under heat…again!  This time is no different than all of the last times; racism as a practice of journalism is always the accusation, and from what I have witnessed, the accusation has always been right (I’ll be honest—when the Post printed that heinous cartoon insinuating President Obama was a crazed chimpanzee being shot down by the hands of the police, their fate was sealed for me—they wouldn’t be getting my readership. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/18/new-york-post-chimp-carto_n_167841.html).

This time around sports writer Phil Mushnick rhetorically asks, “Why the Brooklyn Nets when they can be the New York N——s? The cheerleaders could be the Brooklyn B—-hes or Hoes. Team logo? A 9 mm with hollow-tip shell casings strewn beneath. Wanna be Jay-Z hip? Then go all the way! “  in reference to the fact that the newly honed Brooklyn Nets has a new logo, new jersey colors and they were all crafted and heavily influenced by its minority owner, Jay-Z.

Arguably and obviously, this is not the best choice of words and Phil Mushnick should really work on wrangling this type of emotional manipulation so that it does not continue to spew from his laptop, further jeopardizing his journalistic integrity—if there is any left to salvage.  But, the real issue here is not the racism that can be printed on the pages of the New York Post under the protection of the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and the right of the press, it’s the blinders that the rest of us have placed over our eyes towards Jay-Z and the vicious way in which he continues, with his celebrity, to solidify the Black man’s identity around the world as the ‘N’ word.

From your musical catalog, I’ve ridden with you through the streets of Brooklyn, learned the ins and outs of the drug trade, learned how I should treat my friends and “frenimies”, and I definitely understand the bottom line you’ve taught that the acquisition of money is all that matters in this life. I may not agree, but I get your lesson. Now get mine.

On September 24^th, 2009 you appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show. You discussed a cadre of milestones, but the most sensitive topic had nothing to do with your relationship with your father, post- Rihanna beating advice, or your rough upbringing in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects.  The tension came when the infamous ‘N’ word was debated; and, you refused to abdicate it from your word arsenal and Ms. Oprah refused to accept this word as the nouveau endearment moniker you had described it to be.  Realizing that you were not going to change your tune, the decision was reached to “agree to disagree” by Ms. Oprah.  I was let down because I had figured you were going onto the Oprah Show to garner new fans and to show the world better about Hip Hop, to make your message more far-reaching, but more importantly to learn the “code” of billionaires and resilience, especially Black billionaires, since this is the path you’re on and the status you’re chasing.  Ms. Oprah tried to clue you in, but your Culturally Relevant Aptitude couldn’t figure it out and that’s just “CRAy.”

Jay-Z, even if your wife never rendered a word about your intelligence in her million songs dedicated to you, we all know you’re smart; don’t think for one minute that your intelligence has ever been questioned.  But, what is being called into question is your sense of judgment.  On your latest project, Watch the Throne with Kanye West, you both consciously labeled one of your tracks, “N—as in Paris.”  As two of the most influential men of the 21^st Century this is the best you can do?  Well thanks to you, French presidential hopeful Francois Hollande now has your theme song to help him capture the Black vote and that of the disenfranchised Parisians that Sarkozy can’t seem to embrace. Insulting!  Do you think for one minute President Obama would have ever used “Jigga my N—a” as your walking music down the many red carpet White House appearances you’ve made?  Absolutely not!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT5z_OMaQhg&feature=player_embedded

It’s time for you to get the lesson. As long as you reduce who you are to a racial epithet you will never feel comfortable at the table with Warren Buffet and his friends and you’re going to always feel you have more to prove. Take the pressure off. Get it?