Canadian hip-hop ambassador Kardinal Offishall has been highly vocal since protests broke out in the United States, and yesterday he shared another very powerful warning and video:
“Be careful of the voices they amplify. It’s ‘safe’ to raise your voice now, so be weary of some of the voices they champion during these times. I personally didn’t want to cut and paste during a real and digital revolution. I also feel like the messaging of this day got mixed and in many instances, may not accomplish the original intent. Still, I stand (ONLY) with the people that are hell bent on the ‘show’ actually CHANGING, and not just pausing to disrupt. Words are important. Actions are vital. Globally, Black music (they changed it to ‘urban’) represents arguably the largest source of income for the major labels in 2020. The qualified people behind the scenes should visibly reflect that more (and not just in junior or entry level positions). We need to continue to fight for our artists, black execs and our culture to be (at the very least) equally represented in mainstream programming, award shows, and everywhere else that they are an afterthought or forgotten. Pandering won’t be tolerated. Anything but long term change will not be respected. It shouldn’t have taken a pandemic and the broad daylight murder of a black man for these conversations and activations to happen, but here we are. What happens after today? After this month? Does being socially conscious go out of style and we go back to being egomaniacal and give back our attention to the kings and queens of selfies? I don’t know. What I do know is we have to use this small window to look around us and take notes. Be careful of the voices they amplify. It’s ‘safe’ to raise your voice now, so be weary of some of the voices they champion during these times. The ‘show’ will go on…”
You can follow @KardinalO on Instagram.
