I was never much of a Beastie Boy fan. I didn’t even know any of their names until MCA died this past weekend. I never owned one of their albums or CD’s and I frankly haven’t thought much about them one way or the other. I listened to rap from Grandmaster Flash through Run DMC to KRS-One, NWA, and Cypress Hill. Then it got so commercialized that I lost interest. I liked a couple of Beastie Boy songs, but I wasn’t overly impressed with their talent or message. Another thing I didn’t realize until this weekend is that the Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To each his own, I guess, but I find that a little ridiculous. Still, in reading people’s reactions to MCA’s death, it appears that a lot of people my age and perhaps a bit younger were really attached to their music. So, I am not here to diss other people’s taste in music. I just think it’s ludicrous to call the president a racist because he commented on the passing of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston and not on the death of MCA.
Aside from the difference in stature between the three musicians, when are these jackasses going to realize that Obama was raised by a white mother and white grandparents in a state that has like three black people. I don’t know why he is supposed to act like a stereotypical black man or why a stereotypical black man wouldn’t have respect for one of the most influential hip-hop artists in the country. I mean, I’m confused. Am I supposed to like the Beastie Boys because they’re white or dislike them because they made “black” music? Where’s my white tribal leader to give me some advice on how to be authentically white?
