If you haven’t already seen "Freaknik: The Musical" (find at www.adultswim.com), and witnessed what happens when we don’t pass on the history of our struggle in this country. T-Pain’s animation series “Freaknik: The Musical", demonstrates how instant, undeserved, misguided fame is allowed to run unchecked in our community. T Pain and other performers (not mentioned) I would like to say have gotten it confused, but judging from this ridiculous attempt to provide comedic adult entertainment has only shown just how pathetically disrespectful and ignorant they are with no excuse. This series plays into every possible stereotype that our people have fought and died to vanish from our community so that we might not be judged by the deeds of the few. Granted T-Pain and his crew don't represent the whole of the black community but because of his celebrity status and resources they've garnered enough support with the help of Verizon (an advertiser on this series) to produce and promote a product that suggest that all a young man should want is “money, clothes and hoes”, while our women can go work for a “rich, fat, white man or be an ex-stripper”. This careless behavior isn’t clever and is treasonous to the black community. If it were possible to turn back the clock and snatch success for an individual today, Mr. T- Pain would get my vote, without hesitation. This series in my opinion is just that injurious to our community and we should boycott anything T-Pain does until he receives some deprogramming. The problem with T-Pain and other insta-celebs (instant celebrities) they think by virtue of the money and the fame there’s no obligation to forge ahead with any level of responsibility. It’s as if the money and V.I.P. status renders them exempt from applying new bricks and mortar around the cornerstones laid by Cab Callaway, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, BB King, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson. How can we stop this now and in the future because this represents our most pressing issues in our community as we move forward? We have our first black president and we know better.
