Soooo… let’s just jump right into this, because honestly, I’m getting annoyed. From the news to the TL, everybody seems to believe they have a clear grasp of the charges brought up against New York emcee, A$AP Rocky, while in Sweden. Some people have tried to spin us a story about Rocky being held in harsh conditions and being targeted by Swedish police.
Others have snatched quotes from interviews and are labeling Rocky’s arrest “karma” for not using his platform to speak on black issues. But if you take a second, just take an objective look and do some digging, you’ll get to where I’m at. And where I’m at is: can everybody just… relax?
As far as Rocky’s fans and his team goes, they’re doing a lot to try and get Rocky a fair deal. And I commend them in their efforts and hope that Rocky get’s some justice! However… some of these marketing strategies are kinda weak. A boycott of a country might be the most ineffective resolution to a problem I’ve ever heard. That’s like trying to close an open wound with tape.
Not going to Sweden isn’t going to change whatever policies they have in place for situations like these where Americans get caught up in legal action overseas. Petitions aren’t gonna change anything and hashtags aren’t gonna change anything. Unfortunately, this is a situation that’ll have to be played out in the courts, the best his fans can do is stay positive and keep Rocky in their thoughts.
Also, this whole “they’ve got him in harsh conditions” theory is a joke, right? Have you seen the jails in Sweden? They look better than most college housing in the U.S., ESPECIALLY the HBCU’s. I am sure that Rocky, being a worldwide celebrity and having certain resources available, is just fine. So let’s put all that to bed, PLEASE!
Now, let’s get that quote about BLM matter out the way because I’m seeing that as the crux of this “it’s karma” thing. Listen… Rocky is NOT in jail for being black. He was NOT beaten or harassed by police. He turned himself in for an assault on a Swedish citizen after claiming that said citizen was following and harassing Rocky and his crew (an IGTV video from Rocky confirms this, but I digress).
There is NOTHING about this case that even remotely relates to BLM, the BLM movement or the injustices we as black people deal with here in the States. So, explain to me how this is irony? For context, Rocky was interviewed a few years ago and was asked why he chooses not to rap about or address the issues in Ferguson, and whether he felt forced to speak on it. And he went on to say that he doesn’t because that’s “not what he’s around”, and “he’s not an activist”.
My problem with this is that whoever asked this question CLEARLY wasn’t interested in getting a grounded answer from Rocky, or looking for a super “woke” response. They weren’t even asking because they wanted to know how he felt about Ferguson, they were asking to see where his ideologies lie; to see if Rocky TRULY cares about the things we go through. To put Rocky in a position to have his card pulled. Which isn’t fine, but it’s a sign of the times we’re living in, because we as black people need to know that our celebrities and the people we put in positions of power & wealth have our best interest at heart and that they are advocates for us as we are for them.
And of course, I’m disappointed in what Rocky said, as should we all be. But to use this quote that’s so out of context from the situation at hand as a way to “cancel” Rocky is a little tasteless in my opinion. I’m not saying anybody needs or should care, he’s not paying my bills and he’s not putting food on my table.
But I think we’ve gotten too comfortable in this online court of public opinion. And I’m not saying you have to or need to do anything, but can we AT LEAST bring some objectivity? This is not a black issue, this isn’t a prejudice issue, it isn’t even a Swedish issue. This is an A$AP Rocky situation, HE has to deal with the lack of support due to his poor choice of words.
HE has to deal with the consequences of not letting his security do what they are paid to do. And I hope we can get back to a place where we don’t feel a need to try and educate people on their shortcomings, and let the best teacher do it: life. #FREEROCKY, #BlackLivesMatter, now #STFU.
