“Too $hort gives s*x advice to middle school kids.” Sounds like a skit on Chappelle’s Show because nobody would think that something like that would ever get the green light in real life, right? Wrong.
For some reason, a few staffers at XXL Magazine’s website thought that a Too $hort giving advice to young boys on how to “turn girls out” and “take it to the hole” would be a good idea. To put it in perspective, it’s kind of like inviting David Duke to the Essence Festival to be a keynote speaker. Nobody is going to find it acceptable. Nevertheless, it happened and now the backlash has reached inaudible decibels and a petition calling for the head of the magazine’s female editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten has circulated.
The video – which features $hort advising middle school boys to “take your finger and put a little spit on it and you stick your finger in her underwear and you rub it on there and watch what happens” – has resulted in the suspension of several unnamed XXL staffers and apologies from both Too $hort and Satten.
Too $hort’s apology may be the most head scratching as he blamed the inner pimp in him for getting carried away. But this isn’t a “carried away” music video that finds him shouting “Beyotch” at women who are old enough to make decisions as to whether or not they want to even be involved in the degrading session. This is taking carried away to a whole different level. What the 45-year-old implicated here is considered rape on any other platform. Suggesting that underage boys push underage girls against the wall and fondle them is deplorable. Also take into account that the messenger has been arrested for assault in 2010 after an altercation related to his alleged attempt to bring underage girls backstage. It’s really mind blowing that anybody at XXL thought this would be a good idea.
Satten’s apology removes her from the scene of the crime and places the blame squarely on the shoulders of her team.
“I do not see all content before it goes live,” Satten said in her statement. She said that upon seeing the video she was “offended” and had it taken down. But rather than accept any responsibility, she has opted to throw her team under the bus. “I am disappointed that an employee decided to post it and I am putting internal procedures in place to make sure content like this does not go on the site. The video goes against my value system and represents poor judgment on behalf of the individual who posted it.”
It is not yet known which staffers were responsible for the video, but what is known is that this has caused an uproar as the ongoing debate on hyper masculinity in Hip-Hop has kicked into high gear. What makes this situation worse is that it was targeted at our children.
Just when you think Hip-Hop is winning, it ends up losing. Wait until conservative groups get a hold of this story.
Photo: RCA Records
