J. Cole, Autism & The Struggle to Decide When Punchlines Go Too Far Posted by Lucas G. on 07/19/13 | Filed under Top Stories, Opinion

"I'm artistic, you niggas is autistic, retarded."

Okay, so I know its Friday and after a long week full pretty heavy issues, y’all are all pretty much checked out, but give me just a few more minutes to talk about something I think is pretty important.

Before working at the mothership and Refined Hype, I had a wonderful job where I got to help students with disabilities, ranging from social anxiety to non-verbal autism, find internships and job coach them as they began seeking meaningful employment. Many of these students were over the age of 18, which meant, like me (although I am a little bit older) they were trying to become self-sufficient, independent people, but struggled with getting and keeping a job. It’s hard for anyone to find a job nowadays, but for people with disabilities, it's ten times harder. I am by no means a political correctness Nazi (kind of an oxymoron isn’t it?) but I have to tell you the language in hip-hop, ranging from the N-word, to homophonic slurs, to using the r-word, always bothers me a little bit. People have spoken in depth about homophobic and racial slurs, but the disparaging remarks against disabled people rarely get attention. With that in mind, I was so happy to see this HuffingtonPost piece by Lou Melgarejo:

"I would like to take a moment and ask both Drake and J. Cole to please consider the gravity of the words they are using in their art. I understand that it is a difficult line to walk. The desire to seem "real" and to use the vernacular of your audience is a natural one. It can create a bond with the fan base and that equates to financial success. But what do you do when words and sayings within the community are insensitive and offensive to those on the outside looking in? I think that performers can stay true to their roots while being sensitive to diversity and disability. You don't need to spew misogynistic lyrics, fuel homophobia in the urban community or use a serious condition that affects 1 in 88 children as an insult or a punch line." - Lou Melgarejo

Mike, one of my favorite students that I had the pleasure to work with, really taught me a lot about myself. We all bitch and moan about having to work, but seeing someone so excited about something we all consider drudgery was a refreshing perspective and helps me suck it up to this day. As it happened, he was also a big hip-hop fan and was shocked when I started to talk shop with him; we would often spend his lunch breaks discussing the latest song and who the best emcee is.

When I hear those "Jodeci" lines from J. Cole, it sticks in my mind a little bit. Though it is one of the tamer lines about disabilities, I couldn’t help but think about Mike and how he would feel. Try as a might, I just couldn’t imagine hearing someone I idolized use my disability as a punch line:



While it has been happening long before "Jodeci" and “Villuminati”, that song is really the one that got me thinking about it recently. I did a lot of defending of hip-hop this week, but this is one area where I just can’t do it. I, and many of you, use music as an escape from the shit going in our lives, but what if your favorite artist started to poke fun at the issues you were dealing with? For their whole lives kids like Mike wrestle with being “different” and told they can’t do something when all they need is just a little extra help before they can stand on their own two (who couldn’t use an extra hand now and again?). While music should be a way of escaping society’s perceptions, hip-hop only makes them a joke and makes them feel like even more of an outsider than they already are treated like; I have seen it first hand and it’s not funny or something to make light of.

I’ll let the article do most of the talking, since Melgarejo tells it more eloquently than I can and also includes some really interesting facts and statistics, but I just wanted to share this with y’all. It is an issue I wrestle with quite often and feel doesn’t really get considered important. Not to dismiss or devalue their importance, but opponents of the N-word and homophobia in hip-hop have their voice; I don’t think disabled people do. Because they have the listening ears and minds of youth, rappers have an incredible opportunity to make the world a better place and it is often a shame to see so many of them squander a chance for change by disparaging a marginalized groups. It isn’t just on rappers either, all of us should be careful of our word choices you never know who is listening. I’m not asking you to jump down someone’s throat if you hear them say something offensive (but by all means go ahead) but just think about how your words and the words of your favorite emcee affect others.

If not for me, or Mike, or even yourself, do it for hip-hop, sweet baby jesus knows it needs all the help it can get.



Nathan Update: Cole just released an apology/statement:

"Recently there’s been a trend that includes rappers saying something offensive, only to be attacked for it in the media and pressured to apologize. I have to be completely honest and say there’s a part of me that resents that. I view rap similar to how I view comedy. It’s going to ruffle feathers at times. It’s going to go “too far”. I do not believe that an apology is needed every time someone is offended, especially when that apology is really only for the sake of saving an endorsement or cleaning up bad press.

With that said, this is not the case today. This letter is sincere. This apology IS necessary.

In a recent verse on the song “Jodeci Freestyle”, I said something highly offensive to people with Autism. Last week, when I first saw a comment from someone outraged about the lyric, I realized right away that what I said was wrong. I was instantly embarrassed that I would be ignorant enough say something so hurtful. What makes the crime worse is that I should have known better.

To the entire Autism community who expressed outrage, I’m moved and inspired by your passion, and I’m amazed at how strong you are as a unit. I have now read stories online from parents about their struggles and triumphs with raising an Autistic child and I admire how incredibly strong you have to be to do so. It’s touching. It also makes what I said even more embarrassing for me. I feel real shame. You have every right to be angry.

To anyone suffering from Autism, either mildly or severely, I am sorry. I’m bound to make mistakes in my life, but in my heart I just want to spread Love.

I want to educate myself more on Autism, and I’ll gladly own my mistake and serve as an example to today’s generation that there’s nothing cool about mean-spirited comments about someone with Autism. People with this disorder and their loved ones have to go through so much already, the last thing they need is to hear something as ignorant as what I said. I understand.

To the parents who are fighting through the frustrations that must come with raising a child with severe autism, finding strength and patience that they never knew they had; to the college student with Asperger’s Syndrome; to all those overcoming Autism. You deserve medals, not disrespect. I hope you accept my sincere apology.

Much Love - Cole."

See Also:  An Open Letter to Jason Whitlock: Hip-Hop Is Not to Blame
See Also:  Word Up: What Albums Do You Know Word For Word?