I joke about Jay Z a lot being an old ass White man now since he's like a billionaire, why he still rapping about street shit and bricks.
But it's kinda true. A certain level of wealth and power in this country, you are basically a White person.
The bottom of our wealth distribution drives our popular culture and our politics. We aren't like white people where the rich and the middle class drives their culture because the 90 something percent of us are working class and poor.
Being down and all that shit and trying to prove how you ain't changed and you still for the streets is dumb because you are not in that socio-economic position.
You not of that class anymore.
When I made real money the first time, I hung around the same motherfuckers I did in the streets when I was homeless and struggle pimping. Second time I made real money, I really didn't associate with any Black people that weren't family. I left that street shit alone.
When you as a Black American descendant of slaves make the decision and commitment to make a lot of fucking money, you gonna eventually divorce yourself from your people. There ain't no Black people at the top. And if there is, it's most likely an immigrant.
It's mostly White people and Asians.
Everybody at the bottom knows when a motherfucker decides to commit to making a fuck ton of money you gonna have to leave Black people behind.
Not even on no street shit. I'm talking about your neighborhood, your family, your friends...they gonna need shit and ask you to do it because you the lick.
And when you help them and go broke, they gonna be like "damn, you fucked it up" and laugh at your dumb ass.
There's young Black Boomers out there that scrapped and clawed their way to a million dollars taking care of 3 generations. Cousins, grandbabies, nieces, nephews, sister in laws. Still working.
I said that can't be me, fuck that.
White trash motherfuckers and broke ass Asians and Africans abandon entire families and friends and countries when they make it. Change their names, all types of shit. They don't look back.
The pursuit of wealth, influence and power is a lonely ass road and the mythology of never changing and bringing your loved ones with, your neighborhood with you and your people and all that shit is infantile bullshit. It's the shit we fantasize about it because there ain't none of us at the top of the American social order. So we wanna bring people with us, so we won't be lonely.
Iinstead of doing the political work and getting the political education as a collective to change our lives as a people. We think individual pursuits like getting rich and powerful supposed to be a collective thing and it's not. Then be confused when the criminal minded do shit like rob the motherfucker flashing his wealth at Popeyes, like they supposed to be happy that goofy motherfucker got it made just because he Black. That man got babies and baby mommas too, he gotta eat. Lol.
Wealth, influence and power divorces you from your loved ones, your neighborhood, and your people.
