Fat Joe says “I am Black” while defending his identity, his Bronx upbringing, his place in hip-hop and his use of the N-word. But does growing up around Black people and becoming a hip-hop legend actually make someone Black?
In this episode of The Publisher’s Desk, Damon K. Jones examines the difference between Black American identity, ancestry and participation in Black culture. We also compare the argument to Rachel Dolezal, the former NAACP chapter president who identified as Black despite being born to white parents. If cultural immersion didn’t change Rachel Dolezal’s ancestry, why should participation in hip-hop change Fat Joe’s?
We also go deeper into the history of rap-like Black American expression before hip-hop emerged as a distinct culture in the Bronx—from The Jubalaires, Muhammad Ali and Pigmeat Markham to The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron and Blowfly. Hip-hop’s Puerto Rican, Latino and Caribbean contributions deserve recognition, but so do the Black American traditions that existed before two turntables in the Bronx.
Fat Joe has earned his place in hip-hop. The question is whether being hip-hop gives anyone ownership of Black American identity or a lifetime pass to use the N-word.
We were rhyming long before his brother ever picked up the crates for Grandmaster Flash.
Join the conversation in the comments: Does being raised within Black culture give a non-Black person a pass to use the N-word? And should Black Americans stop using the word ourselves?
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