Jidenna Highlights Black Masculinity Behind Megan Thee Stallion And Tory Lanez Drama
As most people are aware of now, Megan Thee Stallion publicly named Tory Lanez as the person that shot her in the foot earlier this month. This revelation came after months of online rumors and speculation. Before her confirmation, it was widely assumed that Tory was the shooter. But throughout the whole ordeal, Megan has had to deal with people slandering her online and accusing her of her faking the shooting.
On Monday (Aug. 25), Ebro Darden, Tiq Milan, Jidenna, and Jay Connor joined together for a panel discussion as part of HBO Max’s On The Record Presents Dear Sisters: Examining Allyship and Masculinity in the Black Community.
The conversation centered around allyship and masculinity within the Black community wherein, they addressed misogyny and abuse. Around the 7-minute mark, the panel broached the July 12 shooting incident.
Connor asked why Megan and other Black women's stories of abuse are often met with ridicule and mockery. Jidenna called Tory's alleged actions, and the treatment Megan received online, “appalling and disgusting” before highlighting “Black men's feeling of powerlessness” as the root of the issue.
"I think because Black men feel consistently powerless, we literally have created a culture of bravado, and hip-hop is like the pinnacle of it,” Jidenna said. That's why you have certain rappers, who are literally just all bravado, being the ones who are throwing certain insults at [Megan Thee Stallion]. So because we feel deflated, we feel like we have to deflate the women who are next to us.”
The singer went on to say that Black men need reckon with their own power and banish patriarchal ideas in order to better allies.
“I think that we’d actually get to a point where we’re supporting women more than throwing them under the bus and making ridiculous memes in situations that are devastating not just for women like Megan but women all over the world that nobody gets to hear their story,” he said.
To further his point, Tiq brought up how Black women are often asked to choose their blackness over their womanhood. By divorcing the two, he said it leaves room for men not to hold themselves accountable even when they are causing harm.
Later in the interview, Ebro added his thoughts on the shooting incident. He spoke against people labeling Megan as a snitch and trying to blame her as to why Tory shot her. He also acknowledged “street culture and hood culture” is at play framing the situation.
Nonetheless, the longtime Hot 97 radio host questioned, “in what world does a man pull a gun on a woman and shoot her in her feet? What planet are we on right now? At three in the morning when they're just coming from a party, like what is really going on? That is a blatant disregard for humanity as Jidenna spoke to and a blatant disregard for Megan as a person.”
Check out the rest of their hour-long discussion below.
