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Black Excellence is a Scam
I was listening to Spotify on my morning existential crisis commute. I began listening to my usual black podcast where everyone talks about black culture and hot gossip but then, it just got really elitist and everyone started talking about going to the Met Gala and making a ton of money. So I turned it off. Then I started listening to Beyonce hoping to feel connected to some song or something and everything was about having more money, and being married to Jay which I also wasnt in the mood for. So then I turned to Tyler the Creator who is my absolute favorite. I turned to his new album which under any other circumstance I would find it brilliant but today was just not the day.
As soon as I started hearing the lyrics my eyes began to roll in traffic. Another song about black people achieving wealth and that being the answer for everything.
Black excellence. What an unattainable mountain to climb.
The whole point is if you work hard enough, and are talented enough, and believe hard enough, as a black creative, worker, activist, anything you will win. You will be able to trancend your blackness once you reach peak talent and hard-workness. Everyone will worship you and you won’t ever have to worry again.
I believed this forever. I worked harder than anyone I knew. I acted harder than anyone I knew. And rather than lean…
