"Was Mos Def wrong for dissing Bono back in the Katrina days?"
People hate Bono cause he's a celebrity humanitarian and he's quick to point out all the good things he's done or tries to do. I thought what Mos did was foul, I've never heard anything about Mos Def giving back to the community or put some of his own money to improve living conditions of the poor. I always thought of Mos as an underground cat that has no money but I was wrong dude has bread. Mos is all talk I guess, kinda like a studio gangsta (studio activist). Or he's like a pimp he'll talk about issues but no doe.
1. "RE: Was Mos Def wrong for dissing Bono back in the Katrina days?" In response to Reply # 0
>People hate Bono cause he's a celebrity humanitarian and he's >quick to point out all the good things he's done or tries to >do. I thought what Mos did was foul, I've never heard anything >about Mos Def giving back to the community or put some of his >own money to improve living conditions of the poor. I always >thought of Mos as an underground cat that has no money but I >was wrong dude has bread. Mos is all talk I guess, kinda like >a studio gangsta (studio activist). Or he's like a pimp he'll >talk about issues but no doe.
Mos Def ain't got bread like Bono so he's not gonna be able to help on that level. Didn't him and Kweli have a library or some shit?
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12. "Personally, I don't think that Bono is beyond reproach." In response to Reply # 9 Mon Jul-21-14 01:30 PM by AFKAP_of_Darkness
I have a lot of issues with his style of humanitarianism... some of it is very wrong-headed. But at the very least, his heart appears to be in the right place and I can confidently say (without consulting any kind of figures whatsoever) that he has probably saved more lives and helped more people than Mos Def ever did.
But all that being said, why MUST Bono help "the hood"? Is he contractually or morally obligated to do so?
EDIT: Just read the Gauntlet article. A lot of it is factually wrong.
16. "does bono HAVE to help the ghetto?" In response to Reply # 9 Mon Jul-21-14 01:48 PM by GumDrops
he has a right to pick which ever causes he wants to support. granted, white westerners love nothing more than fly to the support of poor brown/black children in the world at the expense of whats happening in their own countries, BUT, have you been to some of these countries where people are really poor? maybe, just maybe, yknow, they could do with some international support... i know rappers in america might find it hard to believe, but ghettos in america arent the only places that need help.
30. "because this isnt about them" In response to Reply # 29
this whole post is several years too late, but the thing about dissing bono, is that i think its a big reason why so many modern musicians dont want to say anything too political, cos of the tidal wave of cynicism/loathing/mockery/hostility that always meets bono. dissing bono is a prime example of what happens when artists DO try and be open about their politics. bono/u2 could do it in a more tasteful/less grandiose/self-serving way, but they are almost like a throwback to a time when big pop acts DID make big political statements.
31. "LOL -- that didn't make a grain of sense. " In response to Reply # 30
This post is criticizing Mos Def for criticizing Bono.
This doesn't make any sense, since Mos Def's criticism of Bono is about 1/400000000000th as harsh as others have. That is the definition of an unfair double standard:
The Lesson is picking on Mos Def for saying something that is, by comparison, fairly non-controversial.
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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"
3. "Maybe they have some personal beef we don't know about" In response to Reply # 0
Bono seems like a nice enough guy, but I don't know him personally. Maybe him and Mos had a bad run-in. It's all speculation unless Mos is here to speak on it.
17. "yeah, the Katrina thing was different lol" In response to Reply # 15
when I think about it, I have made quite a few posts questioning Mos Def's philosophy... which sucks because I actually do admire him as an artistic. It's just that when he opens his mouth when he's not performing--or rather, I should say "when he's not rapping/singing/acting"... because he is ALWAYS *performing*--it just does not agree with me."
(O_E is going to hit this post at any moment, lathering me in invective. )
14. "dissing bono is corny" In response to Reply # 0
all that post-geldof righteous sanctimony does deserve criticism of course, but despite being a complete idiot (being a rock star and mr charitable was never going to be a good fit), bono does do some good work... rich white westerners with a superiority/jesus complex need ribbing, but that doesnt mean that rich white westerners cant do good things for others who arent rich white westerners or that its always worthy of insult, just on virtue of that alone, which i often think is what the lazy insults come down to.
25. "Yup. Its almost as corny as Bono. " In response to Reply # 14
>all that post-geldof righteous sanctimony does deserve >criticism of course, but despite being a complete idiot (being >a rock star and mr charitable was never going to be a good >fit), bono does do some good work... rich white westerners >with a superiority/jesus complex need ribbing, but that doesnt >mean that rich white westerners cant do good things for others >who arent rich white westerners or that its always worthy of >insult, just on virtue of that alone, which i often think is >what the lazy insults come down to.
But not quite as corny as your reply.
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O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"
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