In a recent interview with Helga Davis from Q2 Music, Solange recalled a very offensive conversation which eventually inspired her to write ‘A Seat At The Table.’
It all started with a tweet in which she said that white journalists who write about R&B should know who Brandy was. In turn, she was invited to do a podcast interview with the New York Times, however she says she declined because she “didn’t feel the need to have a debate about something that [she] was culturally a part of” nor did she “feel the need to defend that.”
Still, the host of the podcast, Jon Caramanica, who is white, gave his two cents on Solo’s tweet and so did his writer, who is also white.
“I went to Solange’s concert and I noted who her audience was, and if I were her, I’d be careful of making these statements because I’d be careful not to bite the hand that feeds me,” he said.
To her, these men were saying that Solange’s growing white fan base “had ownership over [her]” and that she needed to shut up. This is what ultimately inspired her to write what man would consider fire for generations to come!
Speaking with Helga Davis, Solange said:
“That was kind of the turning point in the transition for me writing the album that is now ‘A Seat at the Table.’ I began to think a lot about that conversation and replaying it, and it haunted me. And it haunted my mother to hear someone telling her daughter ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you.’ And also the racial subtleties—[that] are not so subtle—of what that encompasses when you say that to a black woman. Then you connect it by saying ‘Do you know who’s buying your records?’ So I was essentially being told to shut up.”
Considering that Solange snagged a GRAMMY nomination for Best R&B Performance for her song ‘Cranes In The Sky,’ those two guys need to hush. See what a little pressure can do for you, Roommates? Turn that hate into some racks.
TSR STAFF: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on Instagram & @tallyohhh on Twitter!
Via: Huffington Post
