Remember this album?
Twenty-one years ago, KRS-One rapped about not trying to reinforce or portray anyone’s stereotypes on “My Philosophy” (Thought about this song on Music Monday…because “I think very deeply…”) by saying:
“Like all my brothers eat chicken and watermelon/Talk broken English and drug sellin’…”
There are plenty of people, black, white or otherwise, that love some fried chicken. Hey, I do, but I will guarantee the one thing I will NOT do, while waiting 18 MINUTES to get my bucket(s) of chicken from KFC, is freestyle rap about the virtues of extra crispy and my jug of raspberry iced tea, and videotape it so the world can see it on YouTube. I would think I’d be a little angry because I have to wait 18 MINUTES for my chicken anyway.
Well, not Cavalier guard Delonte West.
West and a friend (who looks a lot like Savion Glover, but he isn’t…I promise…) were in a Cleveland-area KFC, and had to wait those 18 minutes to get their order…they got a little crazy and did what you see above. I don’t even know what to say about it, aside from believing it has set people’s thoughts about black people back about 25 years (the whole “eat chicken and watermelon” and “talk broken English” things…).
Now, a note to West: Look, I understand you’re just being yourself, and I don’t have a problem with that. Just a few years ago, my oldest friend, Louise Cornetta of ESPN, did an interview with you about what it would be like to go on a date with you on Valentine’s Day. That article started out great, with the white tuxedo, and coming to get your date in the white Mercedes SL500. The wine, and taking her back to the yacht to do some skinny-dipping. I was with you! Then, you said what you were going to eat:
“When we’re on the yacht eating, we’re going to have some Popeyes chicken. That’s for dinner. It’s to let her know, put a mental image on her mind, first and foremost, if you ain’t from the hood, you don’t like Popeyes chicken. Everyone there loves Popeyes chicken and the biscuits — phew. But that’s just getting it on her mind, saying, you know, ‘Yeah, I can wine and dine you, but I’m a little rough around the edges and I’m keeping it real with you. I can be romantic, but this is real, we’re going to eat some chicken tonight. Chicken and biscuits.”
Thug love. Colonel Sanders would be proud…KFC Delonte West
