*Marc Lamont Hill has weighed in on Fat Joe’s latest defense of his use of the N-word, and while Hill says he loves and respects the Bronx rapper, he’s drawing a firm line at Joe’s claim that he is Black.
“Fat Joe is not Black,” Hill said while addressing the controversy on his YouTube channel, according to Complex.
Hill, a co-host of “The Joe Budden Podcast,” wasn’t present when Fat Joe recently appeared on the show and declared himself Black while defending his longtime use of the racial slur.
“I wasn’t there, so I’m not going to Monday morning quarterback that,” Hill said of how the podcast hosts handled the discussion. Asked whether he would have responded differently, however, Hill answered, “Of course.”
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Hill Says Cultural Proximity Isn’t Enough
As EURweb previously reported, Fat Joe, who is Puerto Rican and Cuban, pointed to his South Bronx upbringing and lifelong immersion in hip-hop culture while making his case.
“I am Black,” Joe declared during the podcast. He went even further, describing himself as “the Blackest n***a you ever seen in your life.”
Hill isn’t buying that argument.
“If you use the N-word, you should be Black,” Hill said, reaffirming a position he has previously expressed publicly.
Hill stressed that he wasn’t attempting to police anyone’s ethnicity or racial identity. He also acknowledged Joe’s support of and connection to the Black community, saying he doesn’t consider the rapper racist.
But for Hill, growing up around Black people, participating in hip-hop and loving Black culture still don’t settle the question.
“Fat Joe was basically saying, ‘I grew up around Black people. I grew up in hip-hop. I’m a part of the culture,'” Hill explained. “I agree with all of that. But Fat Joe is not Black.”
Respect Doesn’t Mean Agreement
Hill made clear that his disagreement isn’t personal.
“I love Fat Joe and I admire Fat Joe, and I appreciate Fat Joe,” he said.
What he doesn’t accept is Joe’s position that decades of proximity to Black culture permit him to use the N-word.
“I don’t think that that’s enough,” Hill said.
Joe’s argument itself isn’t new. He has defended his vocabulary for years, previously explaining that he grew up in an overwhelmingly Black housing project where the word was part of his environment from childhood.
What’s different this time is Joe’s explicit declaration of Black identity. Hill respects the rapper’s place in the culture but doesn’t believe that makes Fat Joe Black.
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