But, it was his proclaiming that African artists have a “natural” stage presence and are better performers than Black Americans that set Van Lathan off.
Van, who is a media personality and podcaster, took to his Instagram page to get a few things off of his chest regarding Akon’s “clown sh*t” regarding Black Americans.
Van shared a clip of Akon’s interview on “The Zeze Millz Show” along with the following caption:
First off, Akon has been on his clown sh*t for years now but that’s another topic. God Bless him.
I wanna say something though. I’m Black. Like Black American Black. Like South Louisiana bayou bondage Black. Like my father was raised by Bishop and Lizzie Lathan Black.
The kind of Black where you grow up around old people with scarred souls who tell you about everyone who died and everyone who lived so you could sit down and drink a soda on a Saturday.
The type of Black where you understand the beauty and the danger of your skin from the beginning, because the old people want you know what they been through.
Real talk, I’m sick of seeing people sh*t on that. And make no mistake, when you single out Black Americans for criticism, the ones who have culturally empowered the entire diaspora, you’re sh*tting an entire experience I feel connected to by birthright.
This seems to be happening more now, why? Why do people who like Akon, who’ve made millions of dollars cosplaying like brothers from Atlanta or Miami feel the need to tear into us specifically?
There’s this fear that I have, that fear is that there is no diaspora. That fear is that Black Americans are to other Black people worldwide what we’ve always been here, workhorses used to plow through and build something for someone else, who then eats off it, before turning around and shooting the horse in the head.
That might be irrational, but I’m insecure. I’m as insecure as Akon must be to have strapped a PS5 to his head and called it hair.
FURTHER, I cannot fathom a time when I have EVER heard someone say “I wanna see that Akon concert”. From what performance expertise is he coming from and what showstopping stage presence is he under the impression he provides?
Now @Akon😒😒 you spent your entire career cosplaying Black Americans…doing the most degenerate shit on stage and you try and compare TALENT and STAGE PRESENCE👀🤣🤣 well I nominate Chris Breezy🫡✊🏽🤟🏽 your best performance vs his worst🤷🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/wBGCfStiPW
