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If you jumped on Twitter last night and wondered why “I’m white” was trending, you can thank Love & Hip-Hop. During Monday’s episode, a heated exchange took place between Raqi Thunda and Jen the Pen after the ladies realized it wasn’t going to work for them to do a radio show together. Jen essentially tried to tell Raqi she didn’t want to work with her because “internet p***y” seems to be less of a nickname for her and more of a way of life, as exemplified by her overly flirtatious behavior during their trial Hot 97 interview. As expected, Raqi didn’t take that feedback too well and subsequently tried to belittle Jen’s whole life, claiming that Consequence, Jen’s man and the father of her child, tried to sleep with her, and adding that she was the one who put Jen on and the chances of her getting another shot at radio were slim to none.  At this point, Jen decided to do Raqi even one lower and remind her, “I’m White. It will get done.”

Excuse me?

Immediately my mind went back to our “I Always Wanted to Ask” series in which we posed the question,”Do White people understand White privilege?” The consensus seems to be that though there may be plenty who would try to deny it’s existence, I can only suffice that that very denial, like Jen’s statement, is proof that White people are quite aware of how the system works, most times they just don’t want us to know — except, of course, for when they want to remind us of our place. Though Jen’s comment rubbed me all types of the wrong way, it’s not because I think she’s racist like so many viewers have accused her of being, it’s because she’s absolutely right — and her boldness is making that statement was further more proof of that privilege. What’s most unfortunate, though, is she’s not talking about Jen Bayer and Antonique Jenkins vying for the same spot in the Senate. She’s talking about another urban radio station jumping at the chance to employ a white woman, who doesn’t appear to be too enthralled in the rap game, to disseminate information to a predominately Black audience, over another Black person.

In all honesty, Jen wasn’t telling Raqi anything she didn’t know. After all, Raqi was the one who pointed out Jen’s marketability to “white her wrong.” She picked Jen to be her co-host for a particular reason — because she’s White — and now that racial reality is probably going to bite her in the butt even harder than Ebro probably got in it when she practically tried to bounce up on Vado when he was on their audition show. For that reason, I’m mad at Jen, but I’m not mad. What she said during her spat with Raqi was about the equivalent of  another girl calling her friend the b-word when things get a little too real during a heated argument. It was said out of frustration that Raqi might be right about Consequence trying to get on, anger that their opportunity at Hot 97 was now blown, and ego because Raqi tried to blow up her unemployed spot. It was wrong, but not racist. I just wonder what Jen is going to tell her biracial son when he’s passed over for a job because it went to someone as lily White as his mom is?

Check out the clip to see the drama that went down last night. Who do you think was in the wrong?

Love & Hip Hop

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Love & Hip Hop, Love and Hip Hop 3

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