They Can't Come To The Cookout: Separating Culture Influencers from Culture Beneficiaries

With July coming to an end, we are nearing the last few weeks of summer. The issue? These dog days are the final days to get everyone together for one of my favorite events, the cookout. Cookouts (not picnics) are the pillars of summer fun in the African American community; in addition to the endless laughter and fun, they temporarily dismiss the stress and evils of the daily grind. They offer incredible food, great music new and old, and of course, provide the platform for which we can "invite someone to the cookout". "Inviting to the cookout" is a rising phenomenon in which a person of color invites someone (often one void of color) that would not usually be in attendance at our backyard barbecue. Though a fairly recent trend (because Brother Malcolm would've never "invited" ANYONE to the cookout), it is quickly becoming a national Black pastime. The invite is usually based on their impact on Black culture; past invitees include Michael McDonald, Zoey from Proud Family, Paul Wall, Dirk Nowitzki, Tori Kelly, and more.

Unfortunately, as with many things involving privilege, the game has gotten a little twisted (Keith Sweat style). Advancements in communication and social media have redefined entrance and access to the party. Consequently, recent invitees have revealed themselves to be either ungrateful, scammers, or both, resulting in shame for themselves and those who trusted their "too smooth to be regressive" ploys. We now enter an era where even the inviter cannot be overlooked for taking part in a destructive plot to infiltrate and destroy the cookout (and in turn, the culture). Yesterday, model and tv host Amber Rose, a woman (Black woman, but by many accounts only recently acquired her own cookout pass) made some inflammatory comments about the attractiveness of females from her South Philadelphia neighborhood. Comments like these cause serious concern as it pertains to her intentions and celebrity: Do you have the best interests of our community in mind? If not, why should you be celebrated? 

In an effort to save the cookout, one of the most prized traditions of Black culture, we must reclaim the initiation process; it's imperative to redefine the invite through separation of the culture creators and the culture vultures. To began the revamp process of the invite, we must review the people consistently receiving invitations. They are persons usually involved in activities of interest, including sports, entertainment, social commentary, or hair. Their performance, however, extends beyond or angers white America, immediately grabbing the attention of the delegation committee, aka Black Twitter. These people are known as Influencers. Given their talent, these people are considered contributors to the progress of the culture. Take a look at examples below:

Influencers:
Rick Rubin (Co-Founded Def Jam)
Jimmy Fallon (Brings you the hottest acts and celebrities that would be overlooked elsewhere)
Massiel "Massy" Arias (Keeping our beautiful sistas like Kelly Rowland and Lala fit and fine)
Justin Timberlake (Brought Timbaland and The Neptunes to a larger demographic, which allowed Timbo and Pharrell to do their thing, even though we haven't seen Chad Hugo in mad long).

We must be cautious, however, not to confuse being a contributor with the ability to imitate black culture or vernacular. There are several stars whose familiarity with the culture or network of Black stars gained inappropriate access to the Black culture. They understand the profitability in acting or being associated with our culture and use it for their own gain. Worse, they remain silent or speak in opposition of our culture as we experience disparaging behavior though it was our style and money that assisted them in their rise. This special category of people is known as beneficiaries or "culture vultures":

Beneficiaries:
Katy Perry (Black Girl Swag Jacker Supreme)
Mumble Rappers ("hip hop" artists publicly admit not respecting or knowing about former hip hop greats)
Robin Thicke (Talented, but stayed near cool Black guys and married prime Paula Patton)
Backpack Kid (Not to talk about kids, but he's not better than the Kida the Great)
The Entire Kardashian and Jenner Tree (jump on Black guys faster than the police)

While I offer names, it can be an ambiguous subject matter. My brother asked me yesterday do I consider Rose an influencer of the culture; I responded no. He then asked would I consider Melyssa Ford (the GOAT video vixen) an influencer and I begrudgingly replied yes. Ford's career may border on being the same as "Muva's" but to me, it's not; video vixens represent an era of hip hop where the video was king.  She was one of the best and turned that career into an industry that Rose benefits off today. But now, Amber stands at the mountaintop of that new age industry: "Public Figure" Though she may have arrived hand in hand with Kanye West (and later, ex-husband Wiz Khalifa) a beneficiary, she currently influences many (as evidenced by the response to her comments). Depending on your stance, she can be either, or both.

My cookout selection committee

When determining one's role of creator or consumer, ask yourself the same question Jadakiss asked all of us: Why? Consider what is their true draw, what qualifies them as important enough? Hey, I like "Power", but Tommy having sex with La La cannot justify a plate! As a group who are continually exploited, a "quality AND quantity" approach is understandable and recommended. To avoid this altogether, I propose cookout passes must be renewed annually. People foreign to the culture receive Black Cross Black Shield and all of a sudden get brand new; now you don't rock with us or the culture huh (cough: Miley)? Well, congratulations, this privilege just became merit based; sorry, you can't show up at the cookout relying on your name anymore.

Whether receiving an invite or sending one, let us remember this access to the culture is a privilege, something invites should be familiar with. It should be treated as such. Unfortunately, it cannot be left in the hands of those invited to respect and appreciate the hospitality. We the committee, the Black delegation, must be more selective and reserved in our nominations. Breaking bread in unity is powerful and necessary for the world and the culture, but cookout food is cooked for those who appreciate the story behind the seasoning.