Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did (lyrics below). *
Brother Ali-Forrest Whitaker
Perhaps I'm way behind on this one, but I was pretty fucking impressed. I don't feel like you hear many songs like this by men, since men are usually taught that body issues are women's issues and that they either need to present a strong, disembodied front, or joke about it. With increasing pressure on men regarding their looks, we need songs like this by men (and by women).
I especially like this part of the song, which comes after the "let me list the things you'd pick apart and tell you so what?" introduction.
"I'm not the classic profile of what the ladies want
You might think I'm depressed as can be
But when I look in the mirror I see sexy ass me
And if that's somethin that you can't respect then that's peace
My life's better without you actually
To everyone out there, who's a little different
I say damn a magazine, these are gods fingerprints
You can call me ugly but can't take nothing from me
I am what I am doctor you ain't gotta love me"
1. Your assumptions about me are wrong. 2. If you can't respect me, see you later. 3. Body diversity, fuck yeah. 4. You don't have to love me (implied: but I have a right to exist and live with respect).
Also, he mentions 'doctor.' I don't know enough about him or his music to take the reference at face value, and he references same elsewhere. But when I first heard it, I certainly took it literally, happily assuming he was referencing actual doctors and stigma/discrimination in health care. But alas, the only reference I could find of him talking about 'doctors' was when he was interviewed for Rock the Vote about health care. He is quite a political fella, and I will definitely be checking out his music much more, having only seen him perform a few times on TV.
The mention of Forrest Whitaker is pretty straightforward, as he's a fat Black man with a lazy eye who actually made it pretty well in Hollywood, winning both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Beauty tips according to Forrest Whitacker, eh? We should all follow the implied, uh, "fuck em!"
Full Lyrics
And yo whatever comes up comes out
We don't put our hands over our mouth
And whatever comes up comes out
We don't put our hands over our mouth
Whatever comes up comes out
Please mister bass-man lay it on me
Ayo, Dependin on the day, and dependin on what I ate
I'm anywhere from 20 to 35 pounds over weight
I got red eyes and one of them's lazy
And they both squint when the sun shines so I look crazy
I'm albino man, I know I'm pink and pale
And I'm hairy as hell, everywhere but fingernails
I shave a cranium that ain't quite shaped right
Face tight, shiny, I stay up and write late nights
My wardrobe is jeans and faded shirts
A mixture of what I like, and what I wear to work
I'm not mean and got a neck full of razor bumps
I'm not the classic profile of what the ladies want
You might think I'm depressed as can be
But when I look in the mirror I see sexy ass me
And if that's somethin that you can't respect then that's peace
My life's better without you actually
To everyone out there, who's a little different
I say damn a magazine, these are gods fingerprints
You can call me ugly but can't take nothing from me
I am what I am doctor you ain't gotta love me
[Spoken]
If you would please turn in your bible
To beauty tips according to Forest Whitaker
In the third chapter of the third line
Brother Ali would you please read to the choir for me son
[Sung 3X]
I'ma be all right, you ain't gotta be my friend tonight (you ain't gotta love me)
An I'ma be okay, you would probably bore me anyway (you ain't gotta love me)
Forest Whitiker y'all
Edited....
*Upon reading through the lyrics again, the line "And they both squint when the sun shines so I look crazy" obviously relies on ableist (and lookist) tropes (more on that here). Well, if Brother Ali really is political, there's something we can help educate him about. **
**And with that Google search I realize that the fantastic blog FWD/Feminists with Disabilities has closed. It was a great blog, I'm glad they made such a difference, and I'll continue to read the archives!
One of the biggest criticisms I hear about the Fat Acceptance movement is that it is a woman's movement. It's kinda hard to refute, seeing as the vast majority of blogers and writers on the subject seem to be women. IT kinda makes sense considering that the dieting pressure has been on women longer and the pressure is higher, but I really think the movement would benefit from some more diversity in the gender front. So many of the blogs are female centric, particularly around fashion and body talk. It's nice to see something out there for the guys to connect with.
ReplyDelete