When expressing his disagreement, the music producer also accuses the 'Bananza' singer of 's**tting' on an 'entire experience' that is 'connected to by birthright.'
- Dec 29, 2022
AceShowbiz - Not everyone is happy with Akon's recent statement about African and Black American performers. The "Bananza" crooner has been labeled a "clown" by music producer Van Lathan for his comments.
On Tuesday, December 27, Lathan turned to his Instagram page to express his disagreement. "First off, Akon has been on his clown s**t for years now, but that's another topic," he began, "God Bless him. I wanna say something, though. I'm Black. Like Black American Black. Like South Louisiana bayou bondage Black."
Lathan then asserted his pride in his black American culture and pushed back on the idea that it's less than African culture. Lathan then accused Akon of "s**tting" on an "entire experience I feel connected to by birthright."
Lathan continued, speaking directly to Akon's remarks discussing American performers and their "bored as hell," half-spirited performances. "The type of Black where you understand the beauty and the danger of your skin from the beginning, because the old people want you [to] know what they been through. Real talk, I'm sick of seeing people s**t on that," the music producer said.
Lathan then posed a question of whether or not black Americans are connected to the greater cultural milieu of the diaspora. The "Higher Learning" podcast co-host then admitted that he's "insecure" about black Americans' standing in the diaspora and worried that Akon's comments don't exist in a vacuum.
"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," he explained. "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."
Akon sparked debate after he pointed out what he believes is the difference between African and black American performers during an interview with Zeze Mills. "We a little different when it comes to stage presence," he said, referring to Africans. "Now in America, oh yeah, them n***a gone be wobbling, pants hanging half down, bored as hell, half to sleep because they high as hell on stage."
"Look at these youtube clips of all these kids from Uganda. These kids are performers." the "Chammak Challo" singer continued before asserting that stage presence "for us [Africans], it comes natural."
