By Alana Goodman
Culture and Media Institute
July 15, 2010

Black conservatives and organizations are speaking out against a rap video launched this week that claimed the Tea Party movement would be treated far worse if it was made up of African-American liberals.

The video called “What if the Tea Party was Black?” was released this week by Pittsburgh-based rapper Jasiri X. In the song, Jasiri X argues that prominent black voices would be silenced by military force, violence and cultural pressure if they were as vocal as tea partiers and conservatives.

“Ya’ll know if the Tea Party was black, the government woulda been had the army attack,” raps Jasiri X on the video.

The rapper claims that Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Tavis Smiley, Sister Souljah and Louis Farrakhan would be arrested or attacked if they dared to aggressively speak out about their political views.

“If Al was Rush Limbaugh and Jesse was Sean Hannity and Tavis was Glenn Beck, would you harm they families?” said Jasiri X in the song. “If Sarah Palin was suddenly Sister Souljah, would you leave it to the voters to go and get the soldiers?

Black conservative activist and radio talker Herman Cain, who has spoken at Tea Party rallies, said the claims made in the video are nonsense.

“[T]he assertion is if the tea party was black they would be [subject to] all sorts of law enforcement attacks…and that is ridiculous,” Cain told the Media Research Center.

Cain, the national chairman for the MRC’s Business & Media Institute, called the song “another attempt to shift the focus to race, away from the lack of results.”

David Almasi of Project 21, a black conservative organization, also blasted Jasiri X’s video. “The first thing that dawned on me as I was watching through it is this guy’s really ill-informed. He makes it sound like people like Tavis Smiley have no voice - that Jesse Jackson is not allowed to speak freely,” said Almasi.

“These people are allowed to be radical and no one bats an eye. Some might be like ‘oh yeah, they’re kooky.’ But this guy [Jasiri X] is trying to say if anyone says anything out of line they will get attacked if they are black,” Almasi continued.

Cain also said that the idea that black people are not already involved in the Tea Party movement is simply untrue.

“Most of the people that are criticizing the tea party people have never been to a tea party and they have never talked to any tea party people,” said Cain. “I have and there are a lot of other conservatives that happen to be black that have also been to tea parties and spoken at tea parties - and so the fact that [people like Jasiri X] are making all these accusations, whether it’s through songs, rap videos, or news articles is totally unfounded.”

The smears against the Tea Party are an attempt to paint it as a solely white, male, heterosexual movement - and to make minorities think they are unwelcome, according to Almasi.

“There is definitely a vested interest in making people think that the Tea Party is…basically a bunch of disgruntled rednecks,” said Almasi. “There’s a vested interest in making minorities think conservatives are bad, conservatives are evil and never working in their best interests - when there are actually a lot of African-Americans in the leadership of the tea party group.”

Cain had a suggestion for critics of the Tea Party movement. “[M]y challenge is before you criticize the tea parties as being racist…why don’t you go to one and find out?”

Lyrics:

What if the tea party was black
Holding guns like the Black Panther Party was back
If Al was Rush Limbaugh and Jesse was Sean Hannity
And Tavis was Glenn Beck would they harm they families
If Sarah Palin was suddenly Sistah Souljah
Would they leave it with the votes or go and get the soldiers
Yall know if the tea party was black
The government would have been had the army attack

What if Michael Baisden was on ya FM dial
For 3 hours every day calling the president foul
Would they say free speech or find evidence how
To charge him with treason like see he's Un-American now
What if Minister Farrakhan prayed for the death
Of the commander in chief that he be laid to rest
Would they treat it as the gravest threat or never make an arrest
Even today he's still hated for less
What if President Obama would have lost the election
Quit his job so he could go talk to the left and
Bash the government for being off of direction
Fraught with deception
And told black people they want all of our weapons
And we want our own country and called for secession
Would he be arrested and tossed in corrections
For trying to foster aggression
Against the people's lawful selection
Our questions

What if the tea party was black
Holding guns like the Black Panther Party was back
If Al was Rush Limbaugh and Jesse was Sean Hannity
And Tavis was Glenn Beck would they harm they families
If Sarah Palin was suddenly Sistah Souljah
Would they leave it with the votes or go and get the soldiers
Yall know if the tea party was black
The government would have been had the army attack

What If black people went on Facebook and made a page
That for the death if the president elect we prayed
Would the creators be tazed and thrown in a cage
We know the page wouldn't have been displayed all these days
What if Jeremiah Wright said that everybody white
Wasn't a real America would you feel scared of him
If he had a militia with pictures that depict the president as Hitler
They would kill and bury that
Wait
What if Cynthia McKinney lamented the winning of the new president
And hinted he wasn't really a true resident
With no proof or evidence
Would the media treat it like a huge press event
They would have attacked whatever group she represents
They would have called her a kook on precedent
And any network that gave her due preference
Would be the laughing stock of the news so our question is

What if the tea party was black
Holding guns like the Black Panther Party was back
If Al was Rush Limbaugh and Jesse was Sean Hannity
And Tavis was Glenn Beck would they harm they families
If Sarah Palin was suddenly Sistah Souljah
Would they leave it with the votes or go and get the soldiers
Yall know if the tea party was black
The government would have been had the army attack

Like this article? Sign up for "Culture Links," CMI's weekly e-mail newsletter, by clicking here.