A recent profile in the New Yorker about Lord Jamar, former Brand Nubian member, has upset many people, one of whom is Le1f. In the piece, Lord Jamar, a self-proclaimed "hip-hop conservative" slams contemporary rappers like Kanye West and Le1f for straying from the genre's machismo roots, taking issue with their clothing choices and experimental music: “This started with the alpha males. And now it’s being given to the beta males to try to flex their shit." The piece ends with Jamar's reaction to Le1f's "The Late Night With David Letterman" performance -- he tweeted "THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!" Now Le1f has responded on his Facebook:
dear Lord Jamar,
Choose your battles. If the whitening of rap is a concern to you, please leave my name out of it. If you think being gay is the same as being white, you are as ignorant as your enemies. I'm darker than you. I'm african. I'm a black man and I experience all the same racism you do, if not more, on top of homophobia, including from black men just like you. Are you proud of being a hateful member of a majority? Rap started out as a creative response to oppression, and no matter my outfit, I know oppressions you will never understand.
All respect,
Le1f
