On Wednesday 8th November, BBC Radio announced Logan Sama had been dropped as the host of a new weekly Grime show on BBC Radio 1xtra, the network’s home for Black British music. The decision was made following a public Twitter discussion between Sama and another 1xtra DJ Twin B regarding Sama’s 2013 and 2015 tweets about black women. According to Twin B, the tweets “had been floating around the last few weeks more than ever since the show announcement.” I hear you asking, what exactly did the tweets in question say that would warrant being stripped of BBC show?
As always, the good folks on Twitter always have evidence when the court of public opinion convenes. In 2013 Twitter user Aaron A1 responded to Sama writing “or a lighty called Ella with a white Dad and a black Mum = belly” to which Sama responded “lightties with that parentage have the WORST attitudes lol”. Later that year he tweeted “@casisdead Just holl at Chams for a new one. All those lighties are all the same anyway.” Then in a 2015 thread with prominent black men on Twitter, Logan Sama wrote “I’ve had these international militant black females who’ve never listened to grime @ing me lol”.
In a statement released on Twitter, Logan Sama said he agreed and understood “these comments are indefensible regardless of their context” and acknowledges his priviledge being able “to promote this genre” and a community he loves. I’d be remiss not to remind you lawlessness and recklessness reigned supreme in the early days of Twitter. Every time someone gets in trouble for old tweets, I go back through my history to clean house, fearful I too will be stripped of all I’ve worked for. That being said, Sama’s apology failed to address the beating heart of the issue; his “jokes” weren’t directed towards “the community” or “the genre”, they were reserved for the most denigrated and underrepresented members; black women.
Black women are the least regarded members of society and as a result, on time like a Katie Hopkins hot take no one asked for, black (and white) men sprung into action to cape for their fallen leader. “You felt so threatened that you had to dig up old tweets that have been apologised for to try end a man’s career”, “Very very harsh, we live in a hypersensitive world where jokes aren’t allowed and everyone is offended by everything”, “What he said was wrong, he acknowledge that from time ago. Don’t think he should of lost the show.” and my personal favourite “The Logan Sama ting is not that deep at all. Just SJW at it again” The real question is, his comments aren’t that deep to who? Who was affected by what he said? Who felt less than and worthless because of his “jokes”? Men can rally all they like and debate how he deserving he is of his show because of all the work he has done in the black community and all that energy will amount to nil because black men weren’t the ones targeted. And oh what a different song you lot would be singing had Sama fixed his fingers to send for dark skin black men or dared to say “all light skin men look alike, just get another one.” You lot love SJWs when we're marching and crying for black men but turn on us when we ask for respect.
Twitter user @fiaurora articulated the root cause of the issue succinctly “Logan Sama tried to forge brotherhood with black men by sending shots at black women…” Logan Sama established himself as an authority within black British music, forming close bonds with the black men leaders in the community and in doing so felt comfortable in his position as a white man in a black space he casually perpetuated misogynoir. Misogynoir, the intersection between misogyny and racism, is such a mainstay, so prevalent that guests, like Sama, become overfamiliar and adopt the same egregious behaviour, the same caustic language they have seen and heard in order to further assimilate themselves into black culture. No amount of work done to promote Grime is worth it if black women’s denigration is the cost. Black men are so desperate to protect Logan Sama and their patriarchy, they lambast black women who speak out about the need to hold people accountable. Black women are blamed as if somehow we went back in time, forced Sama to write foolishness on the world wide web and encouraged him to leave it there for the management at the Beeb to see. It is almost as if we should be grateful to Logan Sama for using his whiteness and privilege to promote black music and just accept his waywardness as a side effect. Sounding like white supremacists who tell black people to get over slavery. Kick rocks in flip flops.
Black men, do better by black women. White people occupying black space, do your work and leave black women alone. Black women are now in positions of power and in this case, as Twin B revealed, it was a black woman manager at BBC 1xtra who saw the tweets. Bloop. Congratulations to Sir Spyro for his new weekly grime show.
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