Touré is an incredibly accomplished journalist and hip-hop writer, but even he can't refrain from calling out his dislikes as if it was a diss. As caught by greg the menace on Twitter, he recently uploaded a scathing TikTok message to Ari Melber concerning Melber's recent interview with Tyler Perry.
For those unaware, the journalist – who used to work with Touré on MSNBC – asked Perry at one point about Black people's reception to his movies. He brought up an old Touré quote that was critical of them, and the rap commentator did not appreciate being dragged into this conversation.
"I saw your little interview with Tyler Perry where you used my quote from 15 years ago to talk about, 'Some Black people think your movies are cringe,'" Touré ranted. "That was f***ing lame. Why the f**k am I in the conversation? You need me as your authenticity prop? Why did you pull up a 15-year-old quote to ask him about some Black s**t? Did you need a Black person to be basically holding your hand while you asked him about some Black s**t?
"That's funny 'cause you say a lot of Black s**t," he continued. "Little rhymes and raps and s**t that you make all awkward? That s**t is corny as f**k. That whole shtick, the dorky white guy says '90s hip-hop lines? That's cringe as f**k. But if you've got the courage to make DMX sound cringe on MSNBC, then ask Tyler your own f***ing question and leave me out of it. If you were Black, I'd say, 'Keep my name out your mouth.' But you're not. So please refrain from referring to me in these sorts of contexts."
Tyler Perry Allegations
Of course, there are larger narratives to contend with right now, namely Tyler Perry's sexual assault and harassment allegations. But this conflict between Touré and Ari Melber also points to the difficult dynamic of non-Black commentary on Black issues and media, which don't carry the same connotation as an in-house conversation.
Touré will continue to provoke in the media in defense of his experience, and Melber will likely respond in kind. We will see if there's any resolution to this particular clash.
