Drizzy Drake is sharing his January Vibe cover shine with another notable man next month: bite-size comedian Kevin Hart. The first issue of the new year, labeled “The Race Issue,” will explore “America’s fear of a black planet,” and to do so the mag asked these two gentlemen whose race hasn’t halted their success in the slightest to speak on their experience as black men in the entertainment industry. Yesterday, we dove into Drake’s thoughts on the matter, but Kevin Hart also had some interesting things to say about what effect racism has had on him and how he’s raising his children to think about race in this multicultural era.
You don’t make race the nucleus of your routine. Why?
No, I don’t need to. I get that racism exists, but it’s not a catalyst for my content. I don’t need to talk about race to have material. My style of comedy is more self-deprecating. I think that makes me more relatable. When you deal with “topics”—race, white versus black—you’re not separating from the pack. You’re doing what everybody else is doing. It’s easy to take those subjects and make them personal. You show more depth when that’s not your shtick.
Talk about raising kids in this post-racial society.
My kids are coming up in a different time then me. Interracial couples are of the norm. With me, it’s about making sure my kids understand the importance of education and having opportunities that I didn’t. My goal as a parent is to make sure they don’t take what they have for granted. You definitely want your kids to understand their heritage, but I don’t want my kids to just focus on being black. They are people. I don’t want them to judge other people or to be judged. I want them to be good people, so good people will treat them accordingly. I preach that to my kids and everything else falls into place.
Do you have any experiences with everyday racism?
Even if I did, I don’t give it the attention. I don’t welcome negative energy. The time it takes to harbor, reap, bitch and complain is time that you can be doing something else. Have I gotten into situations with people that could have been racist? Of course, I am human. I’m a young black guy in Hollywood. You chalk it up and you move on.
While I can respect Kevin’s thoughts on race, I am having a bit of a hard time wrapping my mind around this cover image of him sitting in between an (assumed) white woman’s legs and staring at her crotch as somehow symbolizing post-racialism. Don’t you just hate it when people go on a crusade to shine light on one atrocity, like racism in this instance, and end up being the poster child for another? Objectification much?
I’m also not particularly feeling this headline of having “white power” as if Kevin Hart’s ability to make white people laugh is somehow evidence he’s reached his pinnacle. I know all black entertainers strive to be accepted by mainstream audiences because it is a tough feat, but all this picture tells me is what makes this success sweet is being able to sleep with a white chick, not knocking down any sort of racial barriers and ushering in opportunities for more people of color. But maybe I’m doing to opposite of what Kevin Hart wants his kids to do which is focus too much on being black. Oh well.
SOURCE
