In a candid discussion on the season 3 premiere of his sports talk show, "It Is What It Is," rapper Cam'ron opened up about his views on racial classification, expressing a preference for identifying as a "Black American" rather than an "African American."
During a conversation with co-host Ma$e, Cam'ron delved into his reasoning, emphasizing that he would rather fill in 'Black' on identification forms. He argued, "I’d rather say I’m a Black American because Africans don’t even f*ck with us. When you go over there [to Africa], they call us ‘yankees.’ We’re not from the Motherland; we're from America."
Cam'ron drew parallels to the Olympics to strengthen his perspective. When Black athletes represent the United States, he pointed out, they are simply referred to as "American" without a racial qualifier. He stressed, "It’s an American fighter… You’re known in the Olympics as an American. It doesn’t matter what color you are."
Highlighting the inconsistency in categorization, Cam'ron expressed, "They don’t categorize it when it’s world competition, but when it’s other sh*t, it needs to be categorized. So I consider myself a Black American. I don’t consider myself an African American."
Despite his stance, Cam'ron didn't hesitate to send a shoutout to "all my n*ggas in Africa," acknowledging his connection while maintaining his distinct viewpoint. He acknowledged the love but noted, "But y’all don’t consider us real Africans. Y’all don’t!"
Cam'ron's perspective adds a nuanced layer to discussions about racial identity, challenging conventional labels and highlighting the complexity of individual experiences within the broader context of race.
