The 'Smack That' rapper says during an interview, 'I think as long as you hold onto that past, there's a lot of weight that you carry with you everywhere you go.'
- Aug 12, 2020
AceShowbiz - In Akon's opinion, letting go of past slavery and moving on are the only ways black Americans can benefit. He stated this opinion when asked about how slavery is viewed in Senegal, a country in West Africa, during a recent interview with VLAD TV.
Speaking to the interviewer, Akon revealed that the people in Senegal have "kind of overcome the thought of slavery, we don't even think about it." He continued, "The only time we think about it, honestly, is when we're doing tours at Goree Island. Outside of that, people have lived and moved way beyond the slavery concept."
This prompted the "Smack That" rapper to compare it to the situation in the U.S., pointing out that black Americans are not able to let go of the past. "I think, in the U.S., they have this stigma of just not letting go of the past and blaming the past on every mishap or, you know, disappointment," he noted. "I think as long as you hold onto that past, there's a lot of weight that you carry with you everywhere you go. It's hard to move forward and move fast when you got a weight on your back. You just gotta let it go."
He then went on encouraging people to just move to Africa if they don't want to experience racism because in his eyes, Americans "just don't care." He said, "Do you want to stay here and continued to be treated this way? Or just go back home, where you're not no longer the minority."
"You actually are the majority, and you control your destiny, your future, and your land ... They just need to go," Akon added. "America did a good job at brainwashing. The moment you mention Africa, they start shaking. They don't even know why."
Some people disagreed with what Akon said after watching the interview, with one saying, "But Africa is still being controlled by outside forces in many ways." Meanwhile, someone else commented, "Ofc Africans don't think about it because they wasn't brought over here by force they got to stay in they they country so he can't say let the past go because his ancestors wasn't the one force over here."
