I am a Coloured South African from Cape Town. Coloured is a distinct race with its own culture in South Africa. I am not "mixed race." I dont have one white parent and one black parent. My parents are Coloured. Their parents were Coloured. The reason we don't agree to be classified as Black or "African American" when in US, is because we have a disticnt culture that is separate and different to Black cultures in SA and it is celerbrated and recognised. The reason Tyla refused to answer the question is because when she answered the exact same question in previous US interviews she got massive backlash because US citizens read her comments and took it as she doesn't wanna be Black. So now she shuts the question down because she is just tired of having to explain and defend her race and culture and identity that people dont want to understand and recognise. As a grown adult South African who consumes US content, i take the time to learn about racial dynamics in the US so i dont get confused when consuming US content. Americans are now consuming South African content from Tyla, so take the time to learn about our culture and heritage. Love your work brother. Keep up the awesome work.
That’s amazing context and perspective. Super helpful. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to educate, because you didn’t have to. We also have to educate ourselves. So i appreciate this comment for real. Peace!!!!
Well said Matthew. I am a black South African and we don't get why Americans are making a big deal out of this. Coloured in the US and SA means two different things. All they just need to do is learn that, and stop expecting this young lady to constantly explain to them the difference. She got backlash before, I don't blame her for not responding. There are black people in South Africa and Coloured people in South Africa. That's it, nothing complicated there.
Perhaps she should take the time and learn about the recent tension about light and dark-skinned girls that is now trending in this country so both need to understand people's culture and feelings. Please take the time and learn about what is trending colorism is a hot topic and there has been a lot of heated talks on social media. Beyonce did the song Brown Skin Girl it was to help balance the scales and to recognize both skin tones she added more brown skin dancers to her team. I've been to SA twice and was told about blacks and coloreds. but now we are in the States this beef is surfacing she has to know that and learn what is happening here and now and not just record sales and publicity and not suggest that we do research to understand this goes both ways.
Tyla did not do anything wrong. The breakfast club was not the place for the conversation. That is her prerogative. She has to live in her skin (in the US and out the US.) I would not want to talk to a clown about such a serious/ nuanced topic. You should talk to a clown about clown shit…simple 🤷♀️
Charlamagne was being messy. He wanted his viral moment, and he got it. I love Rob’s interview style over Charlamagne’s, his Genius interview with Mariah is one of my personal favourites. 🙌
I didn’t think he was being messy personally. But maybe i sympathize because I’ve been in these situations, I know how it feels. Thank you for weighing in and your love on the Mariah interview. That has been a career highlight so far for me
He just didn't go super softball with her. From my watching of them you expect char. to ask the tough and funny ones. Honestly it wasn't even a tough one. The question was simple. It wasn't a "so what's the name of your tour" type of question if that's what ppl were expecting
Definitely sounds like they were taking advantage of the fact that you don’t promote controversy. I respect the fact you dragged yo🥜 . With yo resume you should have more subscribers but people wanna hear the fake
This conversation always frustrates me because it just turns into black on black mudslinging. Does Tyla benefit in some way from being associated with American black women? Sure. As does Rihanna, as does Tems, the list goes on. Did Tyla ever claim to be an American black woman? No! South African racism is similar to ours, but it took a different path and looks different than ours. She doesn't have to identify with American racial categories just because Americans put that label on her
There is so much nuance and context needed to discuss it all properly. But yeah yo, Tyla knows who she is, and who she is, is shaped by her experience and South African culture as a whole. In that regard, I’m here to listen and learn
@@RobMarkman Yeah you hit the nail right on the head. I understand where black women are coming from, throughout history and especially in music, there've been a lot of people who use their blackness and the black community to get popular, only to abandon the community once they get there. But with that said, Tyla isn't one of those people. I think people online right now are hypersensitive to culture vultures and they're trying to gatekeep black music to protect black culture, but they're too trigger-happy
You literally just admitted what the issue is with her. Her entire aesthetic is copied from BW. That's a problem. It's like Jessica Alba in the movie Honey. No one cares what she is. We just want her to stop riding our waves and make indian woman music instead of bw music
Exactly! African Americans need to understand this nuance. Black people from other cultures can pick what they want to associate in the US. Freedom of association is literally a civic right. African American culture is not a healthy culture at the moment. As an immigrant from Barbados, I got so many projections of not wanting to be black and preferring whiteness. Even though all of the traits they considered white were things expected to be a good person in Barbados. Tyla is an example of a good person from South Africa. She still has her cultural values. She’s still finding herself. Hopefully she can find a space like Aaliyah. Aaliyah was both respected and valued by many audiences beyond R&B.
Yeah!!! I don’t quite see it like 50 tho, artists do deserve to hold some things for themselves in theory. The reality is more close to that 50 quote tho.
Yes she is now famous and she will be asked some uncomfortable questions in some interviews, thats the price you pay. However, in this instance, this is just Americans not taking the time to learn about other people's culture and heritage. She is coloured in South Africa, not black. Trevor Noah for example is bi-racial but considers himself a black man. These words mean different things in different parts of the world, it just needs one to educate themselves.
Personally I think its important to read the room and develop a natural interaction where respect is mutually reciprocated. I agree its up to these artists(their teams) if they want to go through trifling interviewers.
Main issue with the Tyla situation is that Charlamagne isn’t informed enough, nor known for nuanced discussion, around specifically the term COLOURED and that group and what it means in South Africa. It literally doesn’t mean the same thing as it does here. There’s an Afrikaans angle, there’s an apartheid angle, there’s even a Soweto angle. Cthagod doesn’t know anything about that. He doesn’t even know about the Dutch East India company landing on the Cape - nor about the Second Boer War. AND he has a not positive history when it comes to his on-air treatment of Black women (see Lil Mama). I don’t it’s unreasonable to provide a list that includes something so deep and unknown - even for some of those within South African. Feels corny to ask the question (when he doesn’t know WHAT he’s even asking).
I hear you, and if they feel that he is ill equipped to have the convo, maybe don’t go to his platform then. Or come and use the platform to educate if she has that desire in her to do that- i mean you just put me on to a whooooooole bunch of context that i didn’t know (thanks bro!!!! 💙) But it’s hard to have it both ways and say I want this huge platform but to only speak on what i wanna speak on. And towards the end of the interview they say that her team gave a list of stuff not to ask (other things not related to race). BUT I’m with you, on there is some place or platform where we can all benefit for a really thoughtful and informed discussion about the term and what it means.
It's not a corny question when she's being pushed on mainly black platforms. Historically this has happened in the past. People are getting checked about lineage now, especially when it comes to Black Americans.
I agree, it's as simple as not going to his show or being more prepared to talk about ethnicity in a musical arena where she can't pretend it doesn't matter. Even if her response is brief and dismissive, it's silly to think a radio host is going to handle you with kiddie gloves.
Being someone from South Africa, Colored is a thing here. I'm colored, so when she says she's colored that's a thing where we're from. When you fill in a personal form here, there's a Colored box you need to tick off when you need to identify your race.
Whenever Tyla gets asked about her racial identity, it blows up. It's understandable that her team wants her to stay away from the topic. She’s young and still establishing her career. She has said what she is many times. Also, I don't think the Breakfast Club is the best place to discuss racial identity (i.e Amara La Negra).
Yeah. I think it’s perfectly fine for a team to say “this isn’t the best place to discuss this topic” but then skip that outlet altogether until the artist is ready
@@RobMarkman I still feel like the question was asked to be messy. He could’ve easily researched the topic on his own. She just gets so much backlash whenever this is brought up.
I don’t follow Tyla .. I knew her song .. that breakfast club interview was my first time seeing her interviewed.. and it rubbed me the wrong way. How many times she explained it in other interviews was and still is irrelevant to me … you on a different platform with a different audience.. answer the question again.
@@ferrariphilxexactly! This is a totally different audience. I think C tha G was giving her the opportunity to explain her culture to his audience. It could have been a great moment for her if they didn’t shy away from the question. I agree with Rob. If you aren’t ready for the platform skip it and come back later.
@@ferrariphilx I don’t really follow her either, but I know we have this SAME conversation about her racial identity every few months. Whenever she explains, intense backlash follows. Anyone would get tired of that. And like I said, Charlamagne is not the best person to have conversations on racial identity with. He definitely asked the question to be messy and you won’t be able to convince me otherwise. She explained for the hundredth time in her stories, so hopefully it makes sense to you. I’m sure it will come up again in the future like it always does. 😒
That interview started off with Charlemagne asking a woman about poop When has that ever been cool as a dude to ask a woman about her taking a shit. That's weirdo energy to me personally. Maybe she would have been more receptive to certain questions if he wasn't so goofy the whole interview. I personally don't think that question alone was much of an issue but his whole energy during that interview was goofy.
Concerned as Charlemagne ages he reminds us he’s an heir of Wendy. Appreciate your insight about how these go down. While I wish Tyla just addressed it, she’s been doing that now for too where I can see why she feels this way. Just wish Cha the God would stop framing it for clicks.
I don’t agree that he framed it for clicks. I think the awkwardness of the artist team member speaking off camera and that whole thing made it spread even further than it would’ve ordinarily. C tha God absolutely learned from the school of Wendy but he’s evolved into his own thing thru the years. And even the C tha God from when BFC first started isn’t the same as he is now.
I disagree with you. C had no idea that her manager was going to speak up in the background. That's the part that made it go viral. Had her manager not made it a viral moment nobody would even be talking about Tyla. Her manager probably did it on purpose, knowing it would go viral just to get Tylas name out to the U.S. I never heard of her before this interview.
These guys were boasting about them visiting South Africa and having friends here but they asked her racial questions really they were laughing like kids . I dont think they will be treated well again when they visit here. Imatured man if you can call them men tried to bully a young girl . Respect crap like that please . A racist platform
I’m sure that the complex history in South Africa doesn’t make this conversation easy. Same way the complex history in the U.S. gets people very passionate about conversations around Blackness and race overall. And it’s ok to admit that, it’s actually helpful to admit that.
@@RobMarkman HI Rob, to be honest with you, I feel sorry for her because the issue is complex and that's how some of us always know how a "Coloured" person will identify themselves when they leave SA because the title was legislated. Sadly it came with the privileges of being a better than a "Black person" but below a "White person". Yes, to some to this day it's difficult to transcend and identify themselves with the struggle of being a black person. From an American perspective, I honestly understand you don't get it that a black person will refuse to identify as black. I get CTG or an average person in the US, Europe or Brazil won't understand the distinct classification. Good conversation though.
lol so if Dot is what the culture feeling, you sayin you what the culture thinkin🤣🙏🏽 dope content as always showin how it can still be raw and uncut without being drama based appreciate you fam
gotta respect the platform and at least allow the question to be asked. funny how the discourse about her not answering the question made her put out a statement that could have easily been the answer to the question. lol
@@knight7se7en because you have to respect the audience the platforming is serving. People think the interview is serving the artist but they are really serving their audience.
@@knight7se7enbecause you’re the one coming on that platform to garner more attention for yourself as a marketing tactic… should you not respect an entity that’s bigger than you and giving you promo?
All due respect Rob , every name you listed as apart of your interview list , not a single one of them did you interview at 22 years old that was raised outside the U.S. who just debuted an album , and then ask them a question regarding racial identity politics as it pertains to the country they were NOT born in . That was a heavy false equivalent naming people who were already icons in the culture when you interviewed them . And even still, were PRIMARILY men in “hip hop” which her demo isnt relegated to .
@@RobMarkmanTell us names of artists who has a Tyla background as the OP described. Racial politics in America is too much. In other countries, race isn’t discussed like that so it’s totally unfair to blindside Tyla the way they did.
If they (your list) land in the criteria I cited , and if you find them a comparable subject to this instance to further your point about Tyla and her team that are trying to incubate her from U.S. racial identity politics as it pertains to black culture . ABSOLUTELY would love that .
The problem is that, whatever answer Tyla would have given, Americans would have taken it and applied it to the American landscape, that conversation would have dragged and taken away from whatever her intent was by going there…the best thing for her was “no comment”
Yeah no comment works - or something to the effect of “I know who i am, and what I feel, but every time i talk about it, it seems to make people feel a way. So I don’t wanna talk about it here, maybe some time down the road when i can find the right platform to really discuss it in a serious way”
@@RobMarkmanwhatever Tyla would have said, people would have found fault in it. This is not the first time Tyla addressed this issue and each time people have selectively listened to her and dragged her. Also the breakfast club should have turned down the interview if they knew they couldn’t abide by the agreement to not asked the questions her team shouldn’t be asked.
I feel bad for Tyla being caught in the crosshairs but The Breakfast Club has been crystal-clear since their inception about the fact they ask the questions they want to ask, even if they’re requested not to. If Tyla didn’t know about her label putting together this list, I blame them for putting her in that situation. l do feel like Charlamagne could’ve handled it in a way that fell in the label’s lap more than Tyla’s, but I can’t really fault him here. Awkward situation all-around.
It just shows that more people need to study and anthropology. she said nothing wrong. They need to leave that young lady alone. her album is decent also
It's a fair question trevor noah breakdown South Africa dynamics well. If I was trying to break into a country's market I would learn how to make a point
I wisH you wouldve Had an opportunity to interview ScHoolboy Q after the release of Blue Lips. I feel like a lot of interviewers dropped the ball and left the fans missing a greater understanding of tHe project, Hell it could drop tomorrow and Id tune in 😂
Great video. Love that you really like to stick to the music but you were right in that it wouldn’t be good to not touch on other parts of Ye at this point. At the same time I do feel like Ye isn’t well and it does feel like putting a mic in front of him is also exploiting him. From what we have seen I think that is fair to say. People know he’s going to say something that will get them views. Anyways dope convo
I had a foot in hip-hop media when I was working in publishing and I can def confirm the Tyla thing was unusual. Granted, I haven't interviewed many people at all and def not no Jay Z lol, but I been in rooms and what not. Met a few of my own favs over the years and anytime it was on about to be something on the record it was what it was. The PR ppl were around but never telling me what to ask or whatever. Now corporations/brands.. this is def standard for them. I've talked to ppl from all kinds of brands and they almost always want to know what the convo is gonna look like before they jump in. It's a difficult needle to thread over there, but yeah...I wonder who what firm the Tyla rep is from and if they do much work with artists. Weird.
Yeah it’s one thing to be prepared. I think artists and their teams should be prepared. I think it’s ok to ask for talking points and ask what direction the interview will go and then prepare with your artist to have that convo
@@RobMarkman Big fax. I think what Tyla team did here crossed an ethical boundary a little bit, in much the same way it does when you do the interview and the PR people want a copy before it goes live. Like, no lol.
@@thu6muff1nBro, Tyla’s team and TBC agreed to not touch the subject before hand. CTG blindsided her. If there is anyone that crossed the ethical boundary is CTG.
I just feel the whole topic is stupid like who gives af if she goes by “colored” instead of black she’s not even American. In most places being “black” doesn’t really mean much. It’s more so a western/us term not saying others don’t use it but it’s just culturally different
She knew, for her to look to her team off camera after he asked her was an indication that she knew what her team asked of them. As an artist, you have to play the game. Your benefiting from the publicity and the reach of the platform, you can’t also try to dictate what not to talk about. Her team should have did more homework on the breakfast club and if she didn’t wanna answer certain questions, she should have picked a different platform.
Very thoughtful as always! Curious to know if you feel similarly to Elliot that artists need to do interviews? Is the audience entitled to interviews that give more personal insight or is the music enough?
Don’t let Elliott see you spell his name with one “t.” LMAO I agree to a degree. I don’t think the audience is entitled to anything though, except what an artist chooses to give. I do think that this thing of ours is communal and a lot of artists view a lot of media if they’re not part of this whole thing. A lot of the time the relationships become one sided. BUT a lot of media now doesn’t need the interview because we can just talk about the artist and say what we feel. A lot of artists don’t need the media cause they can just say whatever on social media. But something special happens when you sit the right artist with the right journalist at the right time. (Long winded and maybe didn’t answer your question completely) lol
Man you need to have 15 minute convos with artists or other people you think are interesting on this channel you’re well known brother I’m sure you can make a couple calls
I could and Eventually I will. but right now I just also wanna build an audience that's here for me. I dont want to build somethin that's reliant on other artists showing up for it's success.
Rob, a long time ago, I used to think you were too cool for school. 😁 Meaning, although you were great at what you do, you came off to me as no one can know about or love music more than you. Over time, you progressed to being the adult in the room & embraced that your audience knows as much as you do or even more. That's my opinion. Your Drake/Kendrick commentary was masterful. All this said, what exactly do you respect about Charlemagne? It surely can't be his history of coming for women. From my view, consider not being another man co-signing another man based on him simply being a man. A lot of his rise was from kicking in the backs of women. If Tyla didn't want to talk about it, leave it alone.
I actually respect a lot about Charlamagne. Has nothing to do with him being a man, I’ve seen him help people, put folks on dope career paths, share his light with creatives; make space for different people and his growth and evolution. Has him always gotten it right? No. Have any of us? No. But I respect him.
@@RobMarkman In case there's a need to say, my comments to you are delivered with respect & kindness. The level of disrespect Charlemagne has exhibited towards women is so high that it can't be reduced down to "Has he always gotten it right? Have any of us?" He speaks on mental health but is/has been a savage towards women. If only more men would speak up against it & understand misogyny & learn about patriarchy. Hey, Puff did a lot but certainly what has now come to light would not warrant a response like has he always gotten it right. Lastly, keep up the great work + friendly suggestion for more lyrical breakdowns from women rappers. 👊👍 (I was happy Sway shouted you out on Sway In The Morning not too long ago.)
@RobMarkman I enjoy your perspectives, brother. A little while ago, in the comments, I asked if you would do a segment about Tierra Whack and Symba's comments and disconnect with Nas music during the Revolt panel. I'm still really curious about how you felt during that moment, if you ever care to share them publicly. Do you think they were trolling? Or was there something more to it? In any event, keep doing your thing, sir! Salute!
Much love. I don’t think there’s much to say about the Symba, Tierra Nas thing. You guys saw it all play out on the video. My perspective is this, Nas is one of my top and favorite MCs ever. Symba and Tierra may feel differently or at least they felt differently that day. I made my point, they made theirs. I honestly am shocked that so many people were upset about it, i get hit about it often. I just didn’t take it that seriously. But a lot of people did. I didn’t think it would be as big a controversy as it was
I respect that, bro. I also respect Tierra Whack and Symba not being fans of Nas, but on the screen, at least, it came off as dismissive and somewhat disrespectful. I thought it was a bit extra. But maybe I was tripping.
Regardless the ONLY reason she WON'T answer s because she doesn't want to offend a group that she does NOT dentify with and if we just banished Drake for it, then let's play fair across the board. Answer the question genuinely and rock with the results. But sitting on the fence with something soooooo important and potent to the people you peddle your music to is not going to cut it. If you can come benefit from the platform the LEAST you could do is answer the question when you're asked to align yourself. That way people know. It's her choice for sure but he's not wrong for asking especially when she wants to benefit from the good black people interviewing AND VIEWING HER. Just my take tho I love what you're doing too btw Rob. Keep getting at it
It seems Tyla already faced backlash from a Big Boy interview where she actually did answer the question explaining what coloured meant to South Africans. I think her team was just trying to protect her rising star. Unfortunately, the issue went viral anyway. She seemed nervous, so maybe her team told her they would step in if things got too uncomfortable, so she would agree to the interview. Sometimes the artist and their teams differ in opinion. I feel like other women still avoid that platform because of Charlemagne. Imo, his energy was weird from the beginning asking her if she had just got done "pooping", as a first question. I think he was being petty because he was offended by her team trying to tell him what to ask, and threw off the energy of the interview, to me. While I don’t like when artist stop interviewing on "black" platforms for Zane Lowe or similar platforms, I understand if our platforms get upset and messy, if they don't want to talk about certain things. Respect works both ways. Touchy topics can affect their careers, and she's just starting out. Sad her interivew on one of the largest black platforms had to turn into a negative moment for her. Big fan of your interviews and conversations with artists though, you focus more on the music with a good balance of everything else!
Tyla: Context she is South African South Africa has deep history of colonial and racialisation. I am South African, it is sooo controversial back home that if she identifies as black, she will face scrutiny back home in SA. In SA the one drop matters. Basically Tyla’s parents are from a racial group refered to as Coloureds (not American spelt coloured) this is separate and exclusive to being Black! Sad but a deep history that is reflected in how towns were coloured coded by the previous Apartheid regime. Thats the definition of Apartheid to separate and segregate people by these weird as racial and ethnic classes and damn near tribal segregation in SA as well among blacks tooo! We are black, but vary in our tribal roots, there Black zulus, black Tswanas, black Xhosa’s etc but we do not have black coloureds as much as we do not have blacks Whites/europeans 😂 pathetic system but thats the cultural landscape South Africans live in (zips codes and all) and still identify by. So Tyla is better of not saying anything. Americas will shoot her for saying she is not Black or African South Africas will shoot her for claiming to be Black.
We need very specific places to have these convos around race. I think Bruno gets a lot of unfair criticism in this regard. Comes from a real place of historical disregard for Black art, but at times when he’s been personally targeted, felt unfair.
She came to a “black” platform, is trying to market to the black audience but doesn’t want to address her “blackness” but yet her written statement later on speaks to it, nah I’m not here for it. They shoulda been prepared, furthermore it gives she wants to the American black dollar but none of the black American association 🤷🏾♀️
She's literally adressed it numerous times already. She's an artist and performer. Not a professor on Africana studies ........ Also, more than likely she would've address it if CthaGod wasn't being weird. Dude claimed she was pooping in the bathroom then mentioned he's friends with MacG mad times , a South African podcaster who claimed she slept her way to the top. So in the moment she assumed he was going to take the same argumentative judgemental close minded weirdo angle people were taking online.
Idk it sounds weird when you say you base your interviews off ONLY music and when Ye wants to do an ONLY music interview you turn it down because you want to discuss the drama around his name? It just don’t make sense to me. But your content is great. I support 🫡
I understand it may not make sense to other people but it does to me. And that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t talk mostly about music if that would’ve went down, but i don’t wanna be used in that way. To me it feels like i would’ve been being used to escape accountability for things he’s said and done. I aim to focus my interviews on music but we live in a world where are artists effect more then music. Appreciate you
