In a recent interview with Complex, TI stands by his words.
Here’s an excerpt of the interview:
In July, you were criticized for comments about Black Lives Matter. You tweeted, “For us to really have an argument in the BLM movement we must show that Black Lives Matter to us.”
This is true. I still feel that way. To be honest with you, you must understand what you’re facing. You’re facing two types of people. One, the type of people who want you to remain oppressed. And two, people who haven’t reached the understanding of the fact that you are being oppressed. So if you’re facing these types of people—one who wants you to remain this way, and one who don’t realize that it is this way—you cannot continue to poke holes in your opportunity to advance. No one is going to do more for you than you’re willing to do for yourself. So I honestly feel that we have to respect ourselves in order to demand respect. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying snap our fingers and tomorrow all black-on-black crime goes away. But you have to take the necessary steps. Everybody has to, at one point, be responsible. Not just for themselves, but for the community. Once we begin to feel like that, then we will start to establish a certain amount of respect for ourselves.People argue that police aren’t going to respect us either way.
One, I don’t necessarily believe that. Two, even if that’s true, you’re just helping them. You’re making their job easier. Why would you fight on their side? I think that’s an act of futility. I don’t see how that does anything to progress or advance the movement.One thing about this record, you’re speaking about police brutality—
Well, police brutality is one thing. We’re speaking about murders.
Sigh…
It’s kind of annoying now even other black people ldon’t understand A. White supremacy and B. that black people have already tried the respectability route.
How do you blame the oppressed for being oppressed?
Thank you. I just don’t understand some of us. There’s no excuse for bad cops allowing their racial bias to kill unarmed people. They need better training and everyone should be holding them accountable.
I feel like w
I wish people would shut up. Violence is about proximity. That’s why white on white violence is currently over 80 percent. Why aren’t people discussing an increase in white on white violence?
I was just about to say this. Why do people insist on going to Wikipedia State and YouTube university instead of really fact checking the FBI bureau where it shows that white on white crime has been high as recently as 2012.
I think people talk so much about black crime because if you turn on the news its damn near all you hear about. The news will practically sweep whitw crime under the bus but make it their business to take a whole to repeatedly talk about black crime
I thought he had some sense because of what he’s been saying on Instagram. I guess I was wrong.
People have to understand how dumb they sound using reduction of black-on-black crime as a means to an end to INNOCENT BLACK LIVES BEING TAKEN BY MURDERERS WHO ARE PROTECTED, GIVEN PAID LEAVE, AND NOT EVEN CHARGED LET ALONE FOUND GUILTY OF THEIR CRIME(S). My God…
The difference is black criminals go to jail for killing, while police get off. Come on now Tip.
Ignorance.
This sounds vastly different than the stuff he says on Instagram. Interesting.