Let me get straight to it; Sexy Red, and many entertainers like her, are officially on demon time. This is a term that refers to nonstop f**kery and horniness. To give you an idea of what I mean that she’s on demon time, she recently tweeted, “I’m not a demure ass bitch, I’m a hoe.” When I read these words, it hit me hard. I can imagine that they hit you hard too when you heard or read about it. But the questions I want to ask you are these: How did you feel when you read that? Did you cringe? Did you feel a sense of disgust, or perhaps sadness; maybe anger? Did you wonder what could possibly be going through the mind of a young woman who would openly embrace such a destructive identity? These are questions that I asked myself after I read about her provocative tweet.
As you ponder those questions, let me proceed to unpack this mess. While I could go in and deconstruct Sexy Red as an entertainer, and harp on the principle of personal accountability, something we all should uphold, I want to take a moment with this writing not to point fingers at Sexy Red as a person, but at the bigger problem at hand. Sexy Red’s tweet isn’t just a random outburst; it’s a symptom of a much larger issue—a carefully orchestrated industry-driven mission to desensitize, demoralize, and demonize the masses, particularly through the weaponization of music.
This tactic isn’t anything new; the imagery and language being recast through today’s music is a tool used by social engineers, rather sorcerers and wizards, to manipulate minds through the power of suggestion and repetition. And know for certain that what we’re seeing today is nothing less than a modern-day echo of the minstrel period, where the image of the Jezebel Black woman was painted with the brush of degradation and sexual objectification. The aim then was clear—to strip Melanated women of their dignity and humanity. And today? The industry is perpetuating the same toxic assaults under the guise of empowerment and freedom. But what does it profit someone to gain the world and lose their soul?
Shifting the focus to more solution-based thinking in response to the industry, let’s take a moment to reflect on the Harlem Renaissance—a period when Melanated artists, writers and thinkers rose up in affirmative defiance of these degrading stereotypes. They pushed back against the distorted images by creating art that celebrated the depth, beauty, and complexity of Melanated life. They knew that culture shapes consciousness and that by reclaiming their narratives, they could reclaim their power.
The same happened in the late 1970s through the mid 1990s with the Hip-Hop movement. Battling against the negative imagery of the Blaxploitation movement and stereotypical characters that were the stars of the show, Hip Hop displayed its creative genius through urban dance, street art, rap (rhythm and poetry) music, fashion, cultural and spiritual consciousness, and entrepreneurialism. Demonstrating the viability of the culture, the pioneers of hip-hop stood firm against the corporate machine and found ways to break into the mainstream through the principles of cooperative economics, collective work and responsibility. They also presented a positive image of urban life despite the hardships faced in the inner city. Celebrating African culture and emphasizing knowledge of self, conscious emcees and groups like Boogie Down Productions, the X-Clan, Brand Nubian, Stetsasonic, The Jungle Brothers, Native Tongues, KMD, YZ, Poor Righteous Teachers and many more were regularly played on the radio. Today, they’re nowhere heard on the mainstream; INTENTIONALLY!
Fast forward to now, and we’re in a different kind of battle, one where the lines between self-expression and self-destruction are blurred. The spirit of Jezebel, as depicted in the Hebrew Scriptures and echoed in the Messianic book of Revelation, is one of manipulation, seduction, and idolatry. It’s a spirit that leads people away from their true purpose, wrapping them in a false identity that ultimately leads to ruin. When I see tweets like Sexy Red’s, I see the influence of this very spirit at work.
So, what’s the remedy? It’s not as simple as deleting a tweet or turning off a song. The remedy is cultural and historical consciousness. We, as a community, need to dig deep into our roots, to remember who we are and where we come from. Sistas, we need to remember that we are daughters of Zion, the manifestation of the Moon on Earth. We all carry a divine light within us that the world desperately needs, but we can’t shine if we’re blinded by the glitter and fools good of the world. And Brothas, we have a responsibility to be men, to represent the Sun on Earth. Together, we are meant to shine, to provide light for the world to see the essential beauty of life. We’re not demons, we’re in fact, the children of Elohim, meant to demonstrate to the new humanity to Earth, fully evolved and connected with Source and all of creation.
In that light, let’s not let the industry dictate our identity. Let’s rise above the noise, the distortion, and the demonic influences, and reclaim our true selves. Because when we do, we’re not just saving ourselves—we’re saving future generations.
Selah…
by B. Michael Long
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