Beyonce’s and Solange’s dad, Mathew Knowles, has long ago proven himself to be a complex individual. He’s made mistakes (cheated on his now ex-wife, Tina Knowles Lawson), he’s molded one of the most dynamic superstars of today’s generation, he’s had love affair kid(s) outside his previous marriage to Tina, and he also dedicates much his time toward helping others in need within his hometown of Houston, TX. So…as you can see, the brotha has many layers from which he gets judged by…but quite frankly, don’t we all? It’s called being human, even though it does not negate any of the wrongdoing we may have done.
Anywho, apparently in 2018 Mathew was on a mission to shed a much needed spotlight on the ignorance of colorism in America. In doing so, he received backlash…as well as praise. Why? Because as we previously reported, he’s been brutally honest about his inflictions with colorism, while simultaneously holding a mirror up to America, forcing the nation to embrace it’s wrongs, so to speak. As we could expect, with bravery always comes adversity…and for Mathew, he’s received his daily dosage after an interview surfaced.
In an interview with Ebony Magazine, Knowles was promoting his then-upcoming book, “Racism: From the Eyes of a Child.” Aside from admitting that he thought his ex, Tina Knowles-Lawson, ‘was a White woman’ when he first met her, he then went on to discuss why Beyonce’ has had so much success. Simply put, he said it’s because of her light skin. Let Knowles explain in this excerpt from his Ebony interview:
Mathew Knowles: “When it comes to Black females, who are the people who get their music played on pop radio? Mariah Carey, Rihanna, the female rapper Nicki Minaj, my kids [Beyonce and Solange], and what do they all have in common?”
Interviewer: “They’re all lighter skinned.”
MK: “Do you think that’s an accident?”
Interviewer: Of course not!
MK: “So you get it!”
At first glance, hearing a Black man say that about his daughter, may make him seem very shallow and void of substance. But after reading what else Mathew had to say (below), it soon became clear he wasn’t necessarily attempting to sound like a brainwashed coon at all. He was instead shedding light on a very brainwashed state of mind within America that has existed since slavery…
Mathew Knowles: “I have a chapter in the book that talks about eroticized rage. I talk about going to therapy and sharing–one day I had a breakthrough–that I used to date mainly White women or very high-complexion Black women that looked White. I actually thought when I met Tina, my former wife, that she was White. Later I found out that she wasn’t, and she was actually very much in-tune with her Blackness. … I had been conditioned from childhood. With eroticized rage, there was actual rage in me as a Black man, and I saw the White female as a way, subconsciously, of getting even or getting back. There are a lot of Black men of my era that are not aware of this thing.”
Fan Reactions
Check out the mixed reactions Mathew Knowles received at that time…
— Car González 🌮⚡️✝️🔑🐝 (@ThrillerX_) February 5, 2018
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https://twitter.com/Myishiacb/status/960618574044807168
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https://twitter.com/Agilesmusic/status/960603494578376704
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https://twitter.com/GABBYiSACTiVE/status/960594314345639936
It’s understandable that the psychological warfare – which has brainwashed many generations of human beings – is a painful wound to bear for many. However, we can only put a band-aid over it for so long, because even though it’s covered, it’s still bleeding. Therefore, what Mathew is admitting and raising awareness about – the nonsense notion that beautiful women – like Lupita N’yongo, Viola Davis, Lauryn Hill and Gladys Knight, to name a few – are not as ‘beautiful’ as a Beyonce’ is a much needed discussion– not only within the Black community, but it sure is a great place to start.
