Here’s an example of how not to introduce a TV segment on a recently deceased rapper.
During her Fox News show “The Ingraham Angle” on Friday, Laura Ingraham called Nipsey Hussle, who was shot dead last month, a “dear” artist. No, she didn’t mean it.
Ingraham then laid into Hussle for “FDT,” a song with the chorus, “Fuck Donald Trump.”
“OK, now, that’s a very creative refrain,” Ingraham quipped.
The only problem is the song isn’t only his, and it’s old news. “FDT” is a collaboration with rapper YG, featuring Hussle, and it came out when President Trump was still a 2016 candidate.
Underscoring Ingraham’s sass, a chyron underneath the music video read, “Nipsey Hussle’s wholesome song featuring President Donald Trump.”
Here’s Laura Ingraham mocking a murder victim, just hours after he was laid to rest, because he opposed Trump 3 years ago. (Also, the man rapping in that video is YG, a person who is not Nipsey Hussle.) For shame.pic.twitter.com/02iBYdr5wo
— Angela Morabito (@AngelaLMorabito) April 13, 2019
You can make fun of a rapper for a vulgar jab at a politician. Just don’t do it when the joke is three years old, and the new hook is that the rapper has died.
It might be good to treat Hussle like another crazy anti-Trump celebrity if you want more attention, but the rapper was a positive influence in his own community. The activist and entrepreneur started businesses and provided jobs for ex-felons in his Los Angeles neighborhood. He wasn’t just an Alyssa Milano or Sarah Silverman type of celebrity activist.
Ingraham’s disrespect for the dead didn’t go unnoticed, and several rappers, including Snoop Dogg, The Game, and T.I., have called for her ouster. Ingraham will likely remain, but the dear talk show host should take notes. No, it’s not okay to mock a recently deceased musician and father just so you can parade your narrative about the entertainment industry.
It might seem funny to deride an anti-Trump celebrity until you realize that doing so makes your show just as “wholesome” as the song.
