Being a seasoned veteran does not put you above criticism

There has been a minor controversy brewing in New Orleans, because nationally syndicated radio legend Tom Joyner criticized 2-Cent Entertainment for their parody "Every Book".  "Every Book" is a parody of Lil Wayne's "Every Girl", and the parody aims to promote literacy among youth.  Joyner, whose show broadcasts on 98.5-WYLD where I co-produce and contribute to the talk show Sunday Journal with Hal Clark, completely missed on this one.  For the record, I find the parody hilarious, effective, and hat bothers me is that Joyner's veteran pride seems to be getting in the way.

Let me make it clear that I have a wealth of respect for Tom Joyner and his illustrious career.  Unlike these "Just-Add-Water" radio hosts who have been given jobs simply because they're comedians or generic celebrities, Joyner has dedicated his career to the craft of radio.  He set out to build a prestigious career, and has done so with excellence.  His efforts to promote and support the missions of historically Black colleges and universities as well as the hard-working students who attend them have been nothing short of outstanding.  I have nothing but respect for this man. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that the very people he criticized are entertainers who have become an important component of working with Black youth in New Orleans.

I've lost a little respect for him, because Joyner made critical errors in his criticism of "Every Book".

1.  He never played the parody for the rest of the country to hear.

2.  During his critique, he played an excerpt of "Every Girl".  If you're criticizing the parody, why play the song that was parodied?

3.  It's obvious that nobody on his team even visited 2-Cent's web site.

4.  No one contacted 2-Cent to get their side of this.

5.  His team could have posted the video on Joyner's site, Black America Web for the "Tom Joyner Morning Show's" listeners to make their own judgments.

6.  Although he invited Brandan Odums of 2-Cent for a follow-up interview, he pushed him into Roland Martin's segment.

Wild Wayne and I had the pleasure of having 2-Cent on our weekly show Real Talk on 98.5-WYLD's sister station, Q93.  It was nothing short of a pleasure talking to these folks about the criticism and new school leadership.  What I regret is that we didn't talk that much about the great things they are doing outside of entertainment.  The "Every Book" video, for example, featured scenes from a book drive that they did at an elementary school (in addition to a great endorsement by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson).  The team also does a media arts summer camp for kids.  On May 21, 2011, 2-Cent will have its Listen! Literary and Arts Festival.

Once again, I have nothing but respect for Joyner and his career.  God-willing, I'll have something close to his presence one day in radioland.  But Joyner is anything but above criticism on this issue.  He ironically suggested, in his initial critique, that 2-Cent should have used Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's "Parents Just Don't Understand".  Wait until you hear 2-Cent's next parody.  :-)