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I am annoyed. 

If you’re a black male entertainer, and sort of famous, then…you must be a rapper. 

Yeah, a rapper. 

I mean, all black men in Hollywood rap. Right? 

Wrong! 

Ever wonder what Trey Songz, Usher, Chris Brown, Ryan Leslie, The-Dream, Ne-Yo, R.Kelly, and Bobby Brown have in common? 

Well, they’re all famous, black, male, singers who have been labeled as rappers by middle-aged, clueless, lazy, condescending journalists who think all black male entertainers are nothing more than rappers. 

If you’re a misinformed journalist born in the heartland of America, or trapped in some kind of Eurocentric state of delusion, then maybe, just maybe, every famous black guy is a rapper OR a basketball player, but in real life they are not. 

The idiots at the New York Post thought it was accurate reporting to refer to R&B artist Ryan Leslie as a “rapper” in regards to his court proceedings involving a million dollar lawsuit for his lost laptop. 

Since when is/was Ryan Leslie a rapper? 

What’s just as disturbing and annoying is the continuation of the negative connotations in the headline, also referring to the singer as a “weasel.”

Ryan Leslie is no weasel. He’s a Harvard University graduate who began matriculating and graduated from the prestigious university as a teenager with a B.S. in government. 

I guarantee most of those journalists at the New York Post can’t say the same. 

Lately, Ryan’s been experimenting with his sound and spitting a few bars here and there, but by no means is Ryan Leslie a rapper. 

Yes, some of these R&B singers including Trey Songz, Chris Brown, and R.Kelly have toyed with the idea of rapping, BUT if you ask each and every one of them where their heart lies, they will quickly tell you “singing.” 

Trey Songz even had a song titled “Shoulda Been A Rapper,” key word, SHOULDA! 

What’s next, Rihanna the “RAPPER?”  

If you think about it, the Bajan pop star has all the qualifications of a stereotypical rapper.

She smokes weed, she curses like a sailor, she has rapper friends, oh, and most importantly she’s black. 

I’m black and I like to rap (when listening to my iPod), but I am NOT a rapper, nor would I appreciate it if you frivolously referred to me as such. 

The stereotyping of black entertainers and athletes has to stop.

How can you call yourself a “journalist” if you don’t even take the time to accurately research the human being you’re reporting on? 

Talk about journalistic integrity. 

It would make the world a better, less stereotypical place if reporters and journalist bought a clue and conducted a quick Google search on the black artist they enjoy gossiping about. 

To all the careless, lazy, prejudiced journalists who have forgotten about the key tenets of journalism, do us all a favor, stop misinforming the public.

Get a clue or stop writing. 

~Brittany Lewis 

Brittany Lewis is the Music Editor at GlobalGrind and a Howard University Alumna. Brittany considers herself seasoned on all the pop culture ish that matters. Follow her on Twitter @Buttercup_B.