By NICK CHILES
Outrage doesn’t begin to describe my reaction to the “advice” column by Too Short on the website of the hip hop magazine XXL. In the ridiculous video feature, the aging rapper basically advises middle school boys to commit sexual assault to hasten their relationships with their female schoolmates. The most astounding thing about this column, beyond the fact that somebody thought it was a good idea to select the notoriously raunchy rapper to give advice to anybody, was that the editors of XXL actually put it on their website and sent it out into the world.
As the father of a middle school girl (and a second one who is just two years away), I was so enraged and disgusted when I read the text of his XXL video that I wanted to run to their corporate offices and create a huge bonfire of XXL magazines in the lobby. I know if some little boy ever put a hand on my daughter and they found evidence of this video anywhere within sniffing distance of his dumb behind, XXL would need a building full of attorneys to fight all the lawsuits I would send their way.
Before I go any further, let me print for you a portion of the text of this video, which seems to have since been removed from the XXLmag.com site. (The video came to our attention via MadamNoire.com.)
“When you get to late middle school, early high school and you start feeling a certain way about the girls… I’m gonna tell you a couple tricks. This is what you do, man. A lot of the boys are going to be running around trying to get kisses from the girls, we’re going way past that. I’m taking you to the hole.
There’s a general area down there, a little spot that girls have that feels really good to them. Don’t kiss them down there yet, that’s later in life. But this is what you do. You push her up against the wall or pull her up against you while you lean on the wall and you take your finger and put a little spit on it and you stick your finger in her underwear and you rub it on there and watch what happens. It’s like magic. You gotta find her spot, they all have a different one, but it’s somewhere in there. Just go for it. When you feel like it becomes a little more moist that’s when you know you’re doing it right.”
That’s some crazy stuff right there, coming from a grown-ass man who clearly should know better. But this was Too Stupid’s third advice video for boys on the site, so the editors have had plenty of time to think about the wisdom of this endeavor. (In a previous video, he was trying to turn little boys into pimps.) By the way, the feature is called “Fatherly Advice.” There’s no indication that Too Slow is actually a father—but I am, and if I ever said something this outrageous to a little boy, I would grant any person reading this the right to spit in my face. Clearly I am not in the target demo for this particular magazine/website, but as a longtime member of the media I know a little about responsible journalism. This ain’t it. This is about as irresponsible as journalism can get. I know I shouldn’t expect New York Times-level seriousness from XXL, but damn. Teaching little boys to commit rape? Really?
It’s hard enough bringing little boys and girls through the middle school years with a minimum amount of adolescent trauma. I have given up expecting any help on this from popular culture, which feeds our kids a steady diet of sex-obsessed titillation and silliness. But is it too much to ask that one of our longtime publications, which claims to serve our young people, not make our jobs a million times harder by telling little boys to commit rape in the middle school hallways? I don’t think that’s an outrageous request.
As for Too Short—who forever more probably should be known as Too Silly—I’m kinda speechless. Maybe we can get some kind of restraining order to keep him away from the minds of our children? Or maybe somebody at XXL can act like a grown-up and send him back under the rock he slithered out from.
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Denene Millner
Mom. NY Times bestselling author. Pop culture ninja. Unapologetic lover of shoes, bacon and babies. Nice with the verbs. Founder of the top black parenting website, MyBrownBaby.
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He is a clown. I’m sure his parents or grandparents are so proud of him. He never had respect for women yet they open their legs to him while he calls them hoes and b****es…he disgusts me.
What the ****???
Watching the video, he sounds so serious like he is the best father figure to boys. REALLY?!??!? XXL should be ashamed. Apparently this message is already out there though….
My husband wrote me after seeing this and said, “But at every school there are boys who have already heard this talk from their own fathers or other males (brothers, cousins, and uncles). And then they go and repeat it to all their friends. I mean by middle school I had already heard this kind of stuff from friends so I’m not that surprised. I knew to ignore it…but not all my friends did and that was almost two decades ago! This message needs to die.
Which brings me to my bigger problem with this–the magazine is portraying this as fatherly advice! By the same token what are you supposed to tell your daughters? I can’t wait until they do that video. IMAGINE.”
In just a couple of short words. We’ve taken GOD out of everything and allowed the DEVIL in. What do you expect when you stop servicing the Lord? This is pure evil and we can’t justify it now. Everything has gotten out of hand since God is no longer at the front of everyone lives.
We’ve taken Prayer out of school
We’ve taken the Commandments out Court system
We’ve not lived by the Morals and Principles that God had installed us
We’ve don’t have conscience anymore and true love for people and their well being has gone out the door
I guess I had more the a few short words. Churches need to stop playing with God and the World need to acknowledge soon or they will cry out to him later. We’ve forgotten our first love….GOD
This is to the late 30 and older, before you judge what I just said, take a look around in today World and tell what you see……We’ve forgot about God and the devil-Evil has taken over….
I’ll continue to pray that GOD would open our minds and our hearts to see what is really going on in this World right now….Positive Changes are in order.
WOW! Complete nonsense
I am disgusted beyond belief! How many little girls have we already seen sexually exploited by gangs of middle and hih school males? I cannot believe that an adult male would provide this sort of advice to younf boys and that a magazine would think it approrpiate to post this mess!
Thank you for this piece. For reminding me how much pain and suffering there is out there for so many young men who do not know what it means to love, to be loved, to respect and to be respected that would feel somehow validated by Too Messed Up’s video. We have so much work to do to reach these young men, and reassure them that their instinct that it is not OK to approach a young woman that way is the right instinct. Men/voices like yours–that is what we need to hear more and more and more of. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Too Short is obviously sick and possibly a child molester himself. Only a sick person could come up with such detailed “tips” on how to assault a child. He’s very sick. I pray the authorities get a hold of Mr. Too Shit before he has a chance to live out his sick fantasy. Sick bastard!!!
I think that the police need to look at Too Short’s computer. He propbably has the same sick tendencies as R. Kelly
Oh and boycott XXL magazine!!!
Nick, I am JUST seeing your post I somehow missed this even though I am subscribed. I actually found it just now when I was googling Too Short for my own blog about the very same topic. I am SO outraged and trying to mount a campaign against XXL for publishing this foolishness. Thank you for this. Reposting.
What a blithering idiot! This is the best firm of “advice” he could muster?!? This is precisely why celebrities have no business being anointed as role models.
I’m too through with Too Short. Put him back in his cave where he belongs!
I’m quite sure he was talking about a boy doing that with his girlfriend, not just some girl he bumps into in the hallway, c’mon..Too Short is raw, but not crazy
yeah advice and underage boy how to finger and underage girl is cool as long as it is your girlfriend? Is that what ur saying? I have three kids at home, two boys and an adopted girl and the two oldest are in middle school. the last thing they should be thinking about regardless of whether or not they are male or female is sex. they have their entire lives ahead of them and this is just not proper. there is no validation for this. period. But if you don’t mind your little girl or little boy doing these things then I’m glad he can offer your kids this advice.
@ voice of (stupid) reason – You sound as ignorant as Too Shit!!! Even if he is talking about a little boy and his little girlfriend, HE’S STILL TALKING ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS, IDIOTS!!! At that age a little boy shouldn’t be doing that to a little girl!! These are kids, and yes, they are exposed to our overly sexualized society, but at the same time we, as adults should want to teach them appropriate and more responsible ways to deal with their feelings not teach them ignorance that could ultimately lead to teen or preteen pregnancy!!! His advice is sick, and nothing a grown ass man should even be thinking!!! And yes, HE IS CRAZY AND OBVIOUSLY SO ARE YOU!!!!!
Unequivocally, my sentiments too! After I saw the video (as a former parole officer who dealt with sex offenders) I unleashed expletives at my computer screen. A laughing 45yr old man explicitly telling boys how to rape a middle school girl; this is the exact stuff black pathology stem from. Where is the widespread outrage from the “talking head” brothaz: Roland Martin, Michael Eric Dyson, Tom Joyner, etc… Are they giving XXL and 2Short a pass or simply late to the party? And 2Short said he was in too short mode during the interview. I’m too mad for words! If anyone locate a list of XXL advertiser send it my way. Thanks for a place to vent.
I’m shocked. Disgust isn’t even the word. I remember middle school all too well as I am sure many other adults do. Hell i was still watching cartoons and (secretly) playing with dolls. the last thing I thought i needed to worry about was having some boy press me against the wall and shove his hands where they didn’t belong. I think that Too Short should take responsibility for this stunt. There is no way that he didn’t know about it. Every action has a consequence and this instance should be no different. Where is the line drawn? he should be made and example of so this never happens again. Children are given less and less time to keep their innocence and it isn’t right. its time to take a stand.
Too Short needs a SLAP upside his damn head!