Roland Martin Calls Bow Wow and Nick Cannon’s Plans Not to Vote in Presidential Election ‘Dumbest Ish I’ve Ever Seen’

July 29, 2016 | Posted by Kiersten Willis Tagged With: 2016 presidential election, bow wow civil rights, nick cannon won't vote, roland martin twitter, write in president

In the days after Bow Wow and Nick Cannon announced their lack of support for either presidential candidate, Roland Martin has had enough. The television host called out the rapper-actors on Twitter yesterday. First, he tore into Bow Wow – real name Shad Moss – for explaining he doesn’t feel compelled to vote since he has mixed race heritage and therefore does not identify with the civil rights movement.

Martin called it some of the “dumbest ish I’ve ever seen in my life.”

The host of TVOne’s NewsOne Now then rattled off a list of examples of mixed individuals who understand civil rights. One tweet mentioned Ben Jealous, the former president and chief executive officer of the NAACP.

In another post, Martin recalled meeting the artist at the White House and pointed out President Barack Obama’s mixed background.

The former CNN anchor did not stop there. He also included non-Black figures who “understand civil rights” including self-described anti-racism educator Tim Wise and Carmen Perez, who co-founded The Gathering for Justice.

Martin says Bow Wow’s mixed race has nothing to do with his lack of knowledge on civil rights. Instead, the rapper simply doesn’t care.

“You really need to be educated,” Martin told Moss.

And he informs the actor that Title IX protects his civil rights as a mixed race man.

Bow Wow was receptive to Martin’s message. He thanked him for “enlightening me” later that night.

Moss said he had respect for the news anchor and he was “willing to learn.”

Martin invited Bow Wow to exchange numbers so they could discuss politics and civil rights.

And Bow Wow obliged.

But Martin was not done yet. He immediately ripped Cannon, calling the America’s Got Talent host’s reason for not voting in the presidential election “asinine.”

Cannon told Germany’s Deutsche Welle News, at a Black Lives Matter rally July 20 he had no intention of voting based on the lack of respect for Black people from the Democratic and Republican parties.

Then, in an appearance on Access Hollywood Live July 25, Cannon said he would vote in his local election rather than the presidential race. Martin acknowledged the importance of local elections but said the president has a “huge involvement in local politics.”

He then explained how the president influences local governments.

And tells Cannon to write a name in if he’s not excited about a major party candidate rather than not voting at all.

Then, he compares the presidential race to casting votes for AGT.

Like he did with Bow Wow, Martin encourages Cannon to call him to discuss the mogul’s voting stance.

Cannon did not publicly respond to Martin’s invitation for a call. Instead, he said he will write in a candidate rather than vote for Republican presidentail nominee Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton.

INTERVIEW: NICK CANNON TALKS BLACK LIVES MATTER, VIEWS ON VOTING & NEW FILM ‘KING OF THE DANCEHALL’

MOCLASSIFIED

JULY 29, 2016

Nick Cannon is a jack of all trades and the exception of the phrase, as he’s also the master of all. More recently, he has added another effortless skill to the list—he’s been expressing his innermost thoughts and feelings using spoken word.

He has used such segments to shed light on race relations in Hollywood, the current presidential election, and the Black Lives Matter movement in regards to police brutality. We were able to pick Nick’s brain and talk politics, Black Lives Matter, his overall health, and his new movie, King of the Dancehall which will be displayed at this year’s Toronto Film Festival.

You juggle a lot of responsibilities. You’re a dad, you’re a producer, you’re a host, you’re a musician. You pretty much do it all. What particular habits and/or sacrifices do you credit to your success?

Uhhhh, My ADD [laughs] honestly, I mean always being hyperactive, being able to multitask —things I used to get in trouble for people see as attributes now.

Would you say you have any specific habits you think other people would think is kind of crazy?

Yeah, my lack of sleep. I don’t sleep much. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

Of all the things you’ve accomplished so far, what accomplishment still puts you in awe?

You know what, I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t even pay attention to my efforts as accomplishments because I feel like its an ongoing journey so I mean it’s definitely been some prominent milestones but I don’t look at it like “Oooo, look at what I did!” It’s more like a means to an end. But, I have done a lot of things in my young age that I’ve been the youngest to do this or the first to do this but I can’t really hang my hat on one particular accomplishment.

You’re raising an African American son, and I’m sure you’ve thought about the direct conversation and the approach you’ll have to present to him when he gets old enough. What advice and tips will you give him on being and surviving as a Black man in America?

I would honestly say it’s all about respect, ultimately. And I know he’s going to demand a certain level of respect and he’s going to offer that up as well so to get that you have to give it and understand your true value and how to conduct yourself as a man — and not even just a Black man, but a man in general. There’s a way that you carry yourself, and unfortunately we’ve been disrespected and devalued for so long. But it’s time to change that. Its time to recondition mindsets and it starts with us. Therefore once we know that we are true kings, and royalty, and queens, then others will have to treat us that way.

I do somewhat call myself a conspiracy theorist but I truly believe that it’s a systemic issue that for far too long we’ve been fed this mentality that we’re lesser than. Therefore we’ve operated as such for far too long.

What do you believe is the most effective way for us to at least begin to see some type of justice?

I believe you have to stand for something as a collective community. Otherwise it then turns into one voice screaming really loudly and another voice screaming loudly, opposed to when we collectively do it, it sounds like a chorus. That’s the approach that we need to take.

What was your inspiration behind the Spoken Word Sunday series?

Honestly, Ive been writing poetry since I was like eight years old, and to be able to express myself that’s kind of the way I was taught. Then obviously I fell in love with Hip Hop around the same time. So I’ve always been a poet but I’ve always been more of a writer when it comes to poetry. It has allowed me to embrace it from a different aspect and not just Hip Hop. I’ve always loved spoken word and I would do it often so I felt like it was the opportunity for me to really step into a different realm. I felt like it was a void in the marketplace. But then at the same time I didn’t want to monetize off of it or anything. It just allowed me to be an artist as a poet. I was like wow this is a great way through my social media to really express my views and how I’m feeling as a man and my emotions and it actually just turned out to be really good.

There’s been three [Spoken Word Sundays] that people have really been focused on: Dallas Flowers, Black Lives Matters, and Too Broke to Vote. A lot of people have been talking about my views on voting as of lately. I feel like I expressed myself quite well in that one. But they all kind of have a very similar message. Its that message that even Dr. King said best, “A lot begins to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” I always found that real interesting that he had that quote, and we keep talking about Black Lives Matter, all lives matter, blue lives matter. But, we have to understand the power of that word matter and how it resonates, and even translates itself to respect. That’s all people are ultimately yearning for is the respect of life. And we seem to have lost that and devalued life in itself. And a community has to demand respect.

Do you have any plan of action, or campaigns, or organizations in favor of the cause?

That’s the thing. I always tell people I didn’t just start doing this because its popular. I tell people, “Google my efforts.” You’ll see that even before I was famous I was a community activist and doing things cause that’s in the family of which I come from. I’ve done so many things on an entertainment level in the world of philanthropy from all my different foundations. I’ve created the Halo awards with Nickelodeon, a philanthropic award show where they focus on grants and efforts towards young people changing their communities daily. I think were going on our eighth year with that. But that aside, even me being the CCO of Radio Shack and it being the neighborhood electronic store is really implementing efforts into the community and showing us embracing the community. I always say the way we actually truly implement change is two ways: education and occupation. You’ll see quite a bit from me in both of those worlds. Providing more jobs for our community and mainly providing better education. I’ve been in Washington quite a bit working on the STEM education programs and the college preparatory programs, and getting more funding for that and making sure that the funding doesn’t go away for all of these things that have been put aside. Sometimes they don’t focus on our community and directing all of those funds to say that the Black community and the Latino community do care about science, technology, engineering, and math. And the fact that we’re putting the A in STEM now and turning it to STEAM and the A stands for art. All of those things are the efforts that I continue to push forward.

But ultimately it’s making sure everybody is safe. I do a peace walk in the Southside of Chicago. I go with Father Pfleger — they do it every week. I tend to do it once a month to stop the violence in the Southside of Chicago, to my own community of Southeast San Diego to Compton. I’m in Washington DC and Baltimore quite often. These are things that I feel like — I always say I want to do much more than just hashtag it. I’m really about it. And if I’m really going to be in these communities and really stand for these communities I have to make sure I walk the walk.

With you not voting would you say it’s just this campaign or this election or were you always not necessarily political?

A part of my issue is that I’m probably over political. Therefore, I don’t fall for the tricks and the lies. I don’t believe in participating in the pageantry. When they talk of this two party system that I’ve never subscribed to, and I suggest no one else subscribe to it. But, I might be getting a little too deep when I talk about that, and I talk over a lot of people’s heads when I say “It’s the lesser of two evils”. Voting for these two candidates is like picking out which gun you want to get shot with. Its still going to inflict pain. I think W.E.B DuBois said it the best and that’s someone I’ve always admired and read up on. But he kind of understood the lesser of two evils too. He said, “There is but one evil party with two names.” I feel like they all work for the same system. Even in my stand up act I talk about when you go to a restaurant and on the menu all they got is bulls*it but one is sugar coated bulls*it. That one might be sweeter but you still eating s*it [laughs]. And the fact that, trust me, I love being able to live in a country where we can vote and express ourselves and have a voice.

Democracy is amazing when it’s actually implemented and it actually works. But when they tell you that you’re voting for the president but it’s really a popularity contest that doesn’t matter because only 538 electoral votes will be the ones that actually choose your president. Do we even know who these people are who will be making that decision? And then once that’s implemented we’re not voting necessarily for the policy which actually runs the country, and people don’t understand that it’s these propositions and these policies that are really going to affect us. That’s why I focus on local government. And people want to get on my Twitter and my Instagram and say, “Oh you need to vote!” And the first question I ask them is, “Yeah I feel you. You’re right. We need to vote. Are you a registered voter?” [laughs] And if they can’t answer that question or if they do answer that question then I’m like, “Alright then whose you’re city councilman?” Then they really can’t answer that.

Everybody gets caught up because right now it’s so popular and it’s the thing to talk about. It’s like when it’s the NFL Playoffs. They don’t pay attention to the rest of the season but when they know who’s about to go to the Superbowl everybody jumps on the bandwagon. I’m not about all of the political apathy that’s out there and this rhetoric of like “Hillary is so great! or “Donald Trump is so great!” I’m not a fan of either one of them. These are not my two options because they don’t respect my vote. They don’t speak to my community. It’s an elitist mindset. It’s unfortunate, but it’s unfortunate that some of us have been so brainwashed to think that these are the only choices that we have, and that if I vote for this person my life is going to change this way, and if I vote for this person my life is going to change that way. It doesn’t work like that.

If Bernie was running, would you have been more willing to vote?

I listened to him too but I did my research and I paid attention and he’s definitely another political pawn. You can see how much of a pawn he is that he went from bad mouthing Hillary to now endorsing her. How am I supposed to believe that? I’m all about people who speak truth and honesty and have character and can’t be so wishy washy. I can’t believe anything these characters say. And that’s the thing. I just encourage people to think for themselves. That’s why I’m not just gon’ sit up and let you tell me something and I’m supposed to believe. I’m gon’ do the research for myself and when I do the research I see that we’re apart of a very corrupt organization, a corrupt business called the Unites States of America, and it’s a systemic problem. For far too long we haven’t been respected as people because we were property and that mindset has yet to change.

Clearly we’ve been living under these lies for so long and when someone like myself steps up and questions the lie or aims to find the truth then everybody is like, “Awww you’re being negative” or “You’re being too pro black”. I’m like no, I’m showing you the facts. The research is there. Everybody can see it just read up on it.

I see you’ve opened up about your lupus diagnosis. How has your life changed physically, mentally and emotionally since being diagnosed?

Emotionally, it’s given me a different perspective on life more than anything. It’s made me appreciate it and value waking up every morning, because there were mornings that it wasn’t necessarily the case. It got very scary at times and knowing when you’re diagnosed with a severe condition like lupus, kidney failure, pulmonary embolism, all of which I’ve experienced because of my lupus. I wake up everyday smiling and value everything so much more when it comes to my family and my friends, and then the things I used to think mattered so much really don’t matter so much because no one’s promised tomorrow.

Since you’re involved in so much, what factors do you evaluate in helping you decide if an opportunity is for you or not, or if an idea that you come up with is actually worth executing or not.

You know what, it’s very simple honestly. I have to enjoy it. If I don’t enjoy I won’t do it. At the end of the day if its not lending to my happiness or if its not fulfilling to my spirit, I wont be apart of it. It does matter how much money it is or even if it something that’s quick and easy. I have to really find a place in my spirit that says I want to be apart of this.

Any new ventures that you want to hint on?

You want to know what I’m really excited about? This might be exclusive news because just yesterday [Wednesday, July 27] the Toronto Film Festival announced that my film will be world premiering at the festival. It’s called King of the Dancehall. I filmed it in Jamaica. I produced it. I financed it. I wrote it. I directed it. I starred in it. I’m over the moon about this. We’ve been working so hard at this. It has everybody from Whoopi Goldberg who plays my mother, Beenie Man, Ky-Mani Marley, Busta Rhymes. To me it’s like one of those things that we’ve been missing.

As a storyteller I often complain, even for one of my spoken words, I say I don’t want to see anymore slave movies. So as a content provider, and as a filmmaker and a story teller, I want to tell different stories — and this is a very different, artistic approach to tell the dancehall story, and the story of the West Indian culture, and the story of Kingston, Jamaica.

I feel like I’m taking that torch and that’s what it’s all about. I have to tell stories that the average studio wouldn’t. And the Toronto Film Festival is giving me the opportunity to display my film and my art on such a wide stage. It’s truly an honor.

Roland Martin has taken to social media, in attempt to persuade both Nick Cannon and Bow Wow (Shad Moss) into voting this election season. As previously reported, neither Cannon nor Bow plan to vote and have separately explained why. However, the political commentator tweeted both celebs, in an effort to speak to them about why it’s important that they do. In fact, he asked that he speak with them offline about just how important their vote this election is.