I think that we have too much expectation in that regard. Maybe JT personally prospered from what some would consider appropriation and they feel that because of that he should also be a more vocal representative of the black community as a whole, and that is fair to some extent. But you cannot force greatness onto people — it comes from within. However, JT still brought a LOT of people into this genre and those people, theoretically, should have been positively impacted in regards to their preconceptions and thoughts around the black community as a whole. Even if entirely unintentional JT has had a positive impact by being a bit of a bridge for many people. They see that his interrelation between the black and white communities is strong and prosperous and they are more likely to dismiss the negative connotations that society projects for the black community as a whole. That’s really just a theory, I don’t know that it is true in any way, but I believe it makes sense.

This isn’t a free pass for Justin in that way, it’s just to say that maybe he’s not as influential and as progressive as we thought. It is sad that he may worry more about his “brand” than about what is right. But here’s the thing that I always say — not everyone can be on the forefront of progress or else that would be the middle. We can’t fault people for falling in line with the masses, that is what is natural, we can fault them for lagging too far behind, but being in the middle is standard. They obviously shouldn’t be revered for such averageness if you will, but only those ready and willing will stand up for what is right no matter what, and JT may not be that guy. But he did help popularize the issues without meaning to, he just isn’t a conscious fighter for progress it seems.