I had the pleasure and fortune of binge-watching the new Kevin Hart special Don’t Fuck This Up this weekend. And I must say I enjoyed it for more reasons than one. Seeing the level of drive, dedication and commitment fit inside of that man right alongside the commitment to his family is awe-inspiring. Here was a man who through hard work and dedication had hustled himself into being king of a very large kingdom.
But the realest moment of the series came from a meeting he had with his staff in relation to some unsavory tweets and jokes he made earlier in his career and his lack of addressing them. While he argued from a clear perspective that he has grown since making those tweets and his staff knows and sees his evolution, the words from his publicist sat at home with me.
“You gotta know it’s not just the Plastic Cup Boyz anymore, when you speak, you speak for LOL entertainment, Hart Beat productions and more. “- Haley Hileman
That shit hit me in the chest.
Being a hero involves facing monsters, sometimes making questionable decisions and eventually arising victorious. But the true test of the hero isn’t in the demons they slay and conquer but in how they address the damage left in the wake of their choices and success.
I don’t think that has hit home to Kevin just yet. He’s not alone either. Earlier in 2019, Cardi B took to Instagram blasting various black gossip blogs for capitalizing off of her misery and misfortune. In 2016 K. Michelle went off on a Bossip blogger for the same reason. Kanye has gone off the reservation many a time. Shit even our current Black Princess, Meghan Markle echoed a similar albeit much more muted sentiment in a few interviews about the struggle to adapt to all the press while she was pregnant.
No one told them that this was the price of breaking through obstacles and barriers, a permanent laser dot on your head. Shit they probably didn’t even think they were going to make it to be honest and are probably still surprised by the fact that they did. No one prepared them for this life, and even if they had experiencing it firsthand is a completely different ballgame. I learned that shit from watching Simba go from singing “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” to wondering if he was even fit to lead because of a potential fuck up of monumental proportions in his past.
I honestly feel for Kev’ and them. See I picture myself as a bit of hero too. I know I am here to slay beasts, disrupt shit, level playing fields and all the things that will leave my name etched among the stars. But disruption always leaves a wake of destruction. Choices made along the way wont always be the best in hindsight simply because I am human, and I won’t have all the details until after the storm has passed. My goal at the time is just to get my people through the shit. And the blood of those choices will rest on my hands where everyone can see it, including my people.
And much like the Kingdom of Kevin, the Kingdom of Bakari will turn to me and say while we’ve known you from the beginning and trust you with our lives, loyalty and devotion, these foreigners do not. As our leader you must show them who you truly are whether it feels like a step backward for you or not.
I know in that moment is where my true test will begin as it has for many other celebrities and leaders, and I will not get to complain about the people of the other kingdoms being too sensitive or reactionary or not considering the stress that is on my shoulders because I’m the one in the shits.
On the contrary in that moment I will have to do the most royal thing possible, return the favor that my people did for me and fall on the sword of my pride, because heavy is the head that wears the crown.
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