Aoki Lee Simmons uses her TikTok to address topics she stands behind, hoping to educate her viewers on the issues.
The model and honor student addressed comments online following Takeoff’s tragic death. Fans have incited his lifestyle could have led to the circumstances. Aoki had words for those who improperly mourn the Atlanta artist and look down on the hip-hop community.
@aokileesimmonsI hope this was well articulated. Thinking of Kirshnik Khari Ball, and his loved ones, the artist take off and his fans, today. But he and so many black artists deserve better than this type of fan. Who can post the music, the speculated drama, and everthimg else, but not their death. 🖤♬ original sound – Aokileesimmons 🇫🇷🇰🇷🇯🇵
“You know every time a black hip-hop artist, a rap artist who is broken into the American mainstream dies, it is only those communities, the black community, the hip-hop community, who are actively involved in the remembrance or mourning them. At the same time, like so many privileged non-Black people are like living their lives, the soundtrack to their life is this music they are using it for everything, it’s constantly headphones in there like gym, it’s motivation,” she said.
“It’s a soundtrack to their life. They are getting so much value from these people, these artists, and their life stories,” she added. “When the artist dies, much of what makes hip-hop so compelling and it’s so often the stories of the traumatic lived experience of Black Americans like the absolute worst parts of systematic oppression on communities in the hood violence and drugs like but it’s fine.”
Aoki’s two-minute video received over 25k likes and a thread of comments left by TikTok users co-signing her stance on how Black culture is vicariously lived but not respectfully honored or valued by those same consumers.
“But it’s fine to relate to that,” Aoki says sarcastically. “And you know live vicariously through that, it’s all fun and games but like these are ongoing relevant issues that frequently kill these artists and when that happens, it’s all like “the hip-hop community is violet but, you were just vicariously trying to insert yourself into the community you were just appreciating that.”
“I hope this was well articulated. Thinking of Kirshnik Khari Ball and his loved ones, the artist Takeoff and his fans today. But he and so many black artists deserve better than this type of fan. Who can post the music, the speculated drama, and everything else, but not their death🖤,” Lee Simmons captioned her TikTok video.
Lee Simmons also acknowledged that her lifestyle is privileged because of hip-hop music and the culture.
