Now more than ever, some dudes need to be reminded that shutting the hell up is not only free but a wonderful exercise—particularly if you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.
Such is the case with rapper and professional dubious advice-giver Clifford Harris Jr., also known as T.I.
In an interview clip shared by Complex host Speedy Morman on Friday, T.I. gave absurd and incorrect advice on how to beat COVID.
“Tea three times a day keeps the COVID away?” Morman asked the rapper—facetiously, we’re assuming.
“COVID starts in the throat,” T.I. responded while sipping his cup of tea. “If you catch it while it’s still in the throat and you drink warm liquid, the warm liquid [will] wash it down to the stomach where the stomach acid will then kill it.”
And if you thought T.I. was being ironic—you know, having a little sarcastic laugh amongst friends—I regret to inform you that he wasn’t. He continued, “I’d rather boost my immune system to defend me against COVID should I come in contact with it, rather than wear a mask and hide in fear of coming in contact with it.”
Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope. Absolutely not. Folks, if there is any doubt in your mind that this is complete bullshit—if you have friends or uncles or great-aunts who buy into this—I beg you: Do NOT follow this advice: It has been widely and thoroughly refuted! In fact, do not ever follow medical advice unless that person is a qualified professional—and no, being the mastermind behind The Trap Museum ain’t that.
COVID isn’t just a dry biscuit you can just wash down. It is a deadly virus that is currently spiking in many parts of the country, and wearing a mask, washing your hands, and keeping your distance from people you do not live with remains the most effective way of preventing the spread of the virus. It has killed more than 220,000 people in the United States alone—a disproportionate amount of them Black, Latinx and Native, largely due to systemic reasons. Do I expect a man who threw a huge-ass party for his 40th birthday last month to be a public health exemplar—probably not! But I do expect—hope, pray even—that a man with T.I.’s platform has a shred of common sense. (Though T.I. did say the family and close friends who attended the party were tested for COVID—most partygoers opted not to wear face masks.)
At this point, I wish I could throttle celebrity culture and leave it to die in an unmarked grave. I don’t want to see any creepy holograms of someone’s deceased father looking like a phantom David Schwimmer; I’m tired of seeing out-of-touch millionaires who have never done the tiring, relentless work of organizing suddenly be propped up as community representatives; I’m tired of folks monetizing their little platforms only to abuse the hell out of them; and I would be very happy indeed if Lil Wayne was as silent as the g in lasagna (even though it’s not really silent, but that’s neither here nor there).
I’m cranky. T.I. can kiss my ass expeditiously. And I hope everyone under the sound of my tiny little internet voice has a safe, COVID-free weekend.