Kanye West and Black Greeks. I don't know what it is, but over the years there's been a weird fascination among Black Greeks about Kanye West and making him a fantasy member of one fraternity or another. I never understood it, but I can't tell you how many times I've received some random email, usually right after Kanye has released a new album, or grabbed the mic from some blonde country music singer, where the author says that if Kanye were in a fraternity, he'd definitely be an Alpha…Kappa…Omega…Sigma…Iota…
The reason? Oh, because the Alphas…Kappas…Omegas…Sigmas…Iotas do this or that like Kanye and blah, blah, blah. I usually stop reading after the first sentence and give it the appropriate response: a Kanye Shrug.
That said, Kanye West did toss Black Greeks a bone when he collaborated with the Los Angeles based Dilated Peoples on the song This Way. In this video, not only do we get Black Greeks stepping in the background, but we also get Kanye singing a lyric about his relationship with an AKA. And someone in the video, who may or may not be an AKA, all I know is that she's dressed in pink and green, walks with Kanye as he says she was too…oh come on, you've heard Kanye's music. You get the idea. So without further ado… That's My Jam! The #6 Hip Hop Video With Black Greeks…
Lawrence Ross is the author of the Los Angeles Times best-seller The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities. His newest book, Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses, is a blunt and frank look at the historical and contemporary issue of campus racism on predominantly white college campuses. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.