Pharoahe Monch Gets Candid With Melissa Harris-Perry About Mental Illness
Pharoahe Monch stopped by the Melissa Harris-Perry show to chat about his next album, PTSD, which drops tomorrow. The album is important because he addresses the causes and effects of addiction, gun violence, depression and societal pressures and expectations that prevent people from seeking help. The album is deeply personal as he even reveals his own struggles with depression and he revealed to MHP that in his case, his depression was worsened by a cocktail of medication that he was taking.
This interview and album release comes right on the heels of the death of blogger Karyn Washington by apparent suicide.
Check out the interview:
I appreciate artists like this, who are honest in their art. Mental illness is an important conversation that we still aren’t having candidly, if at all. Many people, self-included, walk around as if everything is ok when it really isn’t. I’ve had my own battle with depression that thankfully seems to be going uphill but throughout that phase, my social media accounts may have told a different story, a story of someone who actually wanted to get out of bed and live life but that just wasn’t the case.
I didn’t personally know Karyn Washington but we were social media friends. I liked her For Brown Girls Blog and especially her #DarkSkinRedLipProject. The latter was a movement she created to celebrate black women’s beauty after A$AP Rocky made disparaging comments about dark skin girls not looking right in red lipstick.
Based on what I saw, she seemed vibrant and happy. Little did I know, she was in pain because her mom was very sick and subsequently passed away. Washington was only 22 when she took her own life.
Moving forward, I hope we can be real about our feelings and keep this discussion going.
RIP Karyn Washington.
Thanks Pharoahe Monch.
Category: Pop Culture, Reflections
About the Author (Author Profile)
Starrene Rhett Rocque is a recovering journalist who often fantasizes about becoming a shotgun-toting B-movie heroine.Subscribe
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I was very pleased to see this segment over the weekend. Mental illness is far too stigmatized, especially among African Americans. We need more people, especially celebs, to share their stories. If we hide our illness in the shadows, how do we avail ourselves of healing light?
I’ve suffered from depression before, so I can understand how anyone may feel who has dealt with it before. I do hope that there will be more open discussions about this mental disorder, and other mental illnesses that affect the Black community everyday.
It’s okay to get help! Asking for help with something to strong as depression is not a sign of weakness.
R.I.P. Karyn.