Jalen Rose is asking fans to give Tony Yayo his flowers. The request follows the explosive women's college basketball national championship game between LSU and Iowa. In the final seconds of the game, LSU player Angel Reese made the "You can't see me" gesture towards Iowa star Caitlin Clark. Clark herself performed the gesture earlier in the tournament during a game against Louisville. Since the game, many people on social media have incorrectly credited actor and wrestler John Cena with creating the gesture. However, Rose points out that it was actually created by Tony Yayo.
HipHopWolf shared a video of Rose defending Yayo earlier this week. Yayo first made the gesture in the video for his 2005 song, "So seductive." John Cena openly admits to being a fan of both Yayo and the video. Cena liked the gesture so much that he began using it early on his career with WWE. Rose urged those crediting Cena with creating the gesture to learn their history. "All I know is this, If you think John Cena made that up, you clearly know nothing about our culture or Hip Hop," Rose said. "Please give Tony Yayo his flowers."
Rose Shares Thoughts After Controversial Title Game
Jalen Rose is one of many people who have chimed in on the subject since the championship game on Sunday. Caitlin Clark defenders have accused Reese of being classless for her late-game showboating. Others have suggested a racist double standard, pointing out the difference in reaction to Reese and Clarke's use of the gesture. Crediting Cena for the gesture Yayo created has given way to yet another discussion of race and media representation. Therefore, Sunday's fiery title decider and the conversation around it will likely go down as one of the most controversial moments in NCAA history.
For Yayo, it's not the first time he has been overlooked. The Queens native was a founding member of G-Unit along with lifelong friends 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. The group released its debut album, Beg For Mercy in 2003, With classics like "Stunt 101" and "Wanna Get to Know You," the group quickly became the hottest act in hip hop. However, Yayo was incarcerated before the album could be recorded. He was replaced on the album by Tennessee native, Young Buck. Subsequently, Yayo has often not received the credit he deserves for his contributions to the history of hip-hop.
[Via]