Charleston White knows controversy, and he's got more of that, at least in the center. This time, it's a 1991 courtroom video abuzz with social media. It shows the 16-year-old White testifying about a shooting in which his friend, Antoine Dolittle, died after a shoplifting spree. But, as befits the spirit of Charleston White, he's laughing off the backlash and making comedic gold out of the moment.
The newly surfaced footage takes us back to a courtroom in Texas where a young Charleston White detailed the moments that led to the tragic shooting of 34-year-old Michael Levy. White, who testified that he and Dolittle had just stolen hats and coats from an Arlington mall, said Levy confronted them in their vehicle. Seeking to de-escalate, the teens threw the stolen goods out the window, but moments later, Dolittle took a handgun from White, pulled the trigger, and shot Levy in the back as he walked away. White remembered his friend laughing just after squeezing the trigger, a haunting memory that's now bubbled back to the surface for the whole world to see.
Rather than back down or go the route of the emotional response, White hopped on a video and addressed this controversy directly, and as is classic of Charleston White, did so with bravado and humor. "It just causes you to see it, it doesn't make you broke. It doesn't change nothing," he shot back at critics, clarifying that he's not losing any sleep over the situation.
This is not a new revelation for White. "Everyone saw it before you saw it. It used to be on the news," he told his detractors. Though some have criticized the move as undermining the street codes, White doesn't relent because he believes cooperating with authorities was an ethical duty. He's always been vocal about not subscribing to the street mentality, and this is not the exception.
No one knows how to flip the script quite like Charleston White. He's making it a punchline rather than letting the backlash define or derail him. "We are going to laugh about it on stage," he teased, informing fans that he plans to include the situation in his shows. For White, nothing is off-limits, including his past; everything is potential fodder for the next joke.
As far as White is concerned, however, his brand won't suffer because of the resurfaced footage. "You think they're not going to book me anymore?" he said sarcastically, signaling that he doesn't expect any doors to close over this disclosure.
Charleston White has made a career of being blunt, brazen, and controversial. The revived footage of the 1991 courtroom video may have stirred up old debates, but for White, it's just another chapter in a long, ever-evolving story. Love him or hate him, Charleston White isn't going to allow the past to be his be the future.
0 Comments