Mathew Knowles recently opened up about how Beyonce's light skin is a factor in her mainstream success.
His new book titled, "Racism: From the Eyes of a Child" addresses what life was like growing up in the deep South during the ‘60s & ‘70s. And he’s leaving no stone unturned by sharing his life experiences.
In a recent interview with Ebony Magazine, Mathew opened up about how internalized colorism led him to Beyonce's mom, now ex-wife Tina Knowles Lawson. As a child, his mother would tell him not to “bring no nappy-head Black girl” to her house, so he always gravitated towards light skinned black women or white women.
He states,
“In the deep South in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, the shade of your Blackness was considered important. So I, unfortunately, grew up hearing that message.”
He also revealed that when he first met his ex-wife, he thought she was a white woman. He later found out she wasn’t and that she was super in-tune with her blackness.
Mathew said he has a whole chapter in his new book about eroticized rage where he subconsciously sought after light skinned black women or white women as a way of “getting back” at white men.
“I had been conditioned from childhood. With eroticized rage, there was actual rage in me as a Black man, and I saw the White female as a way, subconsciously, of getting even or getting back. There are a lot of Black men of my era that are not aware of this thing.”
In the interview, Mathew also opened up about his daughter Beyonce (and others) being light skinned and how that may have aided to her mainstream success.
“When it comes to Black females, who are the people who get their music played on pop radio? Mariah Carey, Rihanna, the female rapper Nicki Minaj, my kids [Beyonce and Solange], and what do they all have in common?”
“They’re all lighter skinned,” the reporter responded.
“Do you think that’s an accident?,” Mathew asked.
“Of course not!,” the reporter said.
“So you get it!,” Mathew said