Cape Town – T.I. and his wife, Tiny appeared on Red Table Talk on Monday – and it was pretty clear the rapper didn't completely understand the difference between controlling his daughter's virginity and equipping her with the knowledge to make responsible decisions when he made those hymen-gate comments.
You'll recall, the 39-year-old recently said he goes to the gynaecologist every year with his daughter to "check her hymen" to make sure it's "still intact". He told Jada Pinkett Smith though that a "false narrative" was created and he never actually said he was in the room or her mom wasn't when it happened, he doesn't do it anymore now that she's over 18 years old, and his presence was welcomed.
"I am incredibly apologetic to her," he said, as he didn't understand the sensitivity around the subject. But he also felt, to a certain degree, he needs to take control.
"I think in the age or the time when our women, black women, are the most unprotected, unattended, disregarded women on the planet, I'm being criticised because I'm willing to go above and beyond to protect mine. And I'm talking about all of the little slimy, grimy, chubby-fingered little boys who want to come in and defile and destroy the sanctity that I have... anything that is the most important thing in my life I am going to deal with that with very extreme care. And I don't understand how that is being looked at as so wrong," he said.
"For there to be malice, there must be ill intent. If I'm going to the doctor with you just for the sake of controlling you, okay, but if I'm going for the purpose of being a protective parent... I'm here to protect all of the children from themselves until they make it to a point where they have awareness, sense of self and discernment to be able to make certain decisions on their own that will impact their lives, indefinitely," he explained.
But Jada explained protecting his daughter is not the issue – "it's the hymen part" – and "you only have so much control".
Adrienne Banfield-Jones, Jada's mom and co-host commented that he would've felt differently and approached things differently had it been one of his sons.
The father of eight said, "If my son goes out and gets a girl pregnant, how does the household change for those nine months? The household does not necessarily change those nine months, whereas if my daughter come home, the household is changed immediately.
"The stakes are higher," T.I. responded, trying to explain girls are more affected by teenage pregnancy. And while Jada and Adrienne tried explaining there are certain things reserved for a mother, a woman, when it comes to raising girls – like discussing their bodies and their sexuality – he said he doesn't understand how "mom can tell daughter not to cut her hair, not to perm her hair, not to colour her hair, not to get piercings, whatever, but she can give her body away to anyone she wants to without pops saying anything."
"It's a patriarchal structure," Jada began explaining, before T.I. acknowledged, "I've heard that word before... I didn't know that term was a thing."
Jada explained, "It is structured by the views and the outlook of men, and it tends to be, at times, often oppressive, to the feminine journey." The two went back and forth, speaking about women's rights and social justice when it comes to men policing women's bodies.
"I think they [men] should stay out of that," T.I. eventually said – and something finally clicked.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:
Compiled by Bashiera Parker (Sources: Channel24, Red Table Talk)
(Photo: Getty Images)