>>> FRIDAY. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
IT’S TIME TO FALL BACK.
TODAY WE HAD A VERY SPECIAL
FALLBACK FRIDAY.
FALLBACK FRIDAY. I AM JOINED BY THE LEGENDARY
FASHION BUSINESS ICON, THE ONE
AND ONLY DAPPER DAN FROM HARLEM,
WORKING NOW WITH GUCCI, A MAN
WHO IS FAMOUS AS MUCH FOR HIS
PERSONAL STYLE AS FOR HIS
BUSINESS ACUMEN.
BUSINESS ACUMEN. THRILLED TO HAVE YOU HERE.
AND MATCHING IT UP WITH ANOTHER
FASHION ICON.
FASHION ICON. >> I’M NOT GETTING THAT INTRO.
>> MSNBC AND NBC NEWS HOST CRAIG
MELVIN, WHO HAS INTERVIEWED
EVERYONE FROM SETH CURRY TO
PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON.
IT IS AN HONOR TO HAVE BOTH YOU
HAVE TOGETHER HERE AT THIS
TABLE.
TABLE. >> WHEN YOU SAID DAPPER DAN WAS
GOING TO BE HERE, THAT WAS ALL I
NEEDED TO HEAR.
AND LOOK, ON BRAND TOO.
THOSE SUNGLASSES?
THOSE SUNGLASSES? NEITHER ONE OF US, NEITHER ONE
OF US.
OF US. >> TRY TO BE ON MESSAGE WHEREVER
I GO.
I GO. >> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
>> WE MAY HAVE TO TALK A LITTLE
STYLE.
STYLE. I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO REVIEW
CRAIG’S OUTFIT AT SOME POINT.
BUT SINCE CRAIG HAS DONE THIS
BEFORE, I ASK YOU FIRST, CRAIG
MELVIN, WHO NEEDS TO FALLBACK?
>> INTERNET TROLLS.
WE’LL START WITH INTERNET
TROLLS.
TROLLS. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’VE SEEN THIS
STORY, DAN.
STORY, DAN. THIS WEEK A BIG STORY, A YOUNG
LADY NAMED HALEY BAILEY WAS CAST
TO PLAY ARIEL IN "THE LITTLE
MERMAID."
MERMAID." THE ORIGINAL LITTLE MERMAID WAS
PLAYED BY A YOUNG LADY THAT
LOOKS LIKE ARI.
>> PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY ARIEL LOOKS
LIKE ME.
LIKE ME. >> AND HALEY LOOKS LIKE US.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS ON
THE INTERNET WHO ARE UP IN ARMS.
HOW COULD THEY CAST A BLACK GIRL
AS A LITTLE MERMAID, NOT
REALIZING THAT THE LITTLE
MERMAID IS A FICTIONAL
CHARACTER, AND IT’S BASED IN THE
CARIBBEAN, WHEREBY AND LARGE,
YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW. >> I DON’T MEAN TO FACT CHECK
YOU IN THIS, BUT MERMAIDS DO
HAVE A COLOR.
IT’S SORT OF A GRAYISH-BLUE.
>> I DON’T KNOW IF THAT’S TRUE.
>> THEY’RE LIKE BLUEISH.
MERMAIDS ARE LIKE A SEA
CREATURE.
CREATURE. I THINK IT’S WEIRD TO IMPORT
HUMAN SKIN COLOR ON TO A MERMAID
IN THE FIRST PLACE.
A MERMAID IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL.
>> A BIG ISSUE IS WHO CREATED
THE MERMAID?
THE MERMAID? >> THAT’S TRUE.
>> THAT’S THE BIGGER ISSUE.
>> AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT
THE MERMAID ITSELF WAS CREATED
BY A BLACK MAN.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. SO THAT ADDS A LOT OF SUBSTANCE
TO THE STORY.
THAT I GUESS THERE IS A TONE.
>> I DON’T KNOW THAT FOR A FACT.
>> LET ME PUT IT LIKE THIS.
WHY DOES THE MERMAID GOT TO BE
SO LITTLE?
SO LITTLE? >> LIKE A BIG MERMAID?
>> WHY IS IT ALWAYS LITTLE
MERMAID?
MERMAID? WHAT ABOUT THE MEDIUM MERMAID?
I THINK DAPPER DAN MIGHT AGREE.
EVERYTHING COMES IN ALL SIZES.
>> YEAH, EVERYTHING COMES IN ALL
SIZES.
SIZES. >> DO YOU DRESS LIKE OVERSIZED
PEOPLE?
PEOPLE? >> I DRESS -- I WOULD DRESS AN
ELEPHANT OR AN ANT.
>> SO DAN, NOW I PUT IT TO YOU
WHAT, IN THIS WORLD RIGHT NOW,
IN YOUR MIND, WHAT NEEDS TO FALL
BACK?
BACK? >> ILL FORMED ADVOCATES.
THAT’S A BIG PROBLEM TODAY.
WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY
WHEN I’M DEALING WITH PROBLEMS
THAT I’M DEALING WITH NOW,
PEOPLE WHO GO ON -- THE INTERNET
HAS OPENED UP A WHOLE WORLD OF
MISINFORMATION.
MISINFORMATION. AND THESE ILL INFORMED ADVOCATES
CREATE MORE PROBLEMS THAN THEY
PROFESS TO SOLVE, YOU KNOW?
CASE IN POINT, THE GUCCIS.
THE GUCCI INCIDENT.
EVERYBODY IS UNDER THE
IMPRESSION THAT GUCCI
INTENTIONALLY MADE A BLACK FACE.
BUT THEY DON’T GET ALL THE
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. THEY DON’T KNOW I HAD TO DEAL
WITH THIS BEING A PERSON IN THE
MIDDLE, RIGHT?
MIDDLE, RIGHT? ON BETWEEN THE COMPANY AND THE
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. SO I HAVE TO LOOK AT ISSUES FROM
A MORE OBJECTIVE, BUT AS SOON AS
THEY SEE THE BLACK FACE, THEY GO
ONLINE, THE ADVOCATES GO ONLINE
AND SAY F GUCCI.
>> YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THIS
SWEATER THEY RELEASED.
>> YES, YES, YES.
>> IT’S VERY CONTROVERSIAL.
>> AND YOU’RE SAYING SOME FOLKS
ON THE INTERNET, EVEN IF THEY
MAY HAVE A GENUINE REACTION OF
THAT LOOKS TERRIBLE.
I DON’T LIKE THAT, YOU’RE SAYING
THAT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM TAKES
MORE HOMEWORK, MORE INFORMATION.
>> MORE INFORMATION.
AND I THINK THAT THIS IS MORE
DETRIMENTAL TO THE PROBLEM THAN
IT WOULD BE IN TRYING TO
APPROACH IT, IF PEOPLE WOULD
JUST GET THE INFORMATION, IF
THEY WOULD JUST BE MORE OPEN
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. IF YOU ADVOCATE, SHOW THE
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SIDES OF
WHAT THIS ISSUE IS.
AND I THINK THAT’S --
>> BE A GOOD JOURNALIST, DAPPER
DAN.
DAN. >> YOU THINK SO?
>> I THINK SO.
YOU HAVE AN APPRECIATION FOR
TRUTH.
TRUTH. >> BEFORE WE GO, MY FALLBACK
FRIDAY, MY FALLBACK.
>> YEAH?
>> YEAH? >> THE SUIT SHORT.
I THINK IT NEEDS TO FALL BACK,
BECAUSE I THINK IT’S TRY TOO
HARD.
HARD. IF YOU WANT TO WEAR SHORTS, IT
DOESN’T NEED TO BE IN A SUIT.
AM I WRONG, DAN?
>> I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS
WEARING THAT.
WEARING THAT. THAT IS THE COOLEST THING YOU
COULD POSSIBLY BE FOR EVERY
PLACE BUT ON TV.
>> SHORTS, IS THAT COOL?
>> I MEAN, I COULDN’T PULL IT
OFF, AS YOU KNOW.
YOU COULD PULL IT OFF.
BUT I DON’T LIKE THE BUSINESS UP
TOP, PARTY ON THE BOTTOM THING.
>> IF IT WASN’T FOR THE FLOWER,
I WOULD THINK HE WAS TRYING TO
DO SOMETHING ELSE.
BUT THAT FLOWER IS SAYING I WANT
TO BE THE COOLEST GUY THERE.
>> THE FLOWER IS NICE.
LETT KERR BE GOOD TOO.
>> YEAH, THAT’S IT.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> THAT’S LIKE CIRCA 70 WHAT?
>> THAT WOULD BE LIKE THAT’S MY
SECOND -- THAT’S MY THIRD STORE.
SO THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE CLOSE
TO ’88, ’89, 1989.
>> WELL, CRAIG MELVIN, THANK YOU
FOR COMING BACK ON "THE BEAT."
>> DAPPER DAN AND CRAIG MELVIN,
THANK YOU FOR COMING ON THE
BEAT.
BEAT. >> I THOUGHT BREAKFAST CLUB WAS
GOING TO BE LIKE -- I THOUGHT
THE SHARKS WAS GOING TO EAT ME
UP THERE.
UP THERE. I RAN INTO THE GREAT WHITES.
>> NO, NO!