On this episode of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with lawyer, journalist, and author Malaika Jabali to unpack her new bookIts Not You, Its Capitalism. Drawing on her legal background and years of political reporting,Jabalichallenges the myths surrounding capitalism and reframes our relationship to money, struggle, and systemic inequality.
Jabali explains that the idea for the book emerged during the pandemic, when people internalized their economic hardship as personal failure rather than a systemic flaw. Using the metaphor of a toxic relationship, she likens capitalism to a manipulative partner”gaslighting folks into believing they arent working hard enough while hoarding the fruits of their labor. Weve been conditioned to think this is the only way to live,Jabalisays, and thats the biggest lie of all.
She and Davey dig deep into the psychological hold capitalism has on people, especially Black communities. From prosperity gospel churches pushing predatory loans, to celebrity billionaires being held up as aspirational goals,Jabaliargues that capitalism sells false hope while hiding its exploitative roots. As Davey puts it, Thats big pimping”the American way.
The conversation also centers race and class.Jabali challenges the whitewashed history of socialism, highlighting Black revolutionaries like Assata Shakur, Martin Luther King Jr., Dolores Huerta, and Kathleen Cleaver, whose critiques of capitalism were often erased or watered down. She points out that capitalism in the U.S. was born through racial exploitation”enslaved labor, redlining, and now the prison-industrial complex”and cant be separated from that legacy.
Jabalidoesnt shy away from tough contradictions, especially the debate around Black capitalism. She critiques the notion that individual wealth will liberate communities, pointing to Atlanta”a city known for Black excellence, yet riddled with inequality and displacement. If Black capitalism was the solution, she argues, it wouldve worked by now.
Davey also raises a sharp point about how billionaires collaborate and share resources, while everyday folks are conditioned to hustle alone. They practice collective power, he says, and were taught individualism. Thats not by accident.
To make the book accessible to younger readers, Jabali collaborated with illustrator Kayla E. to include visual breakdowns “like the cheeky timeline of exploitative Johns, from plantation owner to Silicon Valley CEO” all exploiting labor in different ways. She encourages readers to start with Chapter 1 (Why Capitalism Is a Catfish) and Chapter 2 (The Boy Is Mine) for a crash course in how race and class divisions keep working people fighting each other instead of the system.
In short, Its Not You, Its Capitalismis more than a critique its an intervention. And its a call to remember that our worth isnt tied to our wages, and our liberation wont come from mimicking billionaires, but from reclaiming power together.
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.
The post Its Not You, Its Capitalism: Malaika Jabali Breaks Down Economic Gaslighting, Black Liberation, and the Illusion of Wealth (ENCORE) appeared first on KPFA.