Alicia Keys clears things up
Posted by Media Outrage on April 16, 2008
In light of her recent statement in Blender Magazine where Alicia Keys said that “Gangsta rap was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. Gangsta rap didn’t exist.” That the bicoastal feud between slain rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. was fueled “by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing.”
She has issued a statement clarifying what she meant:
“I feel it is necessary to clarify the comments that were made during my recent Blender magazine interview since they have been misrepresented.
Anyone who knows me and my character, knows that I am not a conspiracy theorist or, by implication, a racist. My comments about ‘gangsta rap’ were in no way trying to suggest that the government is responsible for creating this genre of rap music. The point that I was trying to make was that the term was over-sloganized by some of the media causing reactions that were not always positive. Many of the ‘gangsta rap’ lyrics articulate the problems of the artists’ experiences and I think all of us, including our leaders, could be doing more to address these problems including drugs, gang violence, crime, and other related social issues.”
“Additionally, regarding the AK-47 reference, AK-47 is a nickname given to me by some of my friends in jest, as an acronym for Alicia Keys and a metaphor for wowing people with my music and performances, “killing ‘em dead” on stage. The reference was in no way meant to have a literal, political or negative connotation.
The recent implications about me are too radical and too dramatic a departure from whom I have continually demonstrated myself to be. I work so hard and give so much of myself to bring about positive change to this world, and I only wish those efforts received as much press and attention as the misinterpretations of the Blender article.”
Mediaoutrage- That’s what’s up Alicia don’t let them back you down. As usual she is intelligent in the message she conveys.
April 20, 2008 at 4:37 pm
[...] was recently asked what he thought about Alicia Keys statements on gangsta rap and here’s what he had to [...]