Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Alicia Keys Clarifies


Alicia Keys took to Ryan Seacrest's radio show yesterday to try and "clarify statements" she made in an interview with Blender Magazine. She insists she was happy with the article, but just wishes she could change a line or two. Alicia said her comments were misinterpreted, and that she just couldn't believe the article caused so much controversy. Here is what she had to say exactly.

"I feel that I wasn't a hundred per cent clear on what I was saying and so, because of that, it got slightly misinterpreted, and somehow it got misinterpreted that I was saying that the government was creating gangsta rap - and that's not what I was saying.

I thought it was a pretty simple sentence she used, and she said gangsta rap was created by the government.

"What I was saying was that the term gangsta rap was so over sloganized during that time... That's what I was trying to talk about."

Ahh. So the government created the slogan gangsta rap. Kind of like the government printing office was out there making bumper stickers that said Gangsta Rap and the colors were red white and blue on a stars and stripes background. PSA's were filmed with 41 and 43 doing rap while Clinton played, sax, Gore did the robot, Cheney had a gun and Quayle played with his dolls in a corner.

"In so many ways, everyday people, as well as the government, could have really done so much more to sorta (sic) obliterate and eradicate the things that were going on in the communities at that time that forced the artists to discuss and talk about, so strongly, what they saw, what they lived with."

I agree that the government has not done much to help those struggling in our own country. It is a fair and valid point, and if she had said that originally instead of after a label pr person thought of it, things would be much better. I do think that to a certain extent rap took off because of the conditions in inner cities and that the original artists were expressing what they saw and felt. HOWEVER, what it has turned into is a misogynistic free for all with guys out to prove they also come from the streets when many of them actually come from the upper middle class.

"I wasn't saying that I'm a conspiracy theorist, and I wasn't saying that I'm anti-anyone because anybody who knows my character knows that I'm a very positive person... My only aim is to uplift people and spread love.

Actually, she didn't really disprove the claim she is a conspiracy theorist because she made no mention of her claim that the government killed B.I.G and Tupac so there would be no powerful black leaders. Sorry Barack. She must not consider you powerful, or perhaps not black. Sorry Bob Johnson, you don't count either. Apparently you can't be worth a billion dollars and still qualify as a leader. Sheila Johnson? You must be kidding. No, not you either Oprah. Sorry. Richard Parsons? Please, like she would consider the Chairman of Time Warner to be powerful.

"You're in an interview for half and hour, 45 minutes... and you're talking about these different thoughts and ideas and I think... there's a way that I didn't exactly clarify what I meant to the point where he (the journalist) could misinterpret it. "I don't regret doing this interview; overall it was a great article. It was merely a line or two that has provoked all of this madness. I regret that a negative spin has been put (on it)."

I regret that a negative spin was put on it as well, because I really like you. Give me a call, and lets talk about the whole killing off Tupac thing and go from there.

14 comments:

laundry day already? said...

The only thing she should have explained was that she was talking out of her ass and over her head at the time. Who knows what she actually believes, if anything.

everyday people...
obliterate and eradicate...

Suddenly she's waxing poetic again? Great! Stick to that. Leave the politics to somebody else.

Anonymous said...

"...and Quayle played with his dolls in a corner."

ROFL!

As for black leaders, EL, you forgot Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice, and Jesse Jackson...all vocal black leaders who haven't been silenced.

jax said...

i'm more black than Condaleeza.
i dont think you're going to find a lot of AA people willing to have her on board when she has done SQUAT for them.

Anonymous said...

See, even saying you're more "black" than Condoleeza, is just indicative of a greater underlying racism we havent all touched on yet: that being smart and not talking ghetto is somehow not being black anymore, its a "white" thing to do, to be an intellectual. I guess if you could say YOU'RE "blacker" than Condoleeza, then arent you "blacker" than Colin? I just think its unfair to insinuate that a person is betraying their race by "acting white" ie studying in school and being ambitious. Its racism both ways.

Lux Luthor said...

My favorite part is the "sorta obliterate and eradicate." Sorta obliterate. LMAO. Is that like being "a little bit pregnant"?

Oh, and yeah, what laundry day already? said.

jax said...

no the betrayal of her race was when they were suffering and dying in Katrina and she was out shoe shopping and taking in the theatre.
she is 'black' when it is convenient for HER or she needs to make Dubya look sympathetic to his African Americans.

i'm not the first to point this out.

Anonymous said...

But you're missing the point that lines are being drawn in the first place, saying where her attentions should be, because she's black. Like because she's black, she should be championing the causes of black people nonstop while she's in office. But thats not supposed to be her focus. OK so she was shoe shopping during Katrina. And George fucking Bush was reading to kids while he was told the towers had collapsed. Oops I guess he's anti white. EVERYONE ignored the Katrina folks, not just Condoleeza and I think its unfair to single her out, like she was supposed to be some kind of superhero for them, just because they share a color of skin. If white people deliberately set out to help others the basis of skin color, as you suggest Condoleeza should have stepped up for her "people" in Katrina, it'd be called racism.

jax said...

omg im not going to get into a race discussion, my point that im not missing IS she is not a black leader, she is barely a leader period. find me one black person that sees Condy as a black leader.
anyone here? i doubt it because no one identifies with her, shes a fricken republican puppet.

She is from Alabama for christs sake...Saks shoe department could have waited another day while she showed some damn respect for her people black AND white in the south.

Anonymous said...

Ok maybe a leader is a bad word to use, then? Lets just say, that Condoleeza is a good black role model--just all around, a good example that you can be smart, black, a woman, and STILL succeed. Now if only she were a lesbian, too! I'm not saying anyone should take a page from her Bush fucking book, but as far as being a shining example of the anti-stereotype, I think her role is important.

jax said...

agreed.

Unknown said...

I notice that Alicia said nothing about asking the journalist to retract those sentences -- especially when she keeps repeating that she was "misinterpreted." And she never called the journalist to clarify her points.

And then she mentions talking for 45 minutes as if that's wayyy to dang long and she forgets what she's saying.

She should never open her mouth without Gloria Allred at her side, or a really good publicist.

what is eight past six? said...

Anyone affiliated with the hot mess that is BET gets no love for me, so you can strike Bob and Sheila Johnson from that list for me. But that is a personal gripe I don't care to explain.

I still can't get why this is worth the fuss. Oh, not because it wasn't stupid, because it was, but because of all the things in the world we are going to flip our shit over we choose to get mad about some stupid conspiracy theory? I'm surprised no one called for her 127 Grammys to be given back at this point. This is just like the Marion Cotillard thing, it's pointless and I can't fathom why people would care. It isn't the first time Alicia herself has said something I personally found dumb (and I love me some Alicia) and actually, this is not even worse.

That said, I felt like Alicia was reaching for a concept that has some merit, but she just doesn't have the brain power she thinks she does to really develop that concept into a concrete observation worth listening to. She could have said she thinks the gov't is mostly at fault for the situations which 'gansta' rappers ended up finding their inspiration, or she could have ranted about the fact that the industry and media choose to exploit gansta rap as a monolithic culture that supposedly represents "us" (the black community), at the almost sole exclusion of any other rap alternatives, thereby setting up a negative stereotype of the rap game in general that black youth then think they should emulate in real life.

She could have elaborated on why she considered Tupac to be a potential black leader - I'm not sure why she threw Biggie's name in there but some people actually did consider 'Pac to be intelligent and bordering on starting a revolution. I'm not about to broach the validity or invalidity of this belief because it really isn't important. Just putting it out there. She is hardly the first to consider him an inspiration of some sort, once you get past the arrests and the thuggish behavior. He had his moments.

So many ways she could have gone with this and she totally dropped the ball on it. I'm not surprised, the day someone gives an intelligent, clearly thought-out comment regarding complex racial issues that actually gets a lot of public notice is the day Judgement will come.

And I don't like Condoleeza as a PERSON, period. Take the shopping for shoes example from jax - fuck her personal success, THAT moment showed more about her character than any accolade she could ever earn. Anyone can be smart and successful with some effort - real role models actually use their intelligence and success to do some greater good. Race has nothing to do with that kind of foolishness. She will never be a role model to me.

Amy said...

Maybe I've just never paid attention...but I really can't remember hearing the term "gangster rap" thrown around left and right. I hear/d "rap" and the rappers like to rap about being gangster but I can't remember ever hearing the term "gangster rap" largely used. If anyone remembers hearing it did it happen suddenly when Tupac was killed or in some period before or after?

Dang the govt. for wasting so much taxpayer money during their campaign to fuel gagster rap, but it prob is not the dumbest thing they waste money on. I have the joy of seeing their waste on a daily basis as part of my job. It sucks.

link88 said...

I just think it's amusing that Ent bothered to use "(sic)" to highlight her grammatical mistake. He wouldn't want us to think it was his!

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