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.
"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.