(AllHipHip News) A$AP Rocky found himself at the center of online criticism after portions of a 2015 Time Out New York article began circulating on social media last week.
The Harlem rapper’s comments about the situation in Ferguson, Black Lives Matter, and other racial issues were seen as dismissive of the concerns of the African-American community.
Rocky was quoted as saying:
They’re not forcing me to do sh-t. I’m just gonna stay black and die. Why, because I’m black? So every time something happens because I’m black I gotta stand up? What the f-ck am I, Al Sharpton now? I’m A$AP Rocky. I did not sign up to be no political activist. I wanna talk about my motherf-ckin’ lean, my best friend dying, the girls that come in and out of my life, the jiggy fashion that I wear, my new inspirations in drugs! I don’t wanna talk about no f-cking Ferguson and sh-t because I don’t live over there! I live in f-cking Soho and Beverly Hills. I can’t relate. I’m in the studio; I’m in these fashion studios; I’m in these b-tches’ drawers. I’m not doing anything outside of that. That’s my life.
The At. Long. Last. A$AP album creator stopped by The Breakfast Club to address the words in the Time Out interview.
Rocky claimed he was taken out of context, and his goal was not to talk about supremacy but to promote peace especially for black people.
“I can’t fault nobody for being upset at those comments… that paragraph that they saw from me, because that is sickening. It’s disgusting,” said Rocky. “I’m very upset. That’s why I’m here because I had to deal with that sh-t over a year ago. To clean that up and make my way with that to have that brung back up as a smear campaign, I’m trying to figure out what the f-ck is going on.”
In addition, Rocky admitted he had a better understanding of racism in America after returning from living overseas.
The “F-ckin’ Problems” rhymer also spoke about his charity work in Harlem, called on the end of the “crab in the bucket” mentality among black people, and challenged citizens to become more knowledgeable of the American political system.
Watch A$AP Rocky’s interview below.