Alicia Keys Backtracks On Gangsta Rap Conspiracy Claims

NEW YORK — Alicia Keys says she's not a conspiracy theorist. In a statement issued Tuesday, Keys said she was clarifying "comments that were made during my recent Blender magazine interview since they have been misrepresented."

According to an interview in the magazine's May issue, the 27-year-old singer says: "`Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. `Gangsta rap' didn't exist." She also is quoted as saying that she wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck "to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em dead."

"We stand by our story," Blender spokeswoman Kate Cafaro told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

"My comments about `gangsta rap' were in no way trying to suggest that the government is responsible for creating this genre of rap music," Keys said in a statement issued by J Records. "The point that I was trying to make was that the term was oversloganized 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."

As for the AK-47 remark, Keys said Tuesday that AK-47 is a nickname given to her by friends "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."

When AP attempted to reach Keys last week about the Blender interview, her publicist, Theola Borden, said the singer was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

The multiplatinum star behind the hits "Fallin'" and "No One" most recently had success with her latest CD, "As I Am," which has sold 3.4 million copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

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On the Net:

Blender:

http://www.blender.com/

Alicia Keys:

http://www.aliciakeys.com/

Comments

[gevan]

Are gangsta rappers bitter?

[liya]

If you had their life, you just might be...

[plutorage]

I've never understood why people get so upset with their music idols having ideas like normal people.

You'd think the news media were hired by the corporations to act as watchdogs who bow wow wow when one of the corporation's serfs wanders off the reservation to act a little human. "Get back in the salt mines, bitch, and pump the music!!"


I could not care less what a muscian's political views are. he/she is a free man/woman like everybody else and when they express themselves they are expressing their humanity.

Grow up, people, don't be slaves to the corporations - media corporations or otherwise

[LawOfAttraction]

Celebs and entertainers have the bully pulpit of the media. What they say and put out there influences others.

Paris Hilton is a media sensation all all she ever did(before her sex tape) was show up at parties and take tons of paparazzi pics.

[robXdion]

Alicia you're beautiful, talented, and possibly my future wife, but please stick to the topic of the music industry or seek counsel from Mos Def or Dr. Michael Eric Dyson before you get into weeds like this. You know you can't say anything that would imply white people are to blame for certain aspects of American life. Get big like Aretha Franklin (not physically, LOL) then you slay them with knowledge.

[GoodbyeKitty]

She is dead-right .

Considering all that has come to light regarding our government, can anyone really dismiss her claims?
Seriously?

Can you?

Katrina, eugenics, forced sterilization,Iran Contra, COINTELPRO, Tuskeegee, Central American death squads, COLOMBIA, immigration, Christofas­cism....

[NewRiver]

No she's not dead-right. She looks alive and well to me. Perhaps a big misguided, but I'd walk in a room with her on my arm in a heartbeat. We could work on that mixed up conspiracy crap later...

[liya]

Yes you can. The difference between her initial statements and all the things you listed is that there's plenty of proof for all those things. There's no proof gangsta rap was a conspiracy of the government, which is what she irrefutably said, no matter what this follow up statement claims.

[danceswithyids]

Yes
I will dismiss it
I would find it just as ridiculous if a Jewish person said that the Germans were conducting experiments on the Jews.
The only evidence being that in the past they did experiments on the Jews.
It is faulty logic and reasoning

[gonavy]

Yes, that sound is your once promising career crashing down before you. Better hire some real good PR people to fix this one.

[ApolloniaCreed]

huh?

[Gasparilla]

Ok, but didn't she also say the media had created a feud between Tupac and Biggie? How did they do that?

[liya]

She's a nimrod and/or she said this for publicity. I'm inclined to think it's both.

[nihilon x]

Because the whole east coast/west coast rivalry thing was -- and still is at times -- a big marketing tool, promoted by the media to sell records.

Much like the whole "gangsta" image in general.

[liya]

it is not in the media's interest to sell records. It is in the interest of the label and the artists. Biggie and Pac didn't go about their business while the media unwittingly and against their will create this rivalry. If it were a media creation, how the hell did they get shot? Use your damn noggin.