A$AP Rocky Attempts To Curve Anti-Black Lives Matter Backlash

“I feel like why put me on a pedestal for that," he said.

It appears A$AP Rocky has an explanation for the controversial comments he made on race relations in America in a September 2015 interview with Time Out New York.

Last week, the candid interview resurfaced on social media, prompting a hailstorm of criticism at the rapper-actor who told Time Out that he did not “sign up to be no political activist” and that he “can’t relate” to police relations in cities like Ferguson, Missouri.

Rocky appeared on The Breakfast Club Wednesday to clarify his statements, which he claimed were “taken out of context.”

“I feel terrible as a black man and as an American,” he said. “This shit is crazy… Most people who read that interview, they only read that section, I think for the most part people really didn’t dissect that interview. You can see that’s not my context.”

As for leveraging his platform and influence as an entertainer to address social issues in America, the 27-year-old stands by his previous sentiments on being reluctant to fill the role as a social activist.

“I feel like why put me on a pedestal for that. Especially when I’m not asking for that,” he said. “I wanna make music and promote peace, cause at a time like this I don’t have all the answers. I’m not trying to run for Congress, I’m not trying to run for office. I don’t have all the answers. I wanna promote prosperity, especially for black people.”

In addition to his most recent backlash, last year, Rocky also faced criticism following his discussion with The Oxford Union’s The Debate Society of Oxford University, where he challenged the public’s emphasis on police brutality rather than violence within the black community.

Check out more of A$AP Rocky’s interview in the clip above.

Before You Go

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