A$AP Rocky criticises Black Lives Matter 'bandwagon'

Rapper tries to clarify views on US race relations, telling New York hip-hop radio show The Breakfast Club that ‘all lives matter’ – and Bill Cosby is innocent

A$AP Rocky has attempted to clear the air following the re-emergence of a controversial interview – but may have created even more problems for himself. Earlier this week, a 2015 interview with Time Out New York resurfaced in which the rap star appeared to be unconcerned about police violence against African Americans. “I don’t wanna talk about no fucking Ferguson and shit because I don’t live over there. I live in fucking SoHo and Beverly Hills. I can’t relate,” he had said.

With his remarks again being discussed and condemned, Rocky granted a long interview to the New York hip-hop radio show The Breakfast Club. After saying his remarks had been misquoted, and that he had been mourning A$AP Yams at the time he had spoken to the magazine.

Attempting to clarify his view that it shouldn’t take police shootings to focus attention on discrimination against black people, Rocky said: “I just get upset, and what I was really trying to say there was, like, yo, I just, I hate when the bandwagon stuff start. I mean, how come, you know, black lives only matter when a police take ’em, when a police officer takes it? And it should be like, black lives, it should matter when a black life take it. You know what I mean? It should always matter. All lives matter!”

“All lives matter” has been condemned as a detracting from Black Lives Matter, for its implicit suggestion that black people do not suffer disproportionately from police violence in the US.

He said he could not speak about specific incidents because he had not been present when they took place and was not an eyewitness. “People don’t know what they talking about. They see what they read,” he said. He explained he felt he had no right to comment on incidents such as the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson: “I don’t go to middle American cities. We’re in the major markets.”

Rocky compared the controversy with what has happened to Bill Cosby, the comedian facing charges of sexual assault in the wake of dozens of women coming forward to allege he assaulted them.

“It’s just like with Bill Cosby,” he said. “He did so much positive things leading up to one thing, which he was convicted of being innocent for, by the way. People don’t even speak about that, You get what I’m saying? All you remember is the 56 woman and all that kind of shit.”

Rocky added: “Look, I’m not his lawyer, but I do know he’s innocent. In the eyes of the law, they said he’s innocent. You get what I’m saying? So, nobody talks about that. You get what I’m saying? All we know is that he was accused, he allegedly raped however many woman he raped, which, you got, it’s so much issues in the world, you know I’m saying? After we get off the topic of police brutality on the urban kids and the youth and all that, then you gotta talk about poverty, and after poverty you gotta talk about – issues never stop.”

Rocky had complained his previous interview had been quoted out of context, and here claimed being interviewed by an older European man was always likely to lead to him being misconstrued. On this one, readers can hear the full interview (above). And while Rocky makes remarks that seem to be inflammatory, they do appear to be more the result of poor phrasing than malice.

However, when his interviewer suggests that just because Rocky is not able to articulate his views well it does not mean he does not care, Rocky responds: “I feel like I do know how to articulate.”

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