R&B songstress Alicia Keys features in the latest issue of Blender magazine. As well as checking out outtakes from her shoot – shot by Andrew Eccles – below, peep Alicia’s controversial stance on Gangsta Rap: We ask what other gangsta rappers she liked. And that’s when Keys drives a steamroller through the wall.
“‘Gangsta rap’ was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other,” she says, putting down the sandwich. “‘Gangsta rap’ didn’t exist.”
Come again? A ploy by whom?
She looks at us like it’s the dumbest question in the world. “The government.”
Alicia says Tupac and Biggie were essentially assassinated, their beefs stoked “by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing.”
{Click here to read the rest of the interview
Wow. It’s kinda unexpected to see Alicia being so outspoken. It’s a pretty deep conspiracy theory, though, and I’m not entirely sure where I stand on the whole issue. You?
{Click pics to enlarge}
Your thoughts?
![Did You Miss It? Alicia Keys & 'Hell's Kitchen' Stars Rocked 'Fallon' With a Live Performance of 'Kaleidoscope' [Watch]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tonight-show-hells-kitchen-thatgrapejuice-2024-jimmy-fallon-kaleidoscope-alicia-keys-464x260.jpg "Did You Miss It? Alicia Keys & 'Hell's Kitchen' Stars Rocked 'Fallon' With a Live Performance of 'Kaleidoscope' [Watch].")
![Movie Trailer: 'Atlas' [Starring Jennifer Lopez]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/jlo-atlas-trailer-netflix-tgj-464x260.jpeg "Movie Trailer: 'Atlas' [Starring Jennifer Lopez].")
Wow! Yeah im surprised that she said that. i dont know about the government part, but i do feel that gangsta rap does exploit violence and unfortunately alot of it involves young Black ppl.
That is a bit extreme but I do understand what she means. I think she basically means that the government labelled rap ‘Gangsta rap’ so it could be used as an excuse for black on black killings. Then the government can just say…..’its not our fault’.
I AGREE WITH ALICIA..THE GOV TRIES TO HIDE THE FACT THAT THEY WANTED THEM 2 DEAD..I MEAN THEY CAN FIND OUT WHO KILLED SOME ANCIENT PRINCESS..OR WHO MURDERED THE WHITE GIRL THAT IS MISSING, BUT THEY CANT FIND OUT WHO KILLED BIGGIE AND PAC..I MEAN THEY WERE BOTH KILLED IN PUBLIC PLACES AROUND OTHER PEOPLE
I think what she said is gonna stir up some more racial tensions and thats not good.
RAP GETS BLAMED FOR EVERYTHING…old ass don imus talking about he heard it in rap.
I’ve listened to rap my whole life and i’ve never been locked up, shot, dealt drugs or anything. If i did those things it was because i wanted to not because rap told me to do it.
The media started calling it east/west coast beef…they played it up. Talking about life in poor black inner cities is not gangsta. All them white boys in rock doing drugs and O.D-ing but they dont say “drug rock”.
black people take a stand on something…THEY ARE A THREAT THEY ARE DANGEROUS
white people take a stand on something…THEY ARE EXPERSSING THEMSELVES.
F*** CRACKKKERS
A little far fetched but i kinda agree. The kind of rap i think she means promotes violence, sexism, racism, homophobia and general shittyness. I believe in freedom of expression but some s*** goes too far.
I agree alot of wat is geared towards us entertainment wise is not uplifting…and also alot of people want to respond and be like ive listened to rap all my life and never did drugs or been in jail and stuff like but the thing is a lot of children are growing up in a single parent household and the are unable to have morals instilled in them so when they turn on the tv and watch BET they want to mimic that mentality…The Boondocks episode that satired BET had some truth behind the BET we watch now is not the same one we watched before shows like t*** summit are no longer available don’t get me wrong i enjoy watching videos but i think the could put somethin to help bring leaders out of the black community
What is she smoking?
I am a massive Alicia fan, As I Am, is in my top 5 albums of the last 6 months. But damn, what is she talking about?
If the government want to encourage Gangsta Rap, why are they continually banning videos & accusing Rappers of influencing shootings & sh*t?
Mark
http://www.urbanreview.co.uk
I’ll agree with her on this one. Look, I don’t think that “Gangsta Rap” started out as a government driven ploy, but I believe they seized the moment. The media which is heavily connected to the US Government did indeed fuel the East Coast/West Coast beef with Tupac and Biggie.
In fact before Biggie passed he blamed the media for making more of the beef between he and Pac than what was really there.
I think her statement is bold and I agree. I loathed Gangsta Rap it was both embarassing to hear and depressing to know that so many idolized the Gangsta Lifestyle and even MORE depressing to know that these so called “rappers” were pushing the Gangsta lifestyle as something to seek out.
Good job Alicia, I absolutely believe the Government via the Jewish media was involved.
I’ll agree with her on this one. Look, I don’t think that “Gangsta Rap” started out as a government driven ploy, but I believe they seized the moment. The media which is heavily connected to the US Government did indeed fuel the East Coast/West Coast beef with Tupac and Biggie.
In fact before Biggie passed he blamed the media for making more of the beef between he and Pac than what was really there.
I think her statement is bold and I agree. I loathed Gangsta Rap it was both embarassing to hear and depressing to know that so many idolized the Gangsta Lifestyle and even MORE depressing to know that these so called “rappers” were pushing the Gangsta lifestyle as something to seek out.
Good job Alicia, I absolutely believe the Government via the Jewish media was involved.
If you’re going to quote a statement, quote the entire thing that was being said, and not just take bits and pieces of what peoplel want to hear.
i luv u alicia but negro plz!
gansta rap is an expression of sum ppl current lives and situations.
it does exist, so does drive bys, stabbings and the other negative situations spoken about in gangsta rap. i love da way ppl luv 2 blame da “government”, instaed of comin up for a solution to solve da current situation a loto f ethincs minorities livin wit.
I feel what Alicia is saying to an EXTENT. I don’t think it is the government who set up the murders but someone did. It was a dirty cop that was involved in the Biggie shooting and there is absolutely NO WAY that 2Pac was shot at a Tyson fight, such a crowded, and no one saw anything. I think the label/corporate big wigs fueled the madness because it sells. Biggie and Pac were friends at one point. The labels are ultimately owned by YT people. YT people laugh in our faces constantly because we are killing each other off. They (The Label) fueled the beef and in turn fueled the violence because thats what sold, thats what makes money. Too bad people had to die, but thats exactly what happened. Tupac has sold more records in his death than he did alive..YT is still making money off of him.
i completely agree.
but i’m surprised to hear this coming from alicia, being that she is a popular artist herself, and popular artists (aka beyonce) usually refrain from speaking the (controversial anti government) truth.
and to the person who said that gangsta rap expresses how people feel. it only expresses the lives and sitautions of a small minority of people in a superficial way (not all blacks live in ghetto situations described in gangsta rap). yet gangsta rap takes up a majority of radio airplay. therefore brainwashing people to think that EVERYBODY in america is experiencing these gangsta sitautions.
to the asshole who blamed jews for this s*** even tho they werent even mentioned in the article, STOP BEING RACIST AND BLAMING ALL YOUR PROBLEMS AND JEALOUSIES ON JEWS.
what a beauty !
sure wish she had a backstage channel like this one here so we could also see them on this blog n`s*** u know.
check it out:
http://www.kyte.tv/ch/18531-thisis50com
peace !
YALL BETTA HEAR ALICIA KEYS SHE KNOWS WHAT SHES TALKIN ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLS MORE THAN YOU THINK READ A LIL BIT & YOULL FIND OUT…& DNT LET NEONE THINK FOR YOU WE NEED TO BE SMARTER ABOUT THE DECISIONS WE MAKE & NOT BE INFLUENCED BY THE MEDIA OR PUBLIC FEAR JUS LOVE LIFE & LOVE GOD
Its like everywhere i go, i c a young black kid (mostly male) listenin to gangsta rap. Like that’s all we have to listen to? I’m 17 years-old, I’m a male & I’m a black too, but even i dnt listen 2 gangsta rap that much. Hell, harldy at all. Personally i’m real big fan of R&B music, always have been & always will b nd at times i’m kinda skeptical about lettin people kno that i listen 2 R&B, because i’m afraid that they’ll judge. I think that there’s a standard set that says that young all young black males listen to gangsta rap music or just rap in general & that young black females only listen to R&B music & if you step outside of those standards & do something different, people wanna judge you & make assumptions about you, and i hat that! I’m very different from most guys my age, even when it comes to music.