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Music

Rick Ross Has Apologised for His Comments About Female Rappers

He'd said he'd never signed woman artists because he'd probably have sex with them.
Lauren O'Neill
London, GB
Image via Flickr

Earlier this week I wrote about the boring, trash comments that Rick Ross made about women in the music industry (specifically that as CEO of Maybach Music Group, he hadn't signed any female rappers because he "would end up fucking the female rapper," good).

Following a massive backlash, Ross has since taken to social media to apologise for the comments, via a statement:

I want to address an insensitive comment I made on a very sensitive issue, especially in a minority-dominated industry like hip hop. My entire empire's backbone is led by 2 of the strongest people I know and they happen to be women, my mother and sister. The operations wouldn't run without them and I have the highest regard and respect for women in this industry. I have a daughter myself, my most cherished gift in the world.

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My comment is not reflection of my beliefs on the issue. A mistake I regret. I hope to use my mistake, my platform and the community to create positive discussion to implement change on a very important issue. respect for the ones who stand up to say 'hey that isn't right.' Now it's time to accept responsibility and all do better.

The statement went on, saying Ross looks "forward to continue working with & supporting female artists" before plugging his show on VH1. "Many of the most talented artists you'll see in the running to be the next #MMG superstars are female artists. I look forward to clarifying my comments through my support." He then thanked "everyone who's going through the journey with me".

And yeah, on one hand it's good that he apologised and might think twice about saying this sort of thing in the future, but on the other it shows how far he, and society at large, have to go on language around gender. "I love my mother and sister and daughter" translates as "I only value the talents of the women I don't want to fuck," which is a tried and tested method used to create one set of standards for the "pure" women in one's family, and "fair game" others. "My comment is not reflection of my beliefs on the issue" is, surely, just the sort of thing you say when you get called out – why, after all, would you say something in an interview that you didn't mean?

It's obviously a step forward that comments like these now warrant public apologies like the one Ross has chosen to issue, but honestly this shit is old and it shouldn't be happening in the first place. The sooner the music industry realises that, the better.

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