BET Chairman and Founder Robert Johnson has removed Eminem’s music video “Just Lose It” due to its portrayal and subsequent retaliation from Michael Jackson. But it seems as if the incident has added fuel to a fire that has been brewing between Eminem and The Source for a few years now. The magazine “applauded” BET for removing the video based on its mockery of the pop icon and “overall level of disrespect for black culture and its icons.”
In a press release Ray Benzino, CEO of The Source, is quoted saying…
“For too long influential people in the hip-hop community have stood by Eminem while he has made a mockery of the culture that inspires and motivates our young people to achieve and be proud of their black heritage…. I am proud of both Robert Johnson of BET for pulling the video, and for comedian Steve Harvey for urging MTV and VH1 to do the same. We as the leaders in the Hip-Hop community and music industry need to step up and realize that Eminem‘s lyrics and actions are tearing down the very culture that people like Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, and Public Enemy have built from the ground up. I urge all members of hip-hop to come out and support Jackson, one of the most important, cultural icons of our time. No one should stand behind this mockery and only by supporting the airplay of ‘Just Lose It’ are we giving Eminem a way out.”
Unfortunately, jabs at Michael Jackson and other personalities are nothing new to Eminem and furthermore the entire entertainment industry. For years comedians have taken shots at the pop icon, which are far worse than anything that hip-hop’s “musical comedian” (coined by Hiphopdx.com’s Ill Will) has done. Just recently on BET’s comedy awards Jamie Foxx took a few shots at the NBA’s Kobe Bryant and his rape case (by depicting Bryant in the film White Chicks). And many other comedians and entertainers over the years, most notably early Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle, have poked fun at Michael Jackson and other personalities which were merely harmless and didn’t cause half the uproar that Eminem has. But it seems that The Source has suddenly become overly sensitive of jabs at entertainers and has used it for its continuous crusade against the blonde emcee.
AD LOADING...
The “Just Lose It” video is vindication for Benzino and The Source who were accused of overreacting by mainstream media outlets, other artists, and so called “hip-hop activists”(an obvious jab at Russell Simmons). The press release continues “Furthermore, The Source called upon Eminem‘s management to pull the single from his upcoming album, and to publicly apologize to Michael Jackson for his offensive portrayal of the King of Pop. As one of Black America’s most visible icons, the magazine views any criticism of Jackson as a direct snipe at the culture itself.”
But does this further the magazine’s credibility or does it confirm that the magazine does actually have a personal vendetta/obsession against Eminem? You be the judge.
