Rick Ross Protest Goes to Reebok
The outrage over Rick Ross' "U.N.E.N.O." lyrics continues in the form of a planned in-person demonstration at the Reebok flagship store today (Apr. 4).
Activist group UltraViolet is organizing.
"We are appalled that Reebok would pay a spokesperson who brags about enjoying drugging and raping a woman," Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet, explained.
Ross had spit this on the Rocko song: "Put molly all in her champagne, she ain't even know it / I took her home and enjoy that, she ain't even know it."
He signed an endorsement deal with Reebok in March 2012.
"Reebok devotes a lot of time, energy and money to marketing to women," she said. Alicia Keys also has a current deal with Reebok.
"And now they are paying a man who is literally bragging about raping us while absurdly insisting it can’t possibly be rape if he doesn’t use the word 'rape.'"
Ross apologized recently on Twitter: "I dont condone rape. Apologies for the #lyric interpreted as rape. #BOSS"
Ross also apologized last week live on air from New Orleans' Q93 radio station.
"It was a misunderstanding with a lyric, a misinterpretation where the term 'rape' wasn't used. And I would never use the term 'rape' in my records."
Talib Kweli called the first apology "unacceptable" during a Huffington Post virtual roundtable discussion. He then got into an in-depth Twitter conversation about hip hop lyrics with Lupe Fiasco.
Tyga also got pulled into the debate. Harvard students are protesting his lyrics and performance at Yardfest.
"Reebok is apparently OK promoting rape culture, but when one out of five women are the victim of an attempted or completed rape, that has consequences,” said Chaudhary.
She plans to deliver 71,763 signatures to the store.
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(Photo: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Reebok)