It seems like I can’t wake up in the morning without hearing about the latest celebrity mishap. It’s become so commonplace I usually ignore it. But Alicia Keys said what!?

This past week, the Internet was buzzing over an interview with Keys to be published in Blender magazine.

If you haven’t heard, type in her name on the Google search bar and see what comes up, you’ll probably be surprised to find the words “Gangsta Rap,” “Conspiracy” and “Alicia Keys” next to one another.

Look to articles like the one published by the Associated Press yesterday. Recapping the week, the article brings back the eye-catching quote “‘Gangsta rap’ was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. ‘Gangsta rap’ didn’t exist,” Keys told Blender magazine.

According to the same article, Keys also wore a Gold AK-47 pendant “to symbolize strength, power and killing ‘em dead.”

Huh? That’s interesting.

Keys, however, rebuked and claimed her words were taken out of context, and this is definitely one time I want the initial media reaction to be wrong. But, my reaction itself may be wrong as well.

There is always talk over how much a celebrity should be in public life. How much can a person offer in opinion or social commentary just because they make music or movies?

Well, actually they can do a lot. In the case of Keys, she’s a musician - in my opinion, a very good one - but her music never reflected these comments in Blender magazine.

Should I be shocked? No, not really. There have been countless artists who lead lives less appealing than we wish.

Jerry Lee Lewis married his underage cousin; Whitney Houston admitted drug use; Elvis Presley overdosed; Rage Against the Machine once appeared naked on stage during a performance and didn’t sing!

People are people, no matter if they live under a spotlight or a street lamp. We all have personal opinions and ideas others may question, but that’s reality.


In the case of Keys, I tend to believe the comments in Blender were taken out of context, but remember that an artist’s job is to produce a message from all of their experiences and ideas.

If Keys truly does that, then her music is reflective of a highly respectable artist, and she should be taken as such.

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