A DJ has broken his silence and addressed his reasoning for flouting New York's social distancing measures by taking part in a "rona rave".
The New York City house party, which took place on the 4th of May, was widely denounced by members of the LGBTQ+ community, who accused attendees of putting theirs and others' lives at risk.
Accounts of the incident began circulating on social media after gay porn star, Ian Frost, posted an Instagram Story taken at the crowded party, where around 30 topless partygoers can clearly be seen violating governor Andrew Cuomo's stay-at-home orders, by dancing in close proximity, and without wearing face masks.
In a nine-minute video uploaded on Monday morning to Facebook, circuit DJ Alec Brian responded to the criticism he's received since attending the party.
Brian claimed that he took the gig as he "needed the money" because he is currently unemployed. Though he accepted that he put his own and attendees' lives at risk, he did not offer a direct apology. "We all took that chance, and made that… made that… that… thought and chose to do that," he said.
Explaining that he was approached to DJ the party at 9 pm on the night it took place, he reasoned: "in the spur of the moment, [I] made a stupid decision and agreed to DJ this party".
He began the video by giving a "huge, big shout out, thank you, to our first-line, front men, working-class that are out there slaving away to keep our lives safe", adding, "Thank you for your hard work and for putting your lives at risk for us to able to live."
The people of Twitter were unimpressed with Brian's apology, taking particular umbrage with his assertion that, "when I left that party, I went right back to putting my mask on and gloves on."
Further, he alleged that "before the party" he was disinfecting his home "from head to toe", detailing that he wears gloves and a mask whenever he leaves the apartment.
Despite all the progress that has been made by and for the LGBTQ+ community over the past few decades, there is still a disconcerting amount of casual homophobia prevalent in western society. Trans people are still banned from using basic public facilities such as bathrooms and dressing rooms, LGB people are still subjected to verbal and physical abuse for doing something as simple as holding hands with a partner, and individuals of all backgrounds - whether they realise it's wrong or not - continue to use derogatory slurs against the queer community.
And sometimes, even those who seem to be supportive of LGBTQ+ issues, prove to be problematic in some way.
Lakeith Stanfield, who is best known for his part in Get Out, as well as his role as a gay man in Come Sunday, recently upset fans after posting a video of himself rapping "offensive freestyle" that included slurs and homophobic comments.
After he posted the video, the actor received a great deal of online backlash from fans for his use of the slur, "f*g", as well as him saying "gay s**t" in a derogatory manner.
"This whole Lakeith Stanfield thing just reinforces a frustrating reality: 90% of the time "woke" people only care about being "woke" along the axis that personally affects them," wrote Twitter user, @A_B_Allen. "They're totally ready and willing throw other marginalized people under the bus."
"Lakeith Stanfield really went out here, did a homophobic and woman hating freestyle, put it on Instagram, deleted it, and thinks we are gonna forget. I feel bad for the rest of the cast and crew of #SorryToBotherYou," added @angrytaina.
Since receiving so much criticism for his actions, Stanfield has come forward to apologise for being homophobic.
In a statement given to Buzzfeed, he said:
"I can [acknowledge the words are hurtful], very much so. I realised the weight and scope of that word ['f*g'] and that it can be very hurtful to people. I’m really disheartened by the fact that people are being affected by it
"People are feeling sad or anger or any of these negative feelings about the things I’ve done, because that wasn’t my intention at all, to hurt people.
"I’m a person that moves in love, and I’m concerned with everyone being able to tap into their universal freedom. And that’s what I’ve always been about. That means freedom of expression, freedom to love who you want to love, freedom to be."
He also posted a video of himself on Instagram in which he explained that he was just performing a "character" when he said those things and that his views were "not in line" with the slurs he used.
While it may seem good that Stanfield apologised for what he did, it's still totally unacceptable that he said those things in the first place - and his excuse that he was simply playing a character is seriously disrespectful to everyone who puts up with that kind of abuse on a daily basis.
If the actor plans on regaining any respect he once had from the LGBTQ+ community, he's going to have to do a lot more to atone for his actions.
A prom night DJ has been slammed on social media for song choice during a prom queen's first dance.
The incident, which was shared to TikTok by Celeste Orozco - who goes by the handle @celesteiliana__ - saw the DJ play the Ed Sheeran hit 'Thinking Out Loud' for the prom queen and king's first dance.
On one hand, there wouldn't appear to be much wrong with the DJ's choice considering how popular and romantic the song is. However, the atmosphere in the room soon turned into dissatisfaction when everyone realized what the opening lyrics of the 2014 smash hit was.
In the opening lines, Sheeran sings: "When your legs don’t work like they used to before..."
Obviously, this was a hugely unfortunate choice of song considering the prom queen is a wheelchair user. And when those first few words played, you can hear audible gasps and groans coming from the people in the room.
Watch the video below:
As of this writing, the video has gone viral on the social media platform and garnered 17.7 million views and 3 million likes.
On the text overlay, Celeste wrote: "This would haunt me for the rest of my life if I were a DJ," and many users commented to express their disappointment - with one person slamming the DJ for the "f***ed up" song choice.
One user wrote: "The way I immediately thought of 'YOU NEED TO LEAVE!'"
Another user shared their support for the prom queen: "I would have been so embarrassed and just cried and left. I’m hoping this didn’t ruin her night."
A third person joked: "The DJ knew exactly what he was doing."
A fourth wrote: "I FORGOT THE SONG BEGAN LIKE THIS."
Credit: TikTok.
Credit: TikTok.
Credit: TikTok.
Credit: TikTok.
Fortunately, the prom queen - Sarah Mendenhall - responded to the video herself to say that she wasn't upset at the DJ at all.
Mendenhall wrote: "Hey everyone so this is me lol...I found it really funny and ironic. I didn’t know what was playing until way after cause I was tryna dance @Celeste."
Celeste then replied to her saying: "had a great prom night and a good laugh about it the next day @sarahmendenhall4."
Credit: TikTok.
Well, it looks like all is well for our prom queen. We're just delighted that she still managed to have a good time despite the unfortunate viral fame.
Cardi B has taken to social media to apologize after revealing that she hosted nearly 40 people for Thanksgiving dinner during the ongoing pandemic.
The 'Bodak Yellow' singer tweeted to say that she had a large group of people over for the Thanksgiving weekend, sparking widespread outrage on the social media website.
She wrote: "12kids and 25 adults over the holidays.It was lit !! [sic]"
Another added: "I hope it was worth it for you and those 25 adults and 12 kids. I truly hope it was because I can promise you it's not worth it to everyone else who is affected by your poor choices aka the healthcare workers who you will run to when you're sick."
The rapper's Thanksgiving celebration goes against the CDC guidelines during the pandemic, which advise people not to go within six feet of those who do not live in your home.
Cardi B has since apologized for her decision to host so many people on Twitter, writing: "Sorry my bad wasn't trying to make nobody feel bad.
"I spent soo much money getting every1 tested but it felt worth it.I wasnt trying to offend no1. [sic]"
However, while Cardi B might have had the best of intentions with her apology, it did not placate her critics.
One wrote: "Bragging about your large gathering during a pandemic to your millions of impressionable fans who do not have the money that you have to get rapid tests is irresponsible."
However, not everyone was so critical of the 'WAP' singer and some fans jumped to her defense.
One wrote: "I’m so TIRED of people making people feel bad about the fact that they have money to care for their family ,and do things they would definitely do if they were in the same position! I know I would if I could. Don’t worry Cardi some of us don't let everything offend us."
Cardi B then wrote another tweet seemingly in response to the backlash that read: "People be trying too hard to be offended. I wonder how they survive in the real world."
DJ Khaled has been left rather red-faced after inviting his Instagram followers to join him for a chat on Live.
The 44-year-old 'Wild Thoughts' producer took to the social media platform on Sunday (May 3) to talk with fellow music producer Timbaland about life in lockdown. However, DJ Khaled - real name Khaled Mohamed Khaled - then opened up the virtual floor to his fans so they could join him for a chat.
The unsuspecting American DJ was then joined by a woman wearing a pair of tiny shorts, a string bikini top, and an open grey hoodie.
But rather than talk to the music icon, the woman decided to twerk for him:
Clearly Khaled was not expecting such a lively performance, as she started to exclaim: "Oh s***, oh s***," and throwing his hands up.
As the young woman started to dance, the producer begged: "No, no - don't do that!"
But despite the star's protests, the woman even went to the trouble of finding a bottle of water to pour over herself in an attempt to liven up the performance.
Khaled - who has two young sons with his wife Nicole Tuck - then pleaded with the dancer, saying: "I got a family. It’s all love. Just talk to me normal. Talk to me normal."
However, the woman continued to dance, prompting Khaled to cover his eyes, before deciding he (and everybody else watching) had seen enough and he removed her from the live-stream, as he uttered: "Nah I can't, I can't."
The famed DJ later shared the clip to his main Instagram feed, along with the caption: "I have love for everyone please take it easy when I’m on fan luv ig luv . Again I have love for everyone please lets be respectful nothing but love BLESS UP!"
After just eight hours, the video has already been viewed more than 3.3 million times (so it seems other people did want to watch her performance.)
DJ Khaled's talks with Timberland were also shared to his IG feed, and can be seen below:
"There’s some? wh*res? in this house? / I said certified freak, seven? days a week / Wet a** p***y, make that pullout game weak, woo."
After Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's 'WAP (Wet A** P***y)' dropped last Friday, conservative pundit Ben Shapiro, was quick to issue comment on the black-women led production. "It gets really, really, really vulgar," he said on his eponymous show, which aired on the August 10.
What followed was nothing short of cringe-induing. He recited the song's NSFW lyrics, while the music video played in the background - taking care to replace "p***y" with the "p-word" - as if uttering a popular term for the female genitalia was powerful enough to align him with libertarian values. It was painful to watch, entirely memeable, and, naturally, it went viral.
Shapiro didn't stop there. He proceeded to mansplain a reductive, tokenistic view of feminism - and went so far to implicate himself in giving his wife an STD, by quoting her "doctor" diagnosis that having a "wet a** p***y" could mean you have "bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection, or trichomonis [sic]."
"This is what feminists fought for," the 36-year-old said. "This is what the feminist movement was all about, and if you say anything differently it’s ’cause you’re a misogynist, see?"
After clips from his podcast began making the rounds on social media and attracting ridicule, Shapiro took to Twitter to clarify:
"Listen, guys. I fully explained on the show that it’s misogynistic to question whether graphic descriptions of “wet-a** p****” is empowering for women.
"'WAP' is obviously an incredibly profound statement of women’s empowerment, a la Susan B. Anthony. As I also discussed on the show, my only real concern is that the women involved — who apparently require a 'bucket and a mop' — get the medical care they require. My doctor wife’s differential diagnosis: bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection, or trichomonis."
And so, the public humiliation of Ben Shapiro was complete.
Of course, being the subject of mockery has been Shapiro's calling card since he became the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the United States at the age of 17 (at the time of writing, he has 7 million followers on Facebook and 3 million on Twitter, respectively), but his views are representative of the larger backlash the track has received.
The most vocal proponents of the criticism surrounding 'WAP' are, like Shapiro, right-leaning, male, and, white.
It's to be expected; two women, black to boot, who openly celebrate female sexuality, and describe the female genitalia in candid detail - bodily functions and all - would inspire repugnance in such a demographic.
Shapiro giving his unsolicited opinion on a rap track is a savvy career move.
The clip of him reciting the track's lyrics has launched countless memes, and currently has 6.3 million views on Twitter. Consequently, the outrage that Cardi B and Megan's track incited has eclipsed the fact that the music video garnered 26 million views on YouTube in its first day, thereby breaking the record for the biggest 24-hour debut for an all-female collaboration on the platform.
But it's not just the likes of Shapiro that took umbrage with WAP. In a recent interview with Far Out Magazine, CeeLo Green, an African-American rapper, namechecked Cardi B and Nicki Minaj as releasing music that is "very unfortunate and disappointing on a personal and moral level".
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA]]
"There was once a time when we were savvy enough to code certain things. We could express to those it was meant for with the style of language we used. But now music is shameless, it is sheer savagery. There should be a time and a place for adult content," Green said, adding: "You have the ‘Heads of State,’ like Nicki Minaj or someone who is up there in accolade: success, visibility, a platform to influence. Nicki could be effective in so many other constructive ways, but it feels desperate."
In the interview, Green only references female rappers; thus equating their sexually explicit lyrics to the "shameless" state of the music industry.
Speaking on 'WAP', Green continued: "Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, they are all more or less doing similar salacious gesturing to kinda get into position. I get it, the independent woman and being in control, the divine femininity and sexual expression. I get it all." He then asks, "It comes at what cost?"
The irony doesn't go unnoticed. It was Green, of course, who glorified violence against women in Gnarls Barkley's 'Necromancer'. In it, he raps, "It’s naughty, very naughty necrophilia / Without a care I’m compassionate about killing her / I’d have my way with what’s left of the will of her / Cosmopolitans, and cocaine, and an occasional pill in her / When she spoke I saw a spark, but it was dark so / I drove her home when she died, sexy suicide."
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA]]
While black male rappers have long incited criticism for their use of sexually explicit lyrics, it's hard to remember a time in recent years that one particular individual has been called out in the way that Cardi B and Megan have.
A 2012 Billboard article features the subheading: "The 10 hip-hop stars with the filthiest lyrics, from Lil Wayne to Akinyele to Plies, all for your nasty listening pleasure." The artists referenced are all male, and their graphic lines don't seem to render them "shameless", rather, it's the very "filthy" nature of their content that makes their music worth listening to.
Ultimately, men are able to rap about women's p******s, but those who possess them cannot.
A prime example is Lil Wayne's 2008 track, P***y Monster, in which he spits the bars: "When I lift my top lip I can still smell you / When I swallow my spit I can still taste you / Put that p***y in my face you / It goes P-*-*-*-Y because / It's the reason I am alive / Mama I need just to survive / It's like I got to eat to stay alive."
We are still uncomfortable with women expressing their sexuality, and we're even more squeamish when it comes to talking about their reproductive biology.
In popular culture, the vulva is only depicted as a flower or an aesthetically pleasing segment of fruit - tampon commercials remain clinical in their failure to depict menstrual blood - and so we infer that vaginas are something to silently possess, not something to talk about openly - whether they be dry, damp, or "wet".
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