Music
Lil Nas X Questions The Merits And Value Of #BlackoutTuesday
By Todd Malm
Jun 2, 2020 5:13 PM
Source: RollingStoneIndia.com
The Los Angeles Times reported today that some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, Rihanna, and many others, went silent on social media for the music industry’s Blackout Tuesday in which the artists paid tribute to the death of George Floyd and expressed their solidarity with the black community and Black Lives Matter activists.
Executives such as Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang claimed the initiative was launched as a means for artists to reflect on how they could do their part to help the black community.
In a joint statement, the two women stated that the movement was a way of addressing inequality across society, including from the “boardroom to the boulevard.”
While there’s no doubt the initiative was made with the best intentions in mind, artists such as Kehlani and Lil Nas X wondered out loud how it would actually help. On Tuesday, Lil Nas X tweeted that it was definitely with good intentions, but the idea of not posting for a day was the “worst idea ever.”
i just really think this is the time to push as hard as ever. i don’t think the movement has ever been this powerful. we don’t need to slow it down by posting nothing. we need to spread info and be as loud as ever. https://t.co/9nvy3HodjD
— ☆ (@LilNasX) June 2, 2020
The young “Old Town Road” star claimed that now is the time more than ever to “go hard” and work on one’s art and craft. Kehlani, as well, described the movement as “counterproductive.” Other artists have mentioned the use of the #BlackLiveMatters tag, including Lizzo, who asked people to no longer use it and instead just images of the black square.
Chance The Rapper as well went on to say that people using the hash-tag too much was causing problems within the activist community who were using it to report the alleged injustices occurring by the hands of state officials.
For the same reason mentioned by Chance The Rapper, Agyemang also warned against overusing the hash-tag because the purpose of the movement was to “disrupt” rather than not “mute ourselves.” Other recording groups, including Universal Music Group, BMG, Sony, and Atlantic, all participated in the event.
All of the #BlackLivesMatter hash-tags come not long after the reports of the tragic death of George Floyd.