Erykah Badu has responded to the backlash she faced on Twitter after appearing to defend R. Kelly during a recent Chicago concert. On Sunday (January 20), the tenured neo-soul artist jumped on the social media platform to explain her side of the story.
She made sure to note she absolutely doesn’t stand behind anyone’s “poor choices.”
“I love you. Unconditionally,” she wrote. “That doesn’t mean I support your poor choices. I want healing for you and anyone you have hurt as a result of you being hurt. Is that strange to you? That’s all I’ve ever said. Anything else has been fabricated or taken out of context.”
Several concertgoers accused Ms. Badu of siding with Kelly after she told the crowd, “What if one of the people who was assaulted by R. Kelly becomes an offender? We gonna crucify them too?”
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But in a video clip captured of the moment in question, what she actually said was, “I’m puttin’ up a prayer right now for R. Kelly. I hope he sees the light of day if he done all those things we seen on t.v. and heard those ladies talk about. I hope he sees the light of day and comes forward.
What’d y’all say? Fuck him? That’s not love. That’s not unconditional love. But what if one of the people who was assaulted by R. Kelly … We gonna crucify them too?”
Despite her explanation, Badu is still being subjected to the wrath of Twitter. Many people are now suggesting she’s “victim blaming” and that it’s a lot more than “poor choices.”
Check out a few of the reactions below.
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[This article has been updated. The original version was published on January 20, 2018 at 11:11 a.m. PST and can be found below.]
No amount of sage could stop Erykah Badu’s audience from getting riled up during a recent show at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. On Saturday night (January 19), the neo-soul goddess was accused of blatantly defending R. Kelly and making excuses for his predatory behavior.
According to one concertgoer, Badu said, “What if one of the people who was assaulted by R Kelly becomes an offender? We gonna crucify them too?”
Another attendee claimed Badu told the crowd to keep their opinion to themselves, while another was “so disappointed” Badu stood up for the disgraced R&B star.
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Last week, Badu left a cryptic caption on one of her Instagram posts.
“‘Having Eyes that can see all points of view is a blessing … and a curse in the court of public opinion. ‘ – a mother I C on both sides like Chanel,” she wrote.
It wasn’t immediately clear what she was referring to until she responded to someone condemning her for approaching the Kelly situation with compassion.
“I loved you until I realised you supported a rapist and pedophile as your brother,” one follower replied, to which Badu said, “Correction, love has little to do with supporting others’ bad choices. Love is wisdom.”
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While everyone is entitled to their opinion, Badu has been under fire before for her inflammatory comments. In an interview with Vulture last January, she stirred up controversy after she appeared to express sympathy for Adolf Hitler, XXXTENTACION and Bill Cosby. She eventually recognized her comments, while taken out of context, were deplorable.
“People are in real pain,” she wrote. “So I understand why my ‘good’ intent was misconstrued as ‘bad’. In trying to express a point, I used 1 of the worst examples possible, Not to support the cruel actions of an unwell, psychopathic Adolf Hitler, but to only exaggerate a show of compassion.”
She later added, “Either U read the entire VULTURE interview & U understood the message of compassion CLEARLY. OR U only read the selective, out of context Headlines, & were drawn in2 the whirlpool of collective emotional grief. I don’t want 2 force U 2understand the way I love. I’m hopeful tho.”
Needless to say, there are plenty of folks on Twitter declaring Ms. Badu has officially been canceled.
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Check out some of the reactions below.
