After launching a controversial advertising campaign to promote a new release for Ashanti, Motown Records announced that it has dropped the killer spots.
Ashanti and Motown made waves with “Gotcha-Grams,” used to promote her new single. The grams, which coincided with the singer’s latest single, “The Way I Love You” depicted violence and murder. Users opting to participate in the interactive campaign could go on a website, select a “victim” (who may have “broken the heart” of the sender) and personalize a news report showing the murder of said victim.
When activists and religious leaders got wind of what was going on, a whirlwind of controversy ensued. While many in the industry believe any publicity is good publicity, it seems that Motown was not expecting—or prepared for—the backlash.
With criticism mounting, it all came to a head yesterday when the label decided to yank the site, after a protest was planned for game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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Ashanti will sing the National Anthem before the start of the game.
For Najee Ali, of Project Islamic Hope, the removal of the site is a victory. “This demonstrates how a few dedicated people can inspire change, he said in a statement. “This was a David vs Goliath victory. A group of dedicated activists and parents took on an artist and major corporation, demanding responsibility and accountability for the violent imagery influencing young people.”
Even with the controversy turning heated, Ali applauded Ashanti and Motown for the decision.
“We salute Ashanti, Motown and Universal Music for listening and complying with the concerns of parents and community leaders. “
Paul Porter of Industry Ears called it a “small step” in a bigger battle against indecency. “It shows what happens when folks try to do some things, but you gotta show force these days. The e-mail campaigns don’t work anymore,” he told Mo’ Kelly of EUR Web.
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“When you do the right thing, you can get it done.”
As of press time, Motown has not issued a statement on the matter.
