Mary J. Blige serenaded Hillary Clinton with a song about police brutality in a promotional video for the singer’s new Apple Music show The 411 on Tuesday that was widely ridiculed on social media.
In the one-minute teaser video intended to promote an interview with Clinton, the nine-time Grammy-winning soul singer belted out a few lines of Bruce Springsteen’s politically-charged 2001 song “American Skin (41 Shots),” which was originally written about the police shooting death of Amadou Diallo.
Like you’ve never seen them before.@MaryJBlige sits down with @HillaryClinton.#The411
Coming September 30th.https://t.co/hbaWqfjJcp pic.twitter.com/P2qpm3h3Pm— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) September 27, 2016
The lyrics appear to offer tips or advice for African Americans about how they should behave when approached by law enforcement:
“If an officer stops you, always be polite. And never, ever run away.
Promise mama you’ll keep your hands in sight.
Is it a gun? Is it a knife? Is it a wallet?
This is your life.
It ain’t no secret. It ain’t no secret.
No secret my friend; you can get killed just for living in your American skin.”
Blige then takes Clinton’s right hand into her own. She asks Clinton, “I just want to know, where do we go from here?”
The clip drew a wide range of responses on social media, with most appearing to baffled by it.
.@AppleMusic @maryjblige @HillaryClinton This is awful…like absolutely bad in every way. Please pull this. Please make it stop.
— monifabandele (@monifabandele) September 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/WickedBeaute/status/780848390582173696
"what will you do to fix the national epidemic of hateration in this dancerie?" pic.twitter.com/jVDy3eJBCP
— doreen st. félix (@dstfelix) September 27, 2016
I know Mary J. Blige can do no wrong, but why are her glasses 2/3rds the size of her head in that interview with Hillary Clinton?
— Zack Scott (@ZackScott11) September 28, 2016
Fx keeps on airing that damn Mary J and Hillary commercial and it looks just as ridiculous as it did the first time I saw it no matter what
— Chalky White (@LogicalHater) September 28, 2016
https://twitter.com/stereowilliams/status/780781062926381061
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter and Periscope @AdelleNaz
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