Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Culture
CultureEntertainment

People Aren’t Here for Writer’s Accusation That Bruno Mars Is Appropriating Black Culture

By | Published on June 26, 2017 | Updated on November 23, 2022 1:49 AM EST
CommentsComments (0) Add as a preferred source on Google i

Writer Jenn M. Jackson stirred controversy among Black Twitter users when she proclaimed Black people should stop praising Bruno Mars and “be more critical about the ways we understand appropriation.”

Jackson, who also is a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, went on a Twitter spree before Mars’ opening performance at the BET Awards Sunday, June 25.

Jackson acknowledged that Mars credits funk artists occasionally but says the claims that he is responsible for the genre’s resurgence is appropriation.

She said she hopes acts like Chaka Khan and George Clinton get money from Mars “giving them credit” before delving into Mars’ past influences.

Jackson concluded that other artists like Tank and Anderson .Paak were better defined as funk acts over Mars and highlighted his opening performance at a Black music awards show.

The lengthy thread spurred many to voice dissent about Jackson’s argument.

Many proclaimed they’ll continue to support Mars.

And several didn’t tolerate the diss.

https://twitter.com/beingjaytee/status/879118777610371072

https://twitter.com/cametogiveiove/status/879026325075271680

However, not everyone disagreed with Jackson.

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top