Former “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta” star K. Michelle tuned into the series’ season 8 premiere this week and had a mouthful to say about Spice’s struggles with colorism.
Spice, whose real name is Grace Hamilton, is a known reggae artist in Jamaica but seems to be having a rough time making it big in the United States. The dancehall musician said she believes her dark skin tone is the reason her music career has yet to take off. To make matters worse, she and her co-star Tokyo Vanity met with an artist developer named Vaughn during the episode who told Spice she needed a “new look” for her career to skyrocket.
The “So Mi Like It” artist took offense to Vaughn’s comment and decided to pull a drastic measure. She decided to delete all photos of herself from Instagram and appeared in front of her cast mates as a light-skinned woman, sparking backlash.
K. Michelle (left) and Spice (right). (Photos: Prince Williams/WireImage, Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
K. Michelle who was one of many viewers who tuned in to the season premiere on March 25, understood why Spice went through hell or high water to address colorism in the entertainment industry. But she made it clear that she didn’t necessarily agree with how the Jamaican native went about it.
“I understand what Spice is saying,” the former “LHHATL” alum tweeted Monday evening. “People who aren’t Black women get away with any and everything while A Black woman entertainer could cough hard and be told she’s ghetto or not good enough.”
@kmichelle twitter
“But there [are] other ways to go about it without looking like you ate 2many powered donuts,” the singer added. “She deserves her shine #spice.”
Fans agreed with K. Michelle, reflecting on their own experiences with colorism.
“People who aren’t dark skin won’t understand what Spice is saying 🤷🏽. The bullies i had in elementary and high school…. back then they didn’t want me now im hot they all on me.”
“Right k colorism in today society is so cruel we remember wht MJ went through i just hope spice comes out to this ok.”
Around October, while apparently filming “LHHATL,” Spice revealed that the skin-lightening stunt was to market her new single at the time “Black Hypocrisy,” which deals with the issue of colorism.
“On October 22nd I posted a picture of myself where I looked like I altered my appearance and metamorphosis to match the Eurocentric beauty standards,” the dancehall artist said on Instagram Nov. 2. “I fearlessly addressed an issue that has been swept under the rug and boldly took the stance in bringing a taboo topic to the forefront. I chose to do this in the manner I did because I believe colorism is plagiarizing our Black community.”
