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Here's why people are accusing Justin Timberlake of 'stealing black culture'
LAST NIGHT, THE BET Awards took place in Los Angeles. The awards ceremony honours African-Americans and other ethnic minorities in music, sport and film and this year’s event saw the likes of Beyoncé, Drake and Serena Williams pick up gongs.
The most talked about moment of the night, though? That would be the passionate speech delivered by Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams.
Williams was honoured with the Humanitarian Award for his work as a race activist and used the platform to deliver some hard truths about racial equality and police brutality.
The speech quickly went viral with many commending Williams for his powerful words.
Among those to tweet about the speech was Justin Timberlake, who wrote that he was “inspired” by Williams.
Timberlake was immediately accused of cultural appropriation by a follower and that’s when it all kicked off.
Ernest Owens / Twitter Ernest Owens / Twitter / Twitter
In response, Timberlake attempted to shut down the criticism by insisting that we are all the same.
Justin Timberlake / Twitter Justin Timberlake / Twitter / Twitter
And people were having none of it.
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Timberlake quickly sought to make amends and apologised to anyone who felt his remarks were “out of turn”.
But the controversy has continued to rumble today with people accusing the singer of exercising white privilege.
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He was also criticised for stealing black culture while remaining silent on issues affecting African-Americans.
Chrystal / Twitter Chrystal / Twitter / Twitter
Similarly, people were quick to remind him of how he treated two of the most iconic African-American performers ever — Janet Jackson and Prince.
Twitter used accused Timberlake of throwing Janet Jackson under the bus following the infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction and publicly dissing Prince when the late singer hinted that Timberlake was ripping him off.
As The Daily Beast notes, Timberlake mocked the pair in the Timbaland song Give It To Me.
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Many have also defended Timberlake, stating that the whole thing is a storm in a teacup.
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Don’t expect this to be the last you hear of all this.
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Bet Awards Justin Timberlake screens white privilege