Comments made by popular rappers T.I., left, and Nelly to racially insensitive gossip tabloid TMZ landed them in hot water with social media collective “Black Twitter” today.
Black Twitter users were outraged at T.I. and Nelly for not speaking out fast enough in the days following the police shooting death of 18-year-old Michael “Mike” Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9.
Black Twitter called out the hip hop moguls for using their substantial social media presence to promote their own projects while at the same time ignoring the ongoing turmoil in Ferguson.
As one of Twitter’s founders, @Jack, marched alongside protesters in Ferguson on Saturday, T.I. and Nelly spoke out against the protesters in an interview with TMZ.
“I understand the frustration, but we have to strategize before we overreact. We don’t get no do-over on sh*t like this, so we have to do it right the first time,” said Nelly, who was raised in nearby St. Louis.
T.I. added: “We needed to play chess instead of checkers. We should have waited to see if justice was going to be served first … We shouldn’t have played our strongest hand first.”
Twitter users reminded T.I. that he wasn’t always patient when he thought he or his family had been wronged.
But not all of T.I.’s Twitter mentions were in shambles. Atlanta socialite and radio personality Brook Lynn Carter added her 2 cents to the debate by calling out her followers on their double standard.
Social media users also commended Nelly for starting a Scholarship fund in Michael Brown’s name.
According to TMZ, T.I., comedian Kevin Hart and NBA star Al Jefferson have each pledged to donate $15,000 a year in college tuition for a qualified student chosen by Brown’s family.
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