Oh joy… I won't use up too many pixels on this, but I had to share, given the subject matter, and the fact that it's something that's polarized black people all over the world for a very long time now.
The short story goes… Eric Benet released a new song called Redbone in which he expresses his love for a lighter-skinned black woman, which features a rap from Lil Wayne that says, "I like them light-skinned, lighter than a feather."
Of course controversy followed; and Benet defends himself, recently telling CBS that:
"In no way is ["Redbone Girl"] me professing my preference for any type of skin color … it's just a songwriter talking about one experience."
And as The Hollywood Reported notes, he further points out the fact that he previously released a song called Chocolate Legs that didn't get nearly as much uproar, or any for that matter, from the black community.
He added that he feels…
"I think it's its own form of racism."
And he seems to cherish all the conversation surrounding him and his Redbone Girl song, taking advantage of the opportunity and releasing 2 limited edition women's tank tops, each with the titles of each song: Redbone Girl and Chocolate Legs.
The question I suppose this then begs to be asked is, which one are you?
Available on his official site for the low, low price of just $19.95, you'll find them in black and white.
Who's buying what he's selling – and I'm not just talking about the tank tops.
And does he have a point when he says that there's a kind of double standard, as in, when he sings about "chocolate" women, he gets lots of love; but when he sings about "redbone" women, he gets mucho flak?
Watch his convo with CBS below:
