LL Cool J Puts "Accidental Racist" in the "Context of Trayvon Martin"
Another day, another attempt to explain what was running through the minds of LL Cool J and Brad Paisley when they recorded, approved of and released their unusual collabo "Accidental Racist."
LL Cool J stopped by The Tonight Show yesterday to chat about the "is it or isn't it racially insensitive?" track with noted race relations expert Jay Leno.
"I can't defend the song but I can clarify the intention," Ladies Love Cool James told Leno. After admitting the six-minute track "wasn't perfect" and pointing out "you can't fit 300 years of history into one song," LL addressed the song's strangest (some would say stupidest) lyric, "If you don't judge my du-rag, I won't judge your red flag."
"I would never, ever compare history of the Confederate flag to the du-rag, especially when you think about the rapes, torture, lynchings associated with the flag," LL promised. "However, when you think about a kid like Trayvon Martin—when you think of things that happen in society based on clothing—when you put it in its proper context, it makes sense."
LL went on to say that although "systemic racism exists" and slavery should never be forgotten, he believes "putting down some of that baggage will help you make it up that hill a little easier."
Regardless of whether you agree with LL's logic, you gotta give him credit for producing a better answer than what Paisley told Ellen DeGeneres when she asked him about the song's meaning. His response? "I don't know!"
1m
21m
2m
10m
20m
20m
23m
20m
46m
2m
21m
41m
26m
1m
20m
45m
1h 27m
2m
41m
20m
19m
20m
44m
1h 2m
24m
1m
1m
1m
1m
5m
8m
1h 33m
1h 49m
20m
41m
18m
2m
20m
20m
1h 43m
44m
1m
1m
1m
2m
2m
42m
2m
3m
2m
41m
1h 39m
1h 1m
21m
41m
20m
56m
2m
3m
2m
1h 2m
23m
1m
5m
2m
1m
1m
1m
2m
1m
2m
46s
1m
20m
2m
9m
5m
2m
55s
6m
1m
3m
1m
1m
1m
3m
23m
3m
18m
2m
1m
22m
20m
1h 34m
44m
1h 45m
2m