Bruno Mars has been at the center of one of the biggest social media debates so far this year and it all centers around cultural appropriation. While many fans and celebrities have criticized Bruno and accused him of copying the style of many talented African-American artists who have come before him and not paying homage. Right now, Bruno Mars’ massive hit “Uptown Funk” with Mark Ronson is at the center of controversy because many believe it’s a prime example of cultural appropriation. In fact, some have even gone a step further calling the singer’s music “karaoke.” However, there’s one man who has a very colorful response to the situation. According to TMZ, Stevie Wonder is calling the whole situation BS.
Standing w/Bruno:
On Friday, March 16, Stevie Wonder was seen leaving Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills, CA. On his way out, TMZ caught up with him and asked his opinion of the drama surrounding Bruno Mars. Stevie made his opinion very clear. He personally believes Bruno is a success in his own right and all of the drama surrounding “Uptown Funk” is nothin’ more than B.S. The legendary singer/musician also offered his take on the sole purpose of making music: It’s for the world. Check out what Stevie had to say:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wejocoawFmc
The Problem People Have w/Bruno:
Stevie Wonder’s defense of Bruno Mars comes after the all the accusations, which stem from the 2018 Grammys. For those who missed the prestigious event, Bruno won an impressive six Grammys including Album of the Year for his latest album, “24K Magic.” Many fans argued that Bruno has won so many awards for his soul-inspired music simply because he isn’t black. Seren Sensei, a writer and activist with the popular web series “The Grapevine,” has put things into perspective with a viral tweet breaking down the reason behind all the drama and many social media users have agreed with her.
“Bruno Mars 100% is a cultural appropriator. He is not black, at all, and he plays up his racial ambiguity to cross genres,” Sensei said. “What Bruno Mars does, is he takes pre-existing work and he just completely, word-for-word recreates it, extrapolates it,” she added. “He does not create it, he does not improve upon it, he does not make it better. He’s a karaoke singer, he’s a wedding singer, he’s the person you hire to do Michael Jackson and Prince covers. Yet Bruno Mars has an Album of the Year Grammy and Prince never won an Album of the Year Grammy.”
Bruno’s Opinion:
Despite all the backlash, Bruno has gone on record crediting African-Americans for the majority of the artistic elements that inspired him to make music. Back in February of 2017, Bruno sat down for an interview with Latina magazine where he actually offered his opinion on a similar issue.
“When you say ‘black music,’ understand that you are talking about rock, jazz, R&B, reggae, funk, doo-wop, hip-hop and Motown,” he told the publication.”Black people created it all. Being Puerto Rican, even salsa music stems back to the Motherland [Africa]. So, in my world, black music means everything. It’s what gives America its swag.”
He continued, “I’m a child raised in the ’90s,” he continued. Pop music was heavily rooted in R&B from Whitney, Diddy, Dr. Dre, Boyz II Men, Aaliyah, TLC, Babyface, New Edition, Michael, and so much more … I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for these artists who inspired me.”
While there are lots of people giving Bruno a hard time, many celebs and musicians have agreed that people should just let Bruno be great. ILOSM family, what’chall think about Stevie Wonder’s opinion of Bruno Mars?
