An unexpected alliance has formed between J Prince and Joe Rogan. Earlier this week (Feb. 7) Rap-a-Lot Records CEO J Prince sprung to his defense via Instagram. “Joe Rogan is not a racist” he typed. “I know this brother. It takes a sincere individual to admit when they are wrong and have fucked up about a situation. As you can hear he’s done that and I forgive him because I never want to become one of those people that are filled with unforgiveness and hate, that we complain about all the time.”
— We’re Just The Messengers (@WjtmPod) February 7, 2022
“Let this be an example to others of the sensitivity of the word ‘n-gga’ being said by anybody other than a n-gga lol.” He ended the message by emphasizing his disapproval of people outside the black community using the n-word. It should be noted J Prince has appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience previously, similarly to other black community figureheads like Dave Chapelle and Mike Tyson.
J Prince is a well-respected figure in the Houston community. Most recently, he’s worked with Kanye West and Drake to hold the Larry Hoover benefit concert to end their years-long beef. While many still hold Rogan in low regard for his past actions, J Prince’s word has shown to hold weight in the recording industry.
Without a doubt, Former Fear Factor host and podcaster Joe Rogan has had a rough week in the media. Recently, prolific celebrities like Neil Young, Mary Trump and Sharon Stone have taken a public stand against the 54-year old for his anti-vaccine comments. In addition, his beliefs surrounding race are magnified. This after a particularly explicit compilation took the internet by storm. Despite the disapproval from many black posters on social media, he now has an unexpected figure on his side.
India Arie Calls out Joe
Rogan has utilized his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, to drive others away from the Covid-19 vaccine. “If you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, ‘Should I get vaccinated?’ I’ll go no,” he said in an April episode. Moreover, he brought anti-vaccine figures like virologist Dr. Rover Malone, on his podcast to spout similar rhetoric. A “mass formation psychosis” is what Malone called the insistence from the public to get vaccinated.
Evidently, his most controversial content is surrounding the use of racial slurs. Last week(Feb. 4), R&B artist India Arie, took to her Instagram story to expound on why she was removing her music from Spotify. “I empathize with the people leaving for the COVID disinformation reasons and I think that they should,” Arie started. “I think that Joe Rogan has the right to say what he wants to say, I also think I have the right to say what I want to say[…] Spotify is built off the back of the music streaming. So they take the money that’s built from streaming and pay this guy 100 million dollars and they pay us .003% of a penny? Just take me off!” Intercut with the ‘Steady Love’ singers rant was a series of videos containing Rogan’s vast usage of the n-word. Take a look below:
India Arie @joerogan I wasn’t aware you used this word so freely @spotifypodcasts @forpodcasters #JoeRogan #Twitter Disappointed in his language pic.twitter.com/10NsRJaPV0
— The Veracious Podcast (@TheVeraciousPod) February 3, 2022
Following the explicit video, she subsequently explained her reasoning on her story, condemning Spotify for their decision to uphold Rogan’s platform while underpaying artists. “Paying musicians a fraction of a penny? And HIM $100M? This shows the type of company they are and the company that they keep. “I’m tired” she typed. Clearly, Arie’s call to action has garnered a loud public response.
The internet turns against Joe Rogan
Several fans and political commentators met India with support. Many announced they planned to delete their Spotify accounts and never utilize the platform again in protest of Rogan.
#DeleteSpotify. Pass it on!
— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) February 6, 2022
JUST IN: Spotify now claims Joe Rogan’s racist jokes and misinformation are “legitimate political discourse”
— Gabe Sanchez (@iamgabesanchez) February 5, 2022
https://twitter.com/writtenbyhanna/status/1488294980745576448?s=10
Joe Rogan described going to Philly as meeting the Planet of the Apes. This is not just about the n-word, even though that should be enough. But, you can’t call Black people apes then say… “I’m not racist.” GTFOH.
— Ciara & Russell, I’m Next… (@KirkWrites79) February 5, 2022
As of now, Spotify has reportedly lost 19% of its subscriber base according to a consumer poll from Forrester Research. Furthermore, that number is set to continue to rise as Spotify CEO Daniel Ek publicly defended Rogan Sunday, (Feb. 6) saying “I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.” Subsequently, Ek confirmed Rogan’s requests to remove episodes containing offensive language from the platform.
Joe says sorry
In the face of all the controversy, Joe Rogan has issued an official apology. He posted a brief video on his Instagram last week (Feb.5) addressing his regret and intentions to do better.
“Now, I haven’t said it in years. I certainly would never want to offend someone for entertainment with something as stupid as racism.” He says. In the apology, he references his use of racial slurs as “regretful and shameful”.
Public scrutiny has found him despite his staggering popularity. The question is, was Joe Rogan’s apology sincere? Or because of social media pressure?
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