Ashanti's Bloody Music Video & Promotional E-Card Sparks Protest
Published: Wednesday - June 11, 2008
Words by Liz "Red" Thomas
Ashanti (Photo: Murder Inc.)
Although Ashanti's been away from the spotlight for the past four years, she's still able to stir things up when she returns.
Most recently, according to MTV News, as she releases his new album The Declaration, the singer is sparked protest in Los Angeles Tuesday (June 10) for the bloody video for her single "The Way That I Love You" and a promotional e-card that features a fake new report about a murder spree inspired by the clip.
In the music video, a lover, played by Ashanti, acts revenge on her cheating boyfriend by stabbing him to death. It is complete with images of blood-spattered walls, which are repeated in an e-card promotion linked to from the official Ashanti homepage.
When people visit the controversial site, they are greeted by a fake news headline from the UCN (Universal Crime Network), which reports that, "police are investigating a recent wave of violence in New Jersey. The police commissioner has hinted that there may be a tie between the recent attacks and the music video for Universal/Motown recording artist Ashanti's single 'The Way That I Love You.' "
When the site loads, visitors are prompted to send their own customized e-card to friends. You can enter your name, the name of your friend and their "crime." The crime can be a variety of things from "sleeping around," "suspected sleeping around," "playing you like a fool" and "breaking your heart." The next option is for the "Weapon of Choice," which includes things such as a "boot," "knife," "can," "sledgehammer," "rolling pin" and "guillotine."
After entering everything in, the site sends out an email to the person of your choice with a link to a customized UCN news report featuring the inputted information, including the victim's name splattered in blood on a wall, the weapon of choice, the sender's name in a fake newspaper headline and a reference to their home state.
There is a disclaimer, however, that says "Ashanti and Universal Music Group do not encourage or condone violence of any kind. This is for parody purposes only."
Outraged by the video and promotional stunt, more than two dozen concerned parents and religious leaders gathered outside the Universal/Motown offices Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles to mount a protest against the promotion, reports MTV. They condemned the video and its message of using violence to settle disputes.
"There are a lot of outraged parents who feel that the type of message and imagery that promotes violence as a tool for solving domestic relation problems is inappropriate," said organizer Najee Ali. "Universal should recognize that they have corporate responsibility for promoting their artists and material that they want us to purchase."
He continued that he feels the label and Ashanti are to blame from the graphic images, saying it was a "career mistake" to attach herself to this type of imagery.
Ashanti's publicist, Michelle Huff, released a stated Tuesday, saying that "the web site that Mr. Porter is referring to is not controlled by Ashanti nor is it her creative work. We respect what Mr. Porter is working to accomplish with his organization. But it is important to point out that Ashanti's history of creative expression does not glorify violence at all."
Huff says that the video was intended to be a "Saturday Night Live"-style parody, and while she reported that "95 percent" of the comments Ashanti has gotten so far have been positive, the singer plans to speak to her label in light of the controversy about possibly taking it down.
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