MC Lyte, the legendary rapper and DJ, has come to the defense of President Joe Biden after he made a blunder while honoring LL Cool J at the Congressional Black Caucus Phoenix Awards on Saturday night. Biden, who praised LL Cool J and MC Lyte for their contributions to hip-hop culture, accidentally called LL Cool J “boy” before correcting himself and saying “man”. The president also mispronounced LL Cool J’s name as “LL J Cool J”, which drew laughter from the audience.
The slip-up caused a backlash on social media, with some users accusing Biden of being racist and insensitive. However, MC Lyte, who received the Phoenix Award, and LL Cool J posted a message on Instagram expressing their support for Biden and dismissing the criticism. She wrote:
“I’m not here to debate anyone’s opinion about our president. I’m here to say that I appreciate him acknowledging our contributions to this world. I appreciate him for being human enough to make a mistake and correct it in the same breath. I appreciate him for being an example of what it means to be a leader in times of crisis. I appreciate him for being a friend to hip-hop.”
MC Lyte further added, “What we should all spend time focusing on is this: for the first time in history, both the president and vice president of the United States, together, have acknowledged, embraced, and publicly shown their love and appreciation for a monumental achievement in hip hop.”
LL Cool J, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of rap music, has not commented on the incident yet. The rapper, whose real name is James Todd Smith, has been active in the entertainment industry for over three decades, releasing 13 studio albums, starring in movies and TV shows, and hosting the Grammy Awards. He is also the founder of Rock the Bells, a media platform dedicated to classic hip-hop.
Biden has a history of making verbal gaffes and using the word “boy” inappropriately. In 2020, he sparked controversy when he said that black voters “ain’t black” if they support Donald Trump. He also faced criticism for referring to Maryland’s first black governor, Wes Moore, as a “boy” earlier this year. In addition, he once boasted about working with segregationist senators and said that they never called him “boy” but only “son”.
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