Trouble comes for the R 'n' B singer as her new LP's promo received lots of protests due to its bloody graphics.
- Jun 11, 2008
AceShowbiz - R 'n' B singer Ashanti is facing a new trouble regarding her latest album's promo. The singer is having her LP's promotional effort getting an anti violence protest on June 10 due to its bloody promotion.
The controversy of the singer's "The Declaration" promo was first triggered by the music video for her latest single "The Way That I Love You" which features blood splatters and murder. Following that clip, Ashanti also added another controversial e-card attached on her official website.
On her website, if people click the "Gotchagram" e-card they will be linked to another website that shows a false report from UCN (Universal Crime Network) about a murder investigation. After reading it people will be given a chance to send a fake murder threat email to their friends.
Worried that that promo would cause problems for the society, protestants which involve more than two dozen parents and religious leaders, gathered outside of Ashanti's record label Universal/Motown office in L.A. asking that the bloody promotion to be stopped. Shouting out their opinion, one of the protestants, Najee Ali said, "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. The real shock is that Ashanti is squeaky-clean ... and the song has nothing to do with murdering someone, so the video is definitely constructed for shock value, and we feel there's enough violence in our inner cities without you picking your weapon of choice."
Answering about the "Gotchagram" concept on Ashanti's website, the singer's representative Michael Huff said, "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."
Speaking about the video, in a recent interview with SOHH.com, Ashanti said, "It's very cinematic as opposed to a regular music video. I found out my man is cheating on me, and cut to the story, you find him in a bloody tub. The message is simple, Don't cheat."
Ashanti's "The Way That I Love You" Video:
