S. Samuel
Grammy-winning singer Mary J. Blige has finally discussed catching heat earlier this year for taking part in a controversial Burger King campaign and why she took so long in fully addressing the hype.
According to the “Queen of R&B,” all of the negative attention from her chicken snack wrap commercial caught her off guard.
“I felt there was no need for me to say anything because everyone was running with it and crucifying me,” she explained in an interview. “So I just pulled back and I watched everyone and everything. It’s just something that I thought would have been great for my brand. … It just broke my heart. People were going crazy. What this did, it exposed everyone and everything that was in my life.” (Hot 97)
Blige also said she was shocked upon seeing the commercial’s rough edit.
“I wanted to crawl under the bed,” she added. “It was a mistake, but I did it because I thought it was something that wouldn’t come out like that. It was sold to us that I would be shot in an iconic way. I was looking for someone to have mercy, but no one had mercy. It was a learning experience. It hurt my feelings. It crushed me for like two days.” (Hot 97)
Back in April, MJB stepped forward to provide context on the commercial.
Mary J. Blige says she never signed off on the controversial fried chicken ad that she shot for Burger King — at least not the version that was blasted on the Internet. Mary J. tells TMZ, “I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence. Unfortunately, that’s not what was happening in that clip.” Mary also says, “I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you’re a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw go out.” (TMZ)
In the previously leaked television spot, she is shown standing atop a table singing about a new Burger King chicken wrap.
Mary J. Blige is not happy after her Burger King commercial went viral and caused a firestorm on Twitter and blogs. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is speaking out about her involvement in the controversial spot promoting the fast food chain’s new crispy chicken snack wraps. In the commercial, Mary sings about “crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, three cheeses, ranch dressing.” But the ad was heavily panned, causing some to believe it was an April Fools’ joke at first. (Rap-Up)
Check out the controversial commercial below:
