S. Samuel
With the Internet still in an uproar over Gwyneth Paltrow dropping the N-Bomb on Twitter and mixed reactions from rap icons like Russell Simmons and Q-Tip, SOHH's got the full play-by-play recap.
Rap stars Jay-Z and Kanye West put on an action-packed Watch the Throne concert in Paris, France Friday (June 1) night.
Jay-Z and Kanye West have had plenty of celebrity-filled crowds during the U.S. stops on their Watch the Throne tour, but for international shows The Throne are kicking things up a notch. They touched down in Paris Friday night, performing while Beyonce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kelly Rowland, Justin Bieber and Spike Lee looked on, and “N—as in Paris” producer Hit-Boy crowd surfed and became the second guest to ever join them on stage. Beyonce was absent from The Throne’s London shows (while she was prepping for her four blowout performances at Revel in Atlantic City, we assume) but she made it to Paris where she hung with her girls Gwyneth and Kelly, cheering her husband on. (RapFix)
After getting invited on-stage alongside Jay and Yeezy, a photo of Paltrow plus the controversial tweet surfaced on her Twitter page.
“Ni**as in paris for real @mrteriusnash (the dream) tyty, beehigh http://say.ly/ySc3rTP,” a tweet read. (Gwyneth Paltrow’s Twitter)
The next day, The-Dream came forward and took the blame for posting the N-Word on her Twitter page.
“@Jenny_Tonic Fyi Sorry for the Confu I typed Ni**as in paris for real from Gwens Phone my bad I was Fkd up please excuse it! We were lit!,” he tweeted June 2nd.
“@honeysweetlife blame Me! F*ck off. Find a actual Fight that can move us forward. Don’t target someone u know want hurt a fly! Bully!” (The-Dream’s Twitter)
A couple days later, the Hollywood star addressed her buzzing tweet.
“Hold up. It’s the title of the song! RT@lovebscott Okay or Not? @GwynethPaltrow Tweets The N-Word: http://www.buzzlov3.com/okay-or-not-gwyneth-paltrow-tweets-the-n-word/ http://say.ly/IIs3rY4,” she tweeted June 3rd. (Gwyneth Paltrow’s Twitter)
In light of the heated online debates, Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons came to Paltrow’s defense Wednesday (June 6).
“There is something truly inspiring about black culture and black music, hip-hop culture and hip-hop music,” he wrote in a blog post. “No matter what color skin you might have, there is an overriding good effect that this music has on you. It is contagious. It was this explosive expression that spread out of the inner cities of America into the walkmans of kids like Gwyneth Paltrow during their childhoods in 1980s and 1990s. It allowed white kids to begin to sympathize with the plight of many in black America. And these kids have overwhelmingly become progressive in their politics and their social concerns. Having any Hollywood starlet at your concert was unimaginable, and having her quote your lyrics as a badge of honor that she was hanging out with you, you never would have dreamed of that – until your poetry hit the market and changed the world. So, for Gwyneth to tweet out her excitement about hip-hop taking over the planet is a good thing. She didn’t mean any harm, she just was trying to ball so hard, and like Jay-Z says, “motherf*ckers can’t fine” her.” (Global Grind)
Fellow rap pioneer Q-Tip publicly shared a significantly different view than Simmons.
“listen rush simmons, toure, and all Black folk who are sympathist to this gwen paltrow n*gga thing….,” he tweeted June 6th.
“she may not have meant harm, sure it was in the heat of the moment but that fact that she showed not 1 IOTA of an apologetic tone….”
“given the historical weight of that word is not responsible of G paltrow’s part”
“as powerful as hiphop is it DOESNT erase the years of damage that not only that word has done but circumstances that usually surrounded it”
“BTW i said nothing mean or nasty. i met gwen and chris. kool peeps! so no need to be mean in ur responses”
“nobody was “attacked” hahaha!”
“@UncleRUSH I love u too rush u know it” (Q-Tip’s Twitter)
Check out the “N*ggas In Paris” performance footage below:
