We all remember Miley Cyrus’s Bangerz era. We remember the hair buns, the foam finger, the Jordans. In a pre-Lil Nas X world, Miley easily hopped from genre to genre. Now, she’s owning up to the privilege that allowed her to do so. The 26-year-old apologized in a YouTube video comment on the video “Miley Cyrus Is My Problematic Fav ….. Sorry,” in which a fan references a 2017 Billboard interview where Miley Cyrus denounces some types of rap music.
“I also love that new Kendrick [Lamar] song [’Humble’]: ‘Show me somethin’ natural like ass with some stretch marks.’ I love that because it’s not ‘Come sit on my dick, suck on my cock.’ I can’t listen to that anymore,” Cyrus said in 2017. “That’s what pushed me out of the hip-hop scene a little. It was too much ‘Lamborghini, got my Rolex, got a girl on my cock’ — I am so not that.”
At the time (and ever since), people have taken issue with the idea that a white person can just decide to not associate with hip-hop after the checks have cleared. When Cyrus initially responded to the backlash, she passed the blame off to Billboard, saying that publications like “to focus on the most sensationalized part of the conversation.” Ultimately, she concluded she loves all music equally. Okay.
Presumably after watching the YouTube video, taking a hard look at herself in the mirror, then taking a look at her recent EP, She Is Coming, which features Swae Lee, Ghostface Killah, and Mike Will Made-It, then one at her beautiful husband, Liam Hemsworth, who isn’t relevant — we just couldn’t not mention the beauty — Miley penned her YouTube comment apology.
Just watched your video. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak up. Being silent is not like me at all. I am aware of my platform and have always used it the best way I know how and to shine a light on injustice. I want to start with saying I am sorry. I own the fact that saying … “this pushed me out of the hip hop scene a little” was insensitive as it is a privilege to have the ability to dip in and out of “the scene.” There are decades of inequality that I am aware of, but still have alot learn about. Silence is a part of the problem and I refuse to be quiet anymore. My words became a divider in a time where togetherness and unity is crucial. I can not change what I said at that time, but I can say I am deeply sorry for the disconnect my words caused. Simply said: I fucked up and I sincerely apologize. I’m committed to using my voice for healing, change, and standing up for what’s right. Miley
The apology is just the first step in a process to right her Bangerz-era wrongs, and she’s going in like a wrecking ball.
