Sold Out: Russell Simmons Spokesperson for All ****as Gives Paltrow Tweet Thumbs Up
Gwyneth Paltrow’s N-Word Tweet Gets Thumbs-Up From Russell Simmons
Gwyneth Paltrow’s use of a racial slur on her Twitter account over the weekend angered many. But Russell Simmons wasn’t one of them. Hip-hop mogul Simmons weighed in on Paltrow’s controversial tweet via a post on Global Grind on Tuesday, and to hear him tell it, the only thing that offended him about the actress’ tweet was that he wasn’t also at the Jay-Z and Kanye West concert that Paltrow tweeted from.
“It was at this show that my friend Gwyneth Paltrow tweeted something that got me a little twisted,” Simmons wrote. “I follow Gwyneth on Twitter and when I saw her tweet about the ‘N*ggas in Paris’ show in PARIS, I said ‘Damn everybody is there but me.’ I’m a bit older and I don’t get to jet-set to concerts like I used to, but when I saw Gwyneth was there, I must admit, I got a little jealous.”
With regard to Paltrow’s use of the epithet itself, however, Simmons was unfazed.
“I have to throw my hand up and stand up for Gwyneth,” Simmons said. “I know her intentions were not to be offensive … she was just proud of her friend, Jay-Z.”
While admitting that he doesn’t have “a permanent answer to the n-word controversy that appeases everyone,” Simmons does suggest that Paltrow was merely celebrating the success of Jay-Z — much like he and West do in the song that inspired Paltrow’s virtual use of the slur.
“[I]n the case of ‘N*ggas in Paris,’ it is clear that these two poets are celebrating the fact that they now travel the world and are literally ballin’ in Paris … it started as a badge of honor, something to be proud of, something to poke their chests out at,” Simmons wrote. “Because for them, when they were kids, Paris was a million miles away and now it’s a private jet ride. The idea of being in Paris with a movie star, whether she’s black or white, is incredible!”
Simmons concluded, “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.”
Paltrow stirred the ire of many over the weekend when she tweeted a picture of herself onstage with Jay-Z and Kanye West during a concert in Paris with the caption, “”Ni**as in paris for real.” (The comment was in reference to a song on West and Jay-Z’s album “Watch the Throne.”)
After receiving several negative comments, Paltrow expressed her dismay over the backlash, writing, “Hold up. It’s the title of the song!”
