Kevin Mazur
B
lack Eyed Peas leader
Will.i.am
raised some eyebrows during the MTV VMAs pre-show last night (Sept. 12)
by covering his face with black makeup while performing alongside
Nicki Minaj. The rapper
took to Twitter today to defend his appearance, which some have decried as comparable to blackface.
"Just
because I wear all black including head mask as expression and
emphasize my outfit, it shouldn't be looked at as racial," will.i.am
tweeted. After receiving more negative feedback, the rapper added, "Are
you guys serious? My outfit set 'black people back 100 yrs' choose your
twits wisely. No education sets people back, no jobs, bad health."
Will.i.am,
who also tweeted that "there are far more important things 2 bark
about... not a black man wearing all black everything," sported the
makeup while performing Minaj's new single "Check It Out." His matching
black leather outfit seemed to mirror the superhero getup featured on
the song's cover art.
