Will.i.am is defending his decision to don dark makeup during his performance with Nicki Minaj at the MTV Video Music Awards.
As previously reported, Will collaborated with Nicki on her new single “Check It Out”, a dance pop record from her new Pink Friday album.
The Black Eyed Peas frontman joined Nicki Minaj onstage to perform the track and sparked controversy with a face darkened with makeup to match his all black costume.
Hearing about outraged fans who compared his face to that of the Blackface makeup worn during minstrel shows, Will took to Twitter to say,
“1st. just because I where (sic) all black including head mask as expression and emphasize my outfit, it shouldn’t be looked at as racial…Let go of the past. there are far more important things 2 bark about. (Jobs, health, education) not a black man wearing all black everything.”
Check out Will and Nicki below.
Did he take it too far?
