Rapper Akon in trouble for simulated r*pe of a minor on stage

[mcflyandgemmafan]

i never really liked him, and this just feeds the fire.

 

[misssakura]

^ errr...is there a longer version of this video or something? Because in the version linked in this thread I see Akon picking her up, them simulating sex standing up (with the girl holding on to him) then them simulating sex on the floor (impossible to see what is happening here) then them simulating sex on another part of the floor (with her once again holding on to him.) I don't support Akon AT ALL and I think this whole thing is really stupid, but you are dramatizing it WAY too much. It's impossible to see whether she's trying to get away or not in that video. Anyways, it sure doesn't look like she's trying to get away in this photo:

o1lt.com

Are you watching the version on youtube with the female anchor? It quite clearly shows he is pinning her down, how she is trying to move away from him. At first he pushes her into the crowd which is why he simulates sex upright. Then he spins her round and pushes her to the floor in the opposite direction. She uses her feet to try and push herself away and moves away from the crowd to the center of the stage, while his humping gets more and more aggressive.

I'm watching it right now. I'm not dramatising anything

If that's how you hug your friends or something then perhaps it's normal to you

 

[misssakura]

Ugh I'm reading through the youtube comments and I can't believe so many people are defending this vile talentless sexist scumbag. Why would anyone defend him? The way he treats women is akin to the way Henry the 8th treated his wives, except probably a bit worse. The only thing better is that he doesn't behead them afterwards. We're talking about somebody here who is a convicted criminal, who doesn't know how to read or write properly, somebody who doesn't understand how to compose a song nor write lyrics about anything else other than his penis. Somebody who exploits slave workers in his diamond mine and who routinely simulates sexual acts with women on stage. Why is anybody defending him? I don't understand it. It makes me so incredibly angry.

If people think his behaviour is acceptable then it just proves that the world is horribly, horribly wrong. And I don't even buy the argument "if you don't like it, don't listen to it". His attitude shouldn't be spread nor condoned. I thought we were a progressive society not a backwards one.

Edit: *sigh* I can't even be bothered to get into an argument so I'll just state that...this is all I will say on the matter. But even with 'pictures' showing her 'smiling' what I saw in the video looked like an aggressive act with a naive girl who did not realise what she was getting into. I really dispise this aggressive hip hop/rap culture and how popular it is in society, the women who are enablers for these trashy men and the people who support those without talent.

Sigh.
Sigh sigh sigh.
SIGH.

 

[eternitygoddess]

I can't understand how this is considered 'music' or even 'freedom of speech', unless you support banging people like rugs and want to spread the word.

 

[erin_k]

Whoever said this is being used to denounce hip-hop.. I completely disagree. I love hip-hop and this will not change my mind .. his cds shouldn't even be considered music, it's misogynistic filth.

 

[misssakura]

Sage Francis rocks my hip hop world!

I know I said I wasn't going to add any more but I remembered a point I had left out on the way home from a business seminar. On youtube many people are saying that Akon is an adult entertainer and that people should know what to expect. This opens a whole can of worms so I'll try to keep it brief but:

1) Akon may have songs with adult lyrics but he is NOT an adult entertainer by any stretch of the imagination. You ask a 5 year old who Jenna Jameson is and they most likely won't know. You ask a 5 year old who Akon is and a lot of them will be able to recite the lyrics. I've seen children dancing to Akon in the cinema. It's played on radio at all times of the day, often with no censorship. His videos are played on the television no matter what time of day it is.

2) Just because a performer performs in a club for over 18's it does not make their content explicit. I've been to clubs underage to view my friends in bands perform. I did not give up my right to have some dignity merely for being in an 18's + club without being over 18.

3) Just because Akon is deemed an 'adult performer' it does not entitle him to treat the women in his audience the way he treated this girl or other girls at his shows. He may have his 3 wives who like to be smacked around without their consent (regardless of whether they enjoy it) but it does not give him the right to do that to any female in that club. If he asks and they consent, knowing the full extent of what he is about to do then fair play. If not it doesn't mean that they have to forefeit their rights just because it's Akon.

4) Most people assume that the girl knew what she was getting into when she 'sneaked' into the club. That Akon performed similar concerts and did the same "trinidad dance" (which apparently is the local dance custom, dry humping on the ground). They assume that this girl frequented the internet, watched footage of his other concerts and knew exactly what would happen. I knew of Akon and had no idea he was so vulgar.

5) Just because she was dressed like a sl*t, it does not mean that she is one. The issue with her being 15 is NOT a physical one. The majority of girls are ready to have sex and children at the age of 12, sometimes younger. It's the mental issue that worries people. So for all these people who berate this girl for having two tattooes (which may or may not be real) and dressing in skimpy clothes, for a start a lot of 15 girls are impressionable and naive. The media is largely to blame with their constant barrage of 'sexy' women in music videos, films and magazines. Secondly, she lives in a hot country and clubs are hot too so I don't see why she would wear an eskimo suit. Thirdly, she most likely wanted to dress like the other girls in the club. Of course she has some accountability but a lot of 15 year olds don't think the way a 25-30 year old does, they don't have that level of experience, hormones are high and the peer pressure is on.

I talked for way longer than I intended but....hey it's something to do

 

[Bluestar07]

1) Akon may have songs with adult lyrics but he is NOT an adult entertainer by any stretch of the imagination. You ask a 5 year old who Jenna Jameson is and they most likely won't know. You ask a 5 year old who Akon is and a lot of them will be able to recite the lyrics. I've seen children dancing to Akon in the cinema. It's played on radio at all times of the day, often with no censorship. His videos are played on the television no matter what time of day it is.

I think in the "Best Youtubes" thread, there's a video of a little boy singing Akon's songs.

I talked for way longer than I intended but....hey it's something to do

It's a fantastic post. Karma.

 

[cric-croc]

Misssakura - fantastic post - I completely agree with you 100%

 

[kissmesweet]

This disgusts me...

 

[tifa]

I got told off at work for putting Franz Ferdinand on the playlist. Apparently it was offensive and loud. They play Akon, Eminem and P.Diddy with no qualms, however. Hiliarious, no? I suppose jaunty guitars are way more offensive than sexism and swearing. What do I know.

This guy makes me ill. It also makes me ill that people buy it and enjoy it because it's rubbish with no content and worth. Pure money making garbage.

 

[Anastasia]

Misssakura - I wish it would let me give you karma. You rock.

 

[kisa]

Are you watching the version on youtube with the female anchor? It quite clearly shows he is pinning her down, how she is trying to move away from him. At first he pushes her into the crowd which is why he simulates sex upright. Then he spins her round and pushes her to the floor in the opposite direction. She uses her feet to try and push herself away and moves away from the crowd to the center of the stage, while his humping gets more and more aggressive.

I'm watching it right now. I'm not dramatising anything

If that's how you hug your friends or something then perhaps it's normal to you

I watched the youtube version, but it's too small and of such bad quality that I can't see anything, so I watched this better quality and bigger version of the same video. Where exactly do you see her "pushing herself away" with her feet? Her legs are either wrapped around him the entire time, or bouncing around not touching him at all. Her ARM is wrapped around his neck the entire time, where do you see her trying to move away from him?
http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=823359498

Anyways, I totally hotlinked this picture in my last post because I am just that lazy. Annnd I didn't really want a picture that stupid in my photobucket, but I guess I just had to bite the bullet, so here goes:

(O1lt.com)
Once again, sure looks like she's trying to get away here.

 

[mellowdrama]

If I was Akon, I'd blame it on Ogun.

 

[PoppyAzura]

I'm kinda confused as to how this is simulated "r*pe"? simulated sex yes but not r*pe. Akon was performing at an 18+ club. I'm confused as to how he was supposed to know a 15 year old child was there. Not blaming the parents but what happened to personal responsibility? Admit you made a mistake and burn your fake id. Yes I know she's a minor but why is she dressed like a street walker and volunteering to dance in such a way? She and her preacher of a father should go to family counseling before her attention seeking behavior lands her in a more dangerous situation.

 

[Uchina]

Oh man... check this out.

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article2272672.ece

"I don't even believe in conflict diamonds," he announces. "That's just a movie. Think about it. Ain't nobody thought about nothing about no conflict diamonds until the movie came out. Where was all that sh*t before the movie? That's the problem with people - they believe everything they read or see on TV."

 

[SiennaInLondon]

It isn't the fact that he is famous, it is the fact that the world is going mad. Mad mad mad. What a wierdo.

 

[CelineChic]

He's a vile pig. I hope his career goes down the toilet. I don't care if the girl was 15 or 70! He shouldn't have done that.

So inappropriate!

 

[SiennaInLondon]

Agreed Celine. Vulgarity isn't just about morality. It is about aesthetics. And he offends my sense of it!

 

[SiennaInLondon]

But then so do most nasty hip hop 'stars' I am forced to watch on the gym tvs.

 

[Fabulyss]

missakura I completely agree with you!

I just thought I would share that the other weekend I attended a lecture about the misogyny and violence that is imbedded in most of mainstream rap and hip-hop. There was a panel of a handful of scholars who have written extensively on the matter.

I don't listen to that kind of music but the general dialogue it provoked (from a feminist perspective) really interested me. Frankly, I cannot believe the lyrics these 'artists' get away with. And most of them are on the Billboard top 10. One example that was given during the lecture was DMX's "X is Coming", where he says:

"If you got a daughter older than 15, I'm gonna r*pe her, take her on the living room floor right now, what you gonna do?"

I can't even articulate my fury so I won't even try. But this debate goes beyond Akon. And, being a 22 year old woman in today's society I can tell you: the popularization and thus, desensitization of this kind misogyny has most definately effected the way men treat women today. Street harassment, r*pe, etc.