Chris Brown, singer and man with an ever-growing history of assault, released the track “Back To Sleep” in November 2015. The hit featured such ethically questionable lyrics as “Just let me rock, fuck you back to sleep girl / Don’t say a word no (no, don’t you talk).” Since its release, the song has racked up over 37 million views on YouTube and spent 12 weeks on Billboard’s Top 100.
Sunday afternoon, Best Coast, the singer-songwriter whose real name is Bethany Cosentino, railed against Brown’s lyrics on Twitter, saying the song “perpetuates rape culture.”
Cosentino criticized the song’s message against consensual sex but also lamented the fact it slipped by record industry decision-makers to win a place on Brown’s album “Royalty,” named for his young daughter.
“People learn from music, they learn from popular culture,” the singer tweeted. While she called out the song’s ongoing popularity, she noted that her criticism wasn’t limited to Brown.
Among other artists, Robin Thicke certainly caused a stir with his massive 2013 hit “Blurred Lines,” which suggested that permission is somehow a gray area. Justin Bieber’s 2015 hit “What Do You Mean” got flack for similar messaging.
Read Cosentino’s take below:
Chris Brown, singer and man with an ever-growing history of assault, released the track “Back To Sleep” in November 2015. The hit featured such ethically questionable lyrics as “Just let me rock, fuck you back to sleep girl / Don’t say a word no (no, don’t you talk).” Since its release, the song has racked up over 37 million views on YouTube and spent 12 weeks on Billboard’s Top 100.
Sunday afternoon, Best Coast, the singer-songwriter whose real name is Bethany Cosentino, railed against Brown’s lyrics on Twitter, saying the song “perpetuates rape culture.”
Cosentino criticized the song’s message against consensual sex but also lamented the fact it slipped by record industry decision-makers to win a place on Brown’s album “Royalty,” named for his young daughter.
“People learn from music, they learn from popular culture,” the singer tweeted. While she called out the song’s ongoing popularity, she noted that her criticism wasn’t limited to Brown.
Among other artists, Robin Thicke certainly caused a stir with his massive 2013 hit “Blurred Lines,” which suggested that permission is somehow a gray area. Justin Bieber’s 2015 hit “What Do You Mean” got flack for similar messaging.
Read Cosentino’s take below:
Best Coast ✔ @BestCoast
Going on a rant...get ready...
Best Coast ✔ @BestCoast
"just let me rock, fuck you back to sleep girl, don't say a word no, girl don't you talk" are lyrics to the chorus of a VERY popular song
Best Coast ✔ @BestCoast
You already know how I feel about Chris Brown - but WHY/HOW are those lyrics ok? Cool, a song that perpetuates rape culture being a hit.
Best Coast ✔ @BestCoast
x infinity at that trash/anyone who thinks its OK to sing about fucking a girl back to sleep + telling her to not say a word
Best Coast ✔ @BestCoast
This isn't just about that idiot tho- the fact that's a song in popular culture that some A&R person was like "this is great" saddens me
Best Coast ✔ @BestCoast
.@billboard's review of that song "excels as a quality addition to his catalog’s stellar collection of panty-dropping and baby-making songs"
Best Coast ✔ @BestCoast
How about this for a review: singing about fucking a girl back to sleep/telling her dont say a word is singing about rape + it's disgusting
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/best-coast-chris-brown-twitter_us_5713e4e6e4b06f35cb6fdfd4