Megan Thee Stallion says criticizing Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron was ‘good trouble’
Hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion expected backlash when she harshly criticized Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron in a Saturday Night Live performance, but protecting Black women required it, she said.
Megan Thee Stallion wrote in an opinion piece published by the New York Times Tuesday that she was unafraid of the criticism, including from Cameron himself, that followed.
“I anticipated some backlash: Anyone who follows the lead of Congressman John Lewis, the late civil rights giant, and makes ‘good trouble, necessary trouble,’ runs the risk of being attacked by those comfortable with the status quo,” she wrote in her opinion piece. “But you know what? I’m not afraid of criticism. We live in a country where we have the freedom to criticize elected officials.
“And it’s ridiculous that some people think the simple phrase ‘Protect Black women’ is controversial. We deserve to be protected as human beings. And we are entitled to our anger about a laundry list of mistreatment and neglect that we suffer.”
The criticism directed at Megan Thee Stallion came after she played an audio clip during her Oct. 3 appearance on SNL. The clip was from activist Tamika Mallory.
“Daniel Cameron is no different than the sellout Negroes that sold our people into slavery,” Mallory said in the speech. Mallory’s words were displayed on the stage behind Megan Thee Stallion as the audio played.
Cameron told Fox and Friends on Oct. 6 that he agreed with Megan Thee Stallion about protecting Black women, but he was critical of her comments about him.
“The fact that someone would get on national television and make disparaging comments about me just because I’m trying to do my job is disgusting,” Cameron said. He also said during the interview that people were “cherry-picking facts” in the case.
The popular rapper mentioned Cameron by name in her opinion piece. She wrote that Cameron displayed “appalling conduct in denying Breonna Taylor and her family justice.”
Taylor was shot and killed by officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department in her apartment on March 13. Cameron’s office joined the investigation into her death in May, and recommended wanton endangerment charges against Detective Brett Hankison after his bullets traveled into a neighboring apartment during the altercation.
The attorney general didn’t recommend any charges directly related to Taylor’s death. Cameron said in a statement that officers were justified in their use of force because they were shot at by Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend.
Megan Thee Stallion said she is also a Black female victim of gun violence. She has accused rapper Tory Lanez of shooting her twice after a party. Lanez has been charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection to the incident, according to multiple reports.
As part of her advocacy for Black women, Megan Thee Stallion has partnered with Amazon Music to launch a scholarship fund for women of color. The fund will award two scholarships of $10,000 to women of color pursuing an associate’s, bachelor’s or postgraduate degree in any field of study, according to the website for the fund.
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 12:16 PM.