By Mariel Concepcion
13 minutes ago
Led by civil-rights organization Project Islamic Hope and
its leader, Najee Ali, more than two dozen parents and
religious leaders gathered outside the West Coast
Universal/Motown offices on Tuesday (June 10) to voice their
displeasure with the videos.
One clip features a scorned lover, played by Ashanti, who
gets revenge on her cheating boyfriend by stabbing him to
death. Images include a murder scene with a bloody knife and
the boyfriend's body in a tub.
A separate promotional video includes a fake news reports
about a killing spree allegedly inspired by Ashanti's love
crime, as well as bloody walls with the words "black children
will die" smeared on them. Before the protest, the promo video
was viewable on TheWayThatILoveYou, but the site has since
been removed.
The site allowed visitors to send customized versions of
the promotional video called "Gotchagrams," with options to
input a friend's name, their "crime" and "weapon of choice."
"Following discussions with Ashanti, we have jointly
decided to remove the TheWayThatILoveYou website that hosts
the Gotchagram," reads a statement from Universal. "Ashanti and
her music have always been about self-empowerment and
addressing the issues that are most meaningful to her. We stand
by our artist and her creative choices."
"The Way That I Love You" is the first single from her new
album, "The Declaration," which debuts this week at No. 6 on
the Billboard 200.
Reuters/Billboard
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