The conversation surrounding Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars continues to dominate headlines, with countless figures weighing in to share their thoughts on the incident and the ramifications it could have moving forward. Rapper Fat Joe, who has become one of the more popular cultural commentators in Hip-Hop, was asked by TMZ to give his take on the situation, particularly whether he feels Will Smith’s actions casts a negative light on minorities. “Of course it does,” the Bronx native responded when asked. “It’s sad cause Will’s such a beautiful person, but he’s taken a hit because, you know, we’ve come such a long way and we telling everybody respect us. Had it been 50 Cent or Fat Joe, I would understand. But Will Smith? He’s like the best we got.”
Joe continued, adding, “So, it’s unfortunate that happened to [Smith], man, because he deserves—he been fighting so hard, he been working his whole life, he’s been an expert example for us. And it’s unfortunate it happened to him, but people are definitely looking at that saying we don’t know how to act. For sure.”
Smith, who stormed the stage to slap Rock following a joke the veteran comedian made about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, has received a considerable amount of backlash in the wake of the incident, which occurred at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27. The actor was recently disciplined by the Academy, which handed him a 10-year ban from attending the Oscars, a decision that was announced on Friday (April 8).