John Mayer Apologizes On Stage, Rappers Respond

By: Janine Coveney

John Mayer got choked up and apologized at his Nashville concert Wednesday night (February 10th) following criticism over his Playboy interview, where he used the N-word and said his penis "is sort of like a white supremacist." Mayer's apology came during his performance of "Gravity" at which point he stopped playing and acknowledged his bandmates, some of whom are African-American.

With his voice cracking, Mayer said, "In the quest to be clever. I completely forgot about the people that I love and that love me." Mayer admitted that he lives in a world of "selfishness and greediness and arrogance," adding that he thought if he could just be "speedy and witty and pull together as many fast words and phrases as I could, that I would be clever enough to buy myself another day without anybody pinning me down and saying, 'You're a creep.'"

He continued, "I should have just given that up and played the guitar. I didn't. So I decided I would try to be as clever as possible all the time, and I did that at the expense of people that I love and that feels absolutely terrible."

Mayer added, "I think it's important that you know that everybody on the stage is here playing for me not because they condone what I say in any given interview, and certainly not in the interview that's making the rounds today. They're not on the stage because they support what I say, they're on the stage because they support myself as a possible future grown-up."

RAPPERS WEIGH IN ON MAYER'S COMMENTS: The Roots'Questlove noted: "Hmmm. I'll give Mayer a benefit of the doubt (remember how people misinterpreted my photo?) and assume that was a punchline gone awry," he tweeted, referring to his Twitpic post last week of a seemingly racist lunch menu at the NBC cafe. "LOL then again on 2nd read . . . can't wait to see spin on this. I swear his #1 demographic is the white dude black women would do in a second."

Talib Kweli was more blunt: "My man John Mayer must love the taste of his own foot."

Noreaga posted: "Dear John Mayer, black women don't like u cause ur a a--hole."


HIP-HOP R&B POP ROCK TOP MUSIC	John Mayer Apologizes On Stage, Rappers Respond John Mayer Apologizes On Stage, Rappers Respond By: Janine Coveney John Mayer got choked up and apologized at his Nashville concert Wednesday night (February 10th) following criticism over his Playboy interview, where he used the N-word and said his penis "is sort of like a white supremacist." Mayer's apology came during his performance of "Gravity" at which point he stopped playing and acknowledged his bandmates, some of whom are African-American. With his voice cracking, Mayer said, "In the quest to be clever. I completely forgot about the people that I love and that love me." Mayer admitted that he lives in a world of "selfishness and greediness and arrogance," adding that he thought if he could just be "speedy and witty and pull together as many fast words and phrases as I could, that I would be clever enough to buy myself another day without anybody pinning me down and saying, 'You're a creep.'" He continued, "I should have just given that up and played the guitar. I didn't. So I decided I would try to be as clever as possible all the time, and I did that at the expense of people that I love and that feels absolutely terrible." Mayer added, "I think it's important that you know that everybody on the stage is here playing for me not because they condone what I say in any given interview, and certainly not in the interview that's making the rounds today. They're not on the stage because they support what I say, they're on the stage because they support myself as a possible future grown-up." RAPPERS WEIGH IN ON MAYER'S COMMENTS: The Roots'Questlove noted: "Hmmm. I'll give Mayer a benefit of the doubt (remember how people misinterpreted my photo?) and assume that was a punchline gone awry," he tweeted, referring to his Twitpic post last week of a seemingly racist lunch menu at the NBC cafe. "LOL then again on 2nd read . . . can't wait to see spin on this. I swear his #1 demographic is the white dude black women would do in a second." Talib Kweli was more blunt: "My man John Mayer must love the taste of his own foot." Noreaga posted: "Dear John Mayer, black women don't like u cause ur a a--hole."