Previous posts have discussed demeaning comments about autism appearing in popular culture. AP reports on the latest case:
Rapper J. Cole is apologizing to those with autism and their families for an offensive lyric.
Cole says in a blog post Sunday that he doesn’t agree with the recent trend of pressure rappers have faced to apologize when they step over a perceived line, but in this case he feels he went too far in a verse he contributed to Drake’s “Jodeci Freestyle.”
“To the parents who are fighting through the frustrations that must come with raising a child with severe autism, finding strength and patience that they never knew they had; to the college student with Asperger’s syndrome; to all those overcoming autism,” Cole wrote. “You deserve medals, not disrespect. I hope you accept my sincere apology.”
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Cole has been in the spotlight this summer after his recent album “Born Sinner” jockeyed with Kanye West’s “Yeezus” when released last month and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 the following week. That album also contains moments that some might consider offensive. In Drake’s song, Cole raps that he’s “artistic” while his rivals are “autistic, retarded.”
Cole wrote that when he first heard a backlash from those who deal with the developmental disorder he immediately realized he went too far.
