Akon tells Black Americans on slavery, “You just gotta let it go"

12 August 2020, 13:39

Akon tells Black Americans of slavery, “You just gotta let it go". Picture: Getty

The rapper has come under fire after accusing Americans of "blaming the past on every mishap".

Akon is facing backlash online after advising Black Americans to simply "let go" of slavery in order to "move forward".

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During an interview with VladTV, the 47-year-old rapper boldly claimed that in his home country of Senegal, people don't think about slavery as much as those across the pond, saying they've "overcome" it.

Akon came under fire after suggesting Black Americans "let go" of slavery. Picture: Getty

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"In Senegal, we've kind of overcome the thought of slavery, we don't even think about it," he said. "The only time we think about it, honestly, is when we're doing tours at Goree Island. Outside of that, people have lived and moved way beyond the slavery concept."

Akon then suggested Black Americans should "let go" of slavery. "I think it's the art of just letting the past go and moving towards the future," he continued.

"And I think, in the U.S., they have this stigma of just not letting go of the past and blaming the past on every mishap or, you know, disappointment. I think as long as you hold onto that past, there's a lot of weight that you carry with you everywhere you go.

"It's hard to move forward and move fast when you got a weight on your back. You just gotta let it go."

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The rapper continued by suggesting that African Americans need to "understand their worth" and accept America's racist history in order to "control their destiny", before encouraging Black people to move to Africa.

"They're not sorry. They don't care. It's obvious," he said. "Do you want to stay here and continued to be treated this way? Or just go back home, where you're not no longer the minority.

"You actually are the majority, and you control your destiny, your future, and your land. They just need to go... America did a good job at brainwashing. The moment you mention Africa, they start shaking. They don't even know why."

People weren't impressed by Akon's comments and took to Twitter in disagreement.

Akon does not speak for all Senegalese when he say shit like black Americans need to move on from slavery and forget about it Na fam... I’m a Senegalese that still think about it cuz it created decades of destruction.
— TTB (@bengyttb) August 11, 2020