While most of the rappers who have weighed in on the Will Smith Oscars slap either empathized or found it funny (seriously, there are so many jokes), there’s at least one who did not. New father-to-be ASAP Rocky, dropping by controversial quote factory Drink Champs, was asked for his take on the slap, which found Smith leaving some fresh prints (heyo) on the face of Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.
“I’m a fan of Will, Jada, Chris, all of them,” Rocky replied. “They OGs. I think it’s unfortunate that, like, he emasculated another Black man in front of all them people like that. But I do think that, like, it’s some built-up shit that probably wasn’t really targeted at Chris Rock. I don’t know. … Like what you said, it seems like it’s more than just a G.I. Jane joke.”
Well, he’s certainly right about things being built up. For one thing, Jada has suffered alopecia, an immune disorder that causes hair to fall out in patches. This is why she keeps her head shaved, a look that drew the comparison to the titular character from Demi Moore’s 1997 woman-in-the-military film (it probably doesn’t help that the movie was pretty bad and roundly rebuked on its release). In the preceding years, the Smiths have been a lightning rod for criticism and ridicule as a result of their rumored open marriage and the press run for Will’s memoir. A lot of quotes were taken out of context and used to demean and mock the man, who we know has social media and uses it often. In addition to the way people have talked about his kids, it probably is safe to say he’s had just about enough of the jokes.
Smith later apologized for the slap and faces possible disciplinary measures up to and including expulsion from The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences.