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Rick Ross Belatedly Releases Implausibly Perfect Apology

Rick Ross

Rick Ross’ recent case study in failed crisis management has reached the “overdue apology” phase.

“To every woman that has felt the sting of abuse, I apologize,” Rozay said in a statement issued today, as quoted by Salon. “I recognize that as an artist I have a voice and with that, the power of influence. To the young men who listen to my music, please know that using a substance to rob a woman of her right to make a choice is not only a crime, it’s wrong and I do not encourage it.”

The elegant apology for his now-scrapped verse appearing to endorse rape in Rocko’s song “U.O.E.N.O” says just about everything Ross should have said weeks ago. After protests, Reebok eventually dropped Ross’ endorsement deal. Ross has addressed the verse more than once but without fully acknowleding the rape implicit in his lyric, “Put molly in her champagne, she ain’t even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.” Earlier this week, Maybach Music Group associate Meek Mill defended the line by dubiously citing a Notorious B.I.G. lyric about raping children and throwing them over bridges.

While the Florida rapper’s latest apology comes with a corporate tone that scarcely resembles Ross’ usual voice, and it uses the phrase “artist” to refer to Ross as many times as it uses the word “apologize,” it’s still a step in the right direction. Is it too little, too late? Read the full text below, and remember, one day they may teach the Bawse in business schools, but it won’t be for the reasons he hopes: It will to be convince future executives to admit their mistakes early and thoroughly.

Before I am an artist, I am a father, a son, and a brother to some of the most cherished women in the world. So for me to suggest in any way that harm and violation be brought to a woman is one of my biggest mistakes and regrets. As an artist, one of the most liberating things is being able to paint pictures with my words. But with that comes a great responsibility. And most recently, my choice of words was not only offensive, it does not reflect my true heart. And for this, I apologize. To every woman that has felt the sting of abuse, I apologize. I recognize that as an artist I have a voice and with that, the power of influence. To the young men who listen to my music, please know that using a substance to rob a woman of her right to make a choice is not only a crime, it’s wrong and I do not encourage it. To my fans, I also apologize if I have disappointed you. I can only hope that this sparks a healthy dialogue and that I can contribute to it.