(RNN) - Singer, songwriter Erykah Badu has stirred up a frenzy on social media over her comments during a recent interview with Vulture.
In the wide-ranging interview released Wednesday, Badu, 46, was asked about her thoughts on topics from music to millennials, but it was with her comments on Adolph Hitler and Bill Cosby to which many took offense.
Badu was asked about a past trip to the Middle East where she was labeled an anti-semitist for defending Louis Farrakhan.
She described herself as an “observer” who sees both the good and bad in people simultaneously.
“I’m also okay with anything I had to say about Louis Farrakhan,” Badu said. “But I’m not an anti-Semitic person. I don’t even know what anti-Semitic was before I was called it. I’m a humanist. I see good in everybody. I saw something good in Hitler.
“Yeah, I did. Hitler was a wonderful painter,” Badu continued.
Badu retracted her statement and said Hitler was a horrible painter and had a horrible childhood.
“I see things like that,” Badu said. “I guess it’s just the Pisces in me.”
When asked about separating artistry from the artist, in this case, Cosby, Badu said she’d have to “think the facts of each situation before making a judgement.
“Because I love Bill Cosby, and I love what he’s done for the world,” Badu said. “But if he’s sick, why would I be angry with him?”
Cosby was accused of sexually assaulting half a dozen women and a 2017 trial ended in a hung jury. His case is set to be retried this April in Montgomery County, PA. A jury selection will begin at the end of March.
Many were dumbfounded by Badu's comments on the controversial figures and shared thoughts of their own.
Erykah Badu, nooooooo! (Erykah and I went to college together, and I’m just floored by this interview) https://t.co/5ndjVDyHiN pic.twitter.com/G7Xyh93ms9
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) January 24, 2018
This is a fascinating, infuriating interview where Erykah Badu talks about seeing the humanity in Bill Cosby and...Hitler (my jaw is currently on the floor) https://t.co/Tgz54qgjqk
— Ashley Weatherford (@sincerelyash) January 24, 2018
Badu took to Twitter Wednesday to defend her comments and asked people to read the article thoroughly.
Say what u must. Dialogue is cool . I invite it. But please do me a favor if you can , Black & Jewish Twitter, just don't use the word "problematic " any more. ??Y'all using that too much . ??.. oh and read the article.
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) January 24, 2018
In the interview, Badu said she understood her opinions are sometimes unpopular. Badu's comments condemming girls wearing shorts skirts drew a similar response in 2016.
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