Is Axl Rose a Racist?

I saw the lyrics to 'One In a Million' and I found them quite offencive.

Guess I needed sometime to get away
I needed some piece of mind
Some piece of mind that'll stay
So I thumbed it down to Sixth and L.A. ---
So I thumbed it down to nine o six ten L.A. ("90610")
Maybe a Greyhound could be my way

Police and Niggers, that's right
Get out of my way
Don't need to buy none of your
Gold chains today
I don't need no bracelets
Clamped in front of my back
Just need my ticket; 'til then
Won't you cut me some slack?

You're one in a million
Yeah, that's what you are
You're one in a million, babe
You're a shooting star
Maybe someday we'll see you
Before you make us cry
You know we tried to reach you
But you were much too high
Much too high, much too high,
Much too high, yes, ow!

Immigrants and faggots
They make no sense to me
They come to our country
And think they'll do as they please
Like start some mini Iran,
Or spread some ****in' disease
They talk so many goddamn ways
It's all Greek to me
Well some say I'm lazy
And others say that's just me
Some say I'm crazy
I guess I'll always be
But it's been such a long time
Since I knew right from wrong
It's all the means to an end, I
I keep it movin' along

You're one in a million
Oo, you're a shooting star
You're one in a million, babe
You know that you are
Maybe someday we'll see you, Oo
oh, Before you make us cry
You know we tried to reach you
But you were much too high
Much too high, Oo, much too high
Yeah,
Much too high, huh, no, no, oh
Ow!

Radicals and Racists
Don't point your finger at me
I'm a small town white boy
Just tryin' to make ends meet
Don't need your religion
Don't watch that much T.V.
Just makin' my livin', baby
Well that's enough for me

You're one in a million
Yeah that's what you are
You're one in a million, babe
You're a shooting star
Maybe someday we'll see you
Before you make us cry
You know we tried to reach you
But you were much too high
Much too high, ow, much too high,
Much too high, much too high
Yeah, yeee, yeah, yeee, igh!
Ow! Much too high
(Oh, much too high, ah,
much too high, ah, much too high
much too high, ow, much too high)

So, do you reckon he's racist?

Reply 1

smirf83

3

yeh maybe but Guns and Roses are gd and Appetite For Destruction is such a gd album that i really don't care if he is.
But yeh some of those lyrics in that song are a little dodgy.

Reply 2

Damdam

1

I agree the songs racist - but no-one really knows why those lyrics were written in, it's never been explained. Theres no other evidence to suggest that Axl Rose was a racist. He was a **** though...

You wonder if the lyrics truly are racist, seeing as Slash was Jewish/black himself. Perhaps it was some kind of poorly presented in-joke. Who knows?

[why have you put Slash as a poll choice?]

Reply 3

Refused

The song is racist and many have asked why Slash seemed to be okay with it, since he was half black and also descented from immigrants.

im also wondering why Slash is in poll and who voted for him?

Reply 4

The Pauly Paul

Damdam

You wonder if the lyrics truly are racist, seeing as Slash was Jewish/black himself. Perhaps it was some kind of poorly presented in-joke. Who knows?

Well I knew a few racists, and they have friends of different race. It happens.

The lyrics maybe a case of Axl writing from the perspective of someone else, as artists do all the time (Eg most of Franz Ferdinand's new album).

BUT he's still a ****.

Reply 5

Rooftopcowboy

12

I dont care anyway, none of the lyrics offend me: hes allowed free speech IMO, and can say what he likes...

If people dont like, dont buy or listen...

im sure theres plenty of Black artists lyrics I could dig up that are racist as well

Reply 6

Refused

^^ The whole point of this thread has completly passed over you head :rolleyes:

Reply 7

The Basilisk

OP

Rooftopcowboy

I dont care anyway, none of the lyrics offend me: hes allowed free speech IMO, and can say what he likes...

If people dont like, dont buy or listen...

im sure theres plenty of Black artists lyrics I could dig up that are racist as well

The fact that others can be racist does not justify racism! -- at all!

I don't like Axl - he's a git. Slash is an amazing guitarist and just so cool. But I have to admit, Axl is quite a good lyricist.

Free speech? What if I said all white people are smelly and stupid and I want them all out of my country? What if I said their population growth is horrifically high and we need to kill them off somehow? Is that acceptable?

I suppose I shouldn't be so predjudice about Axl -- he was brought up that way and he probably means something totally different than what most people see the song as. But the problem is that loads of white nationalists and racist white people would see Axl as a hero or something because of that song.

“It wasn’t a racial comment,” Slash said, “but I can understand how people think that. When I first heard the lyric, I was, like, ‘Axl, I know what you’re saying, but I don’t think people are going to take it right. I know my family isn’t going to take it right.’”

Reply 8

Rooftopcowboy

12

The Basilisk

The fact that others can be racist does not justify racism! -- at all!

I don't like Axl - he's a git. Slash is an amazing guitarist and just so cool. But I have to admit, Axl is quite a good lyricist.

Free speech? What if I said all white people are smelly and stupid and I want them all out of my country? What if I said their population growth is horrifically high and we need to kill them off somehow? Is that acceptable?

I suppose I shouldn't be so predjudice about Axl -- he was brought up that way and he probably means something totally different than what most people see the song as. But the problem is that loads of white nationalists and racist white people would see Axl as a hero or something because of that song.

“It wasn’t a racial comment,” Slash said, “but I can understand how people think that. When I first heard the lyric, I was, like, ‘Axl, I know what you’re saying, but I don’t think people are going to take it right. I know my family isn’t going to take it right.’”

I wasnt 'justifying' racism at all...id just rather see artists say their real options, rather than hear watered down "PC" songs.

Like if this song was racist, so be it..

as im sure ther'll be a Kanye West (or whoever) song about White people in return...so it creates a decent balance.

And yes if you wanted to say white people are smelly you can, its free speech...as long as you dont actively go out and assualt/kill people or break the law in anyway its fine.

Id rather see real music, then watered down PC crap, if Axl really is racist, then he shouldent hide it IMO.

Is Axl Rose a Racist?

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