Posted in: Audio Dramas, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: india arie, Joe Rogan, neil young, podcasts, spotify

India Arie Leaves Spotify As Joe Rogan's Past N-Word Use Resurfaces

Unlike Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, not only is Grammy-winning singer-songwriter India Arie not interested in going on Joe Rogan's Spotify podcast but she's also not interested in having her music available on the streaming service. But Arie's issues with Rogan and Spotify extend beyond just the COVID-19 misinformation that's been embraced with open arms on Rogan's podcast. Taking to Instagram, Arie posted past clips showing Rogan's use of the N-word totaling 24 times in 23 clips (with the clips reportedly happening prior to Rogan signing a highly lucrative deal with the music & podcast streamer). "He shouldn't even be uttering the word," Arie explains in one clip. "Don't even say it, under any context. Don't say it. That's where I stand. I have always stood there." Not wanting to generate profits for a service that would pay Rogan for his kind of speech while paying musicians "a fraction of a penny," Arie made the move this week (while also promoting #DeleteSpotify to her fans). "I empathize with the people who are leaving for the COVID disinformation reasons – and I think that they should. I also think that Joe Rogan has the right to say whatever he wants to say," Arie explained before adding, "I also think that I have the right to say whatever I want to say."

Here's a look at Arie's Instagram post explaining her reasons for pulling her music from Spotify beyond Rogan's show promoting COVID-19 misinformation (and for a look at Arie's Instagram Stories series of posts showing examples of Rogan's use of the N-word, head over here):

Now here's a look back at Rogan's video from earlier this week, which seems filled with a whole lot of words but none that are strung together in any way that makes sense or would make any kind of difference (though Wall Street sure fell in love again with Spotify this week, not long after Spotify that they would start putting content "band-aids" on misinformation "bullet wounds"). Following that, a look back at our thoughts on what Rogan's acolytes think he did as opposed to what he did (or didn't) do because… well… we just can't bring ourselves to have to watch the video again to see if there's anything left to scrape from it:

Of course, it doesn't take long before you realize that the video isn't really an admission of anything or an attempt to do things differently. That becomes clear when Rogan explains that he posted the video "because there's a lot of people that have a distorted perception of what I do, maybe based on sound bites or based on headlines of articles that are disparaging." Yeah, you can feel the "I'm the victim" creeping in. I mean, it's tough to claim you've seen the light when you still refer to two tinfoilers as "very highly credentialed, very intelligent, very accomplished" (no names, they don't deserve the free press). In fact, Rogan takes issue with his podcast being labeled as promoting misinformation, claiming that "many of the things we thought of as mission a short while ago is now thought of as fact." One huge problem with that. If you throw out 100 batshit crazy theories and that one barely sticks, you don't get to brag about the one when 99 others are stinking up the room.

But Rogan knows what's best, vowing to right the wrongs people are perceiving his show as perpetuating by… having more guests on with even more opinions?! Well, he would be "open" to the idea: "If there's anything that I've done that I could do better, it's having more experts with differing opinions right after I have the controversial ones. I would most certainly be open to doing that. And I would like to talk to some people who have differing opinions on the podcasts in the future." To be clear? It's not about getting rid of the crackpots… it's about having more crackpots for people to choose from. But hey, if you're upset then just imagine how Rogan feels. I mean, how did he know being handed a microphone, being paid tons of cash, and given access to millions of people around the world would result in something where his words would have meaning and he would actually have to take responsibility for what he says and does? Try walking in Rogan's shoes, people! All the man wanted was a little show that featured him "talking to some friends." How could he know that it would become "some out-of-control juggernaut" that he would "barely have control of"? I mean, you act like he's the one on the mic or that it's his name in the title, The Joe Rogan Experience.

So what did we learn today, kids? Joe Rogan knows what's best for Joe Rogan now please stop hurting his feelings.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!