Jesse Wellens Responds To Snoop Dogg Music Video Controversy, Trump Suggests Rapper Be Jailed

By 03/15/2017
Jesse Wellens Responds To Snoop Dogg Music Video Controversy, Trump Suggests Rapper Be Jailed

President Donald Trump took to Twitter this morning to slam rapper Snoop Dogg for his latest music video, which was directed by YouTube luminary Jesse Wellens and sees the veteran rapper shooting a Trump-like character in the head with a prank gun.

The concept for the video for Snoop’s new single, Lavender (Nightfall Remix), was reportedly hatched in the wake of the shooting of Philando Castile and serves as a commentary on police brutality. Additionally, the majority of the characters in the video are painted like clowns — including a character named Ronald Krump, who bears a striking resemblance to the President — which Wellens has said was meant to reflect America’s “ridiculous” political climate.

A scene towards the end of the video, in which Snoop points a gun at Krump’s head and a flag with the word ‘Bang’ pops out of the barrel, also garnered criticism on Monday from Senator Marco Rubio. “Snoop shouldn’t have done that,” he told TMZ. “We’ve had presidents assassinated before in this country, so anything like that is really something people should be very careful about.”

In a statement provided to Tubefilter last night, prior to Trump’s tweet, Wellens responded to some of the criticism that the video had received. Check it out in full below:

“I am a proud American; I served in the Air Force for six years, which included two tours-of-duty in Iraq. I served to defend democracy and every American’s right to free speech in its different expressions.

The Lavender (Nightfall Remix) music video is a spoof. It is a satirical parody on issues that impact Americans. In this fictional story, clowns were chosen because their true emotions are obscured. The impenetrable face can mask reality, and we are asking viewers to question what they are really seeing.

But how do you know what to believe about this video, when you see only one provocative image? Audiences need to watch the full video in order to understand the context. I have learned that in-your-face art can stimulate debate. This video is audacious/gutsy/provoking, but in no way do we condone violence and brutality.

Our desire is that this video inspires people to continue to question, demand answers, and hold our leaders to the highest standards.”

The music video for Lavender (Nightfall Remix) marks the first project from Wellens’ just-formed Rose Ave. production company, launched as Wellens has gradually pivoted away from the pranks and daily vlogs that turned he and ex-girlfriend Jeana Smith into two of YouTube’s most recognizable stars. The Lavender video (below) has amassed more than 2.3 million views — and a particularly polarized comments section — since its debut last Sunday.

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