action bronson

When it comes to food, hip-hop and wrestling, Action Bronson is a well-documented expert. Ever the renaissance man, the Brooklyn rapper caught up with Complex to talk sneakers. While keeping only one or two pairs on the road, the rapper revealed a nuanced knowledge of sneaker brands.

It turns out that Bronson was quick to develop an early affinity with New Balance 911s after admiring his mother’s footwear at a young age. That said, it’s Adidas’ Ultra Boosts that are the rapper’s go-to. While he lost his last pair when working out and eating chicken in a Jacuzzi, he had nothing but praise for the line.  “For me this has been the best shoe that’s come out in a long time, and I usually don’t like Adidas… I think this shoe changed the game,” he contended.

Bronson was reluctant to review Michael Jordan‘s brand of sneakers. “I had Jordans growing up, there’s no doubt about it. Nowadays, this has just become the go-to shoe for every single human being. I can’t do it,” he explained. “I don’t like the quality of them. I don’t like the look of them anymore. Something changed about it. The nostalgia ain’t there for me anymore. It became more like a circus shoe in my opinion.”

Despite owning a $30,000 pair of Jordans, he admitted he did not wear the brand.”I have a personal issue with Mike… We didn’t hit it off when we met. He looked at me, probably, as a little shit. He’s seven feet and can dunk on and put his nuts on my head, so he couldn’t care less about me. We just didn’t hit it off.” When presented with Nike shoes his spirits lifted, “honestly this is a better section for me.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUuy9l92um0

Image: ShockMansions

Speaking with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe, culinary expert turned TV show host and acclaimed rapper Action Bronson disclosed some much needed information regarding the third instalment of the Blue Chips mixtape series, this time entitled Blue Chips 7000. Coming off the high from his debut major label release entitled, Mr. Wonderful, it seems Bronson prefers the more organic mixtape release.

“I don’t know what [Blue Chips 7000] is man, could’ve been an album could’ve been [a mixtape], it’s just coming out. [The only difference is] having to deal with a lot of f-cking people and not having to deal with a lot of people.”

The original pair of Blue Chips mixtapes featured production solely from Brookyln based production duo Party Supplies, however Bronson has disclosed that the production credits for the new project will feature the likes of Alchemist, Knxwledge, Budgie and Buckwild, all joining the Party (Supplies). Two tracks from the project have already been released/posted, this untitled track debuted at an Auckland show, as well as the official track Mr 2.Face featuring close collaborator Meyhem Lauren as well as Jamaica native Jah Tiger. As for when we can expect it to be released? Bronson told Lowe he was tying up some “loose ends,” before saying, “This month, as soon as it’s done I’m gonna drop it.”

Now that season one of the Viceland version has just been completed, the pair quickly touched on Action’s role hosting the Vice cooking show, F*ck That’s Delicious, as well as his future plans, with Bronson saying, “I want to travel to Asia, South East Asia, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore – No matter what that show is going to go on forever”.  

Listen to the full hilarious interview below, where the duo talks “utter sh-t” about family, bathing routines, F*ck That’s Delicious and of course the Blue Chips 7000 mixtape.

Image: GQ

Action Bronson has faced further controversy this week, with yet a college show being cancelled yet again. This time it has been cancelled by Trinity College, as audiences and venues voice concerns over his music – particularly his 2011 song Consensual Rape.

Last month the chef-turned-rapper and TV show host was removed from the lineup for George Washington University’s Spring Fling event. The event organisers deemed some of Bronson’s lyrics and videos to be misogynistic and violent, and therefore inappropriate. Having also been pulled from last Summer’s NXNE festival for similar reasons, where he was due to perform a showcase, this latest cancellation for Trinity College’s Spring Fling does not bode well for Bronson.

Following another petition via change.org, the school’s president, vice president and Trinity College Barnyard Entertainment took the decision to cancel Bronson’s appearance at the event. A statement issued via Facebook announced the change just yesterday, ahead of the event taking place on April 30:

We want to inform you that the rapper Action Bronson has been removed as the headliner for Spring Weekend 2016. Kehlani will still be performing.

We took the petition, “Remove Action Bronson from Trinity College’s Spring Weekend Concert,” which was published on Change.org, and the views expressed in the comment section very seriously. They were some of the most important factors in our decision to remove Action Bronson from our campus.

The lengthy statement also outlined reasons for cancelling Bronson’s appearance, including the following:

As both students and student leaders, we fully agree that it is not only certain songs by Action Bronson that go against the school’s mission. The very act of bringing him to this campus runs counter to the College’s obligation to protect the emotional and physical safety of its students. As the Executive Board of EAC Barnyard, we believe that protecting the safety of our students is our top priority. The Executive Board of EAC Barnyard would like to apologize for considering bringing Action Bronson, an explicitly unconscious rapper, to campus. We would like to apologize for any emotional harm that the decision has caused our community.

They also expressed pride in the student body for actively protesting and voicing their concerns:

In addition, we are incredibly proud of the petition prompting the decision to remove Action Bronson from Spring Weekend. Members of our own executive and general committees have signed it and have encouraged others to sign as well. Not in recent memory have we seen such a diverse range of students, faculty, administration, alumni, friends of the college, and members of our larger Hartford community unite to promote positive change on this campus. We want to thank those who signed the petition for being brave enough to not only change the culture and climate at Trinity College, but to also construct a model that aims to affect positive social change.

Read the full statement here.

In response to the action from Trinity College, Action Bronson’s spokesperson directed all enquiries to the recent statement from Bronson that followed the cancellation by GWU. The open letter defended Bronson’s position as an artist by stating that not all his lyrics should be taken as a direct representation of his personal views. Commenting that his role is similar to that of a director or actor, it should not be assumed that he endorses views he puts forward through his art.

Undeniably, this is a fair statement, however the question of artists accountability still stands. And it appears that it may be too late for Bronson to retrospectively remedy what should have been made clear at the start.

Read our recent review of Action Bronson live in Melbourne

Image: YouTube

Back in 2011, Action Bronson thought it would be a great idea to release a song called Consensual Rape. Well, turns out it wasn’t such a good idea. Not only is the thought process to even make a song like that appalling, but now it seems a certain bitch called karma is getting its way, and is following Bronson around like a bad smell.

Dropped from a lineup in June last year, Bronson’s spot on the lineup for a concert at George Washington University’s Spring Fling has been cancelled, with the university citing the same song as the reason why. In a statement on their Facebook, the Program Board apologised to the GW community “for causing distress over the past few days and for attempting to bring an artist who is not consistent with our values of diversity and inclusion.” Now, Bronson has responded.

In his own statement on his Facebook, Bronson has finally officially addressed not only the outcry but the song itself. “It has become clear to me that things have reached a point which makes me feel the need to address the issues raised so that we can bring some understanding and healing to the table, so to speak,” he said. “I can’t continue to walk around with the thought that people are thinking these things about me that are far from who I really am.”

From here, Bronson goes on to say how he meant to depict a story with Consensual Rape, and that the “general sentiment of violence towards women” doesn’t actually represent him as a person. According to Bronson, these lyrics were not to be taken literally. “The songs I make aren’t any different than a director creating a movie, or an author writing a book meaning they contain scenes or things happen in them that aren’t meant to be anything but an artistic expression,” he writes.

This kind of issue is such a grey area. What’s in a song lyric, and do artists have a responsibility to recognise their influence when they are creating such works. Whether it be a song, a movie, a book or anything, what makes one okay and the other not? Particularly with hip-hop, increasing scrutiny on artists’ lyrics puts the person under the microscope along with their lyrics, but we aren’t accusing Quentin Taratino of being a violent murderer from the movies he makes. Bronson recognises this himself, saying “I understand that when it comes to musicians, and more specifically rappers, the lyrics I say are taken to heart many times as a representation of my beliefs or true feelings,” before clarifying that he thinks violence against women in any form is “DISGUSTING.”

At the end of the day, Bronson clearly didn’t mean to offend anyone. As Bronson says in his statement, “It was not my intention to hurt people when I made it years ago, and I certainly will be much more sensitive on this matter moving ahead.” But, that doesn’t change that the track is indeed offensive to people. He can’t stop people being offended, and unfortunately for him, it seems this poor choice will follow him for a long time as the world continues to grow the social conscience it has been without for far too long. He perhaps sums it up best himself by ending his statement with “I’m far, far from perfect and I recognize my flaws and I’m making an effort to grow and be a better human.” It just leaves the question of if we should move past or not. I guess that’s up to the individual, and how they find it. See his full statement below:

https://www.facebook.com/ActionBronsonMusic/posts/10154173239167125

Image: Dani Hanse for Howl & Echoes. See our gallery of his Sydney show here.