Wednesday, 06 September 2023 10:24

‘I'm not playing victim’ - Spice addresses racial slur incident

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Dancehall artiste Spice made it clear that she is 'not playing [the] victim' as she took to Instagram Live on Tuesday to address the incident in which her former Love & Hip Hop Atlanta co-star, Erica Mena, referred to her as a 'monkey.

During her address, Spice questioned whether it's now acceptable to endure racism when someone is angered.

Spice emphasised that she wasn't playing the victim but taking full accountability for the situation.

“…I’m not playing victim, and I’m taking full accountability because you guys said I experienced the racism because I triggered her,” Spice said.

She highlighted her previous activism against colourism and shared that she painted her face white in 2018 as a form of protest to shed light on the issue of colourism within the black community.

She pointed out that some individuals might react differently based on skin complexion and that lighter-skinned black people might not tolerate such comments if they were in her position.

“You can place hypocrite with yourself if you want, you can hide the fact if you want, but this is just the truth,” she added, as she referenced her song Black Hypocrisy, which deals with the pain she suffered from being mocked for her black features.

She added that Mena’s 16-year-old son “has been mentioned multiple times,” by other people and they did not receive the same treatment she did.

The incident between Mena and Spice escalated during a heated exchange captured on video, resulting in Mena being escorted off the set. Mena later referred to Spice as a "blue monkey" and made a disturbing comment about Spice's near-death experience.

On Saturday, the Love & Hip Hop reality series franchise stated that Mena would not be part of the upcoming season of the Atlanta spin-off.