Bruno Mars spoke out against those who claimed the artist is profiting off Black culture and is a "culture thief" in a new Breakfast Club interview with host Charlamagne the God.
The "24K Magic" singer has repeatedly been accused of appropriating Black music regardless of now not being a Black guy himself. Bruno Mars, whose real title is Peter Gene Hernandez, was born to a Filipina mother and a father who is half Puerto Rican and half Jewish.
During the interview, Charlamagne informed the Grammy award-winning artist, "People love to accuse you of being a cultural thief, which I find interesting because you are a person of color. What would you say to those people?"
Mars spoke back to the host by means of acknowledging his influences, which were basically outstanding Black artists.
"I would say: You can't look at an interview, you can't find an interview where I'm not talking about the entertainers that come before me," Mars shared. "And the only reason why I'm here is because of James Brown, is because of Prince, Michael [Jackson] - that's the only reason why I'm here."
"This music comes from love," he concluded, "and if you can't hear that, then I don't know what to tell you."
He went on to add that the complaint he is facing "comes with the gig," but that "there's real merit to what people are saying about Black entertainers not getting their flowers."
This is not the primary time Bruno Mars had to defend himself against cultural appropriation claims - the accusations first began in 2018, when an activist through the identify of Seren Sensei accused the megastar of being a "cultural appropriator," consistent with CNN.
However, a number of Black artists, together with Stevie Wonder, have come to his defense. When requested his opinion, Wonder merely said, "He was inspired by great musicians and great artists and songwriters. So it's cool."
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