Update: Lenny Kravitz Says His Comments About Not Being Recognized By Urban Media Were Directed Solely At Black Award Shows After Black Journalist Shared Singer’s Team ‘Repeatedly’ Rejected Her Interview Requests

Update: Lenny Kravitz Says His Comments About Not Being Recognized By Urban Media Were Directed Solely At Black Award Shows After Black Journalist Shared Singer’s Team ‘Repeatedly’ Rejected Her Interview Requests

Update: (Dec. 4, 2023): Lenny Kravitz’s issue is with Black award shows and not Black media.

As previously reported, the musician caused quite a frenzy last week when he seemingly claimed that he’s not appreciated within the Black entertainment industry.

After his statement went viral, a few Black media employees came forward and claimed that they tried to work with the “Again” artist in some capacity over the years, but his team denied the requests. One woman in particular claimed that Kravitz’s circle “repeatedly” told her no when she would reach out for an interview. Also, Media vet Stephen G. Hill uploaded a picture to IG next to Kravitz, revealing that despite his claims, the entertainer had been on “106 & Park” a few times.

Kravitz has seemingly seen the backlash and wasted no time setting the record straight. In a recent post, he explained that his statement was directed at Black award shows and not Black media spaces as a whole. In part, he wrote,

“It is important to me to set the record straight on recent media reports based on an interview I did. …The comment I made was not about ‘black media’ or the ‘black community.’ I was specifically referring to black award shows in particular.”

He added,

“My comment was meant to express a concern about ensuring that black artists are being recognized for their work in what is now being called “non-traditional” black music, which it is not.”

Original Story: (Nov. 30, 2023): Singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz says he’s underappreciated by the Black entertainment industry.

During a recent cover interview, the rock star spoke about being snubbed by Black media outlets over the years, despite his stellar contributions to the culture.

Reportedly, Lenny Kravitz, real name Leonard Albert Kravitz, 59, stated during the interview:

“To this day, I have not been invited to a BET thing or a Source Awards thing,”

Adding:

“And it’s like, here is a Black artist who has reintroduced many Black art forms, who has broken down barriers—just like those that came before me broke down. That is positive. And they don’t have anything to say about it?”

The “Fly Away” artist made the remark while discussing how he’s overlooked as a groundbreaker in the music industry. In case you’re unfamiliar with his work, Kravitz first rose to stardom and made a name for himself with his intriguingly different blend of rock, funk, reggae, hard rock, soul, and R&B. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, the musician had multiple hits chart the Billboard Hot 100, including the singles “It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over” and “Again.”

While he’s generally considered among a notable list of rock artists, Kravitz has also collaborated with a few big wigs in the hip hop world. The musician has linked up with rap legend Jay Z for multiple songs, releasing the popular “Guns and Roses” track in 2002, which was featured on the New York native’s “The Blue Print 2” album. In 2004, the pair connected again to make music magic for Kravtiz’s song “Storm.”

Lenny Kravitz, Jay Z

Kravitz has also earned several awards throughout his decades-long career, including accolades from the AMAs, MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, and the Brit Awards. Additionally, he’s sold more than 40 million records worldwide. Despite all of his success, however, the music artist is correct that there has been no recognition from Black entertainment award shows such as BET, Soul Train Awards, and Image Source Awards. Internet users have expressed opinions about why that is the case. One person wrote:

“I love Lenny Kravitz but as a black founder of a smaller media outlet I can submit a request to his PR team and I bet you they say NO. Lenny has never presented himself as someone that even wanted recognition from those outlets. Sry, this is on him.”

While another added:

“Because Lenny Kravitz has never been presented as a Black artist. I’ve always seen him presented or got the impression he was presented as a white alternative if that makes sense. Sort of like his daughter.”

It seems many others, however, took the stance that even if Kravitz doesn’t make music typically embraced by the Black community, his artistry should be celebrated nonetheless. Some also agreed with the musician’s statements and called for the media outlets mentioned to rectify the situation.