American Pop Queen Madonna‘s attempt to pay tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin may have been taken the wrong way.
Read: Watch Alicia Keys and Ariana Grande Pay Tribute To Aretha Franklin With ‘Natural Woman’ Renditions
Madonna was at the MTV Video Music Awards to present the award for video of the year and also honour the late Aretha who died on the date of Madonna’s 60th birthday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Madonna began her tribute by saying Aretha changed the course of her life. She then went on to talk about her sojourn into music. She also shared her experience at an audition where she sang Aretha’s “A Natural Woman” after she failed to prepare another song which she said impressed those that were there. She ended by saying Aretha led her to where she is today.
Viewers, however, went on social media to say her speech was more about herself.
See reactions below –
Now why they let #Madonna get up here and do her “I have a black friend, too” speech #VMAs
— spicy brown. (@missssflowers) August 21, 2018
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#Madonna is demonstrating a dynamic performance of peak white womanhood. This was not an #Aretha tribute but a monologue on how another iconic Black woman is being reduced to how she helped a white woman.
— Anansi (@blaqueerflow) August 21, 2018
“If I ever pass away, I just hope they won’t have Madonna dress like the widow of Fu Manchu & talk all about herself in a 9 min. tribute to me.”
– Aretha Franklin#TooLate #Madonna #Loves #Madonna #VMAs #ArethaTribute pic.twitter.com/jDH3Zvui27
— Brushing Off (@BrushingOff) August 21, 2018