As Hollywood continues to debate #OscarsSoWhite, Nick Cannon has found a unique way to voice his opinion on the accusations of inequality.
In a video released this week, Cannon delivers a spoken-word poem from a staircase in a black and white clip. Yet the 35-year-old starts off by explaining that the piece was “not another trophy rant.”
“Look what they did to Oscar,” the actor begins. “I’m talking Oscar Grant, Sandra Bland, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray. Why we trust what the news say anyway? It’s blasphemous, don’t get distracted by these lottery tickets and statues.”
Several stars have vowed not to attend the awards – including Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and director Spike Lee. People like Tyrese have even suggested that host Chris Rock should step down from the show, while others, like Oscar-winner Don Cheadle, believe there is “no one better poised” to address the controversy than Rock himself.
Danny DeVito, who is not only a veteran actor but also a member of the Academy, says the whole system is racist.
“It’s unfortunate that the entire country is racist,” the actor told the Associated Press at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday. “This is one example of the fact that even though some people have given great performances in movies, they weren’t even thought about.”
He continued, “We are living in a country that discriminates and has certain racist tendencies, so sometimes it manifests itself something like this, and it’s illuminated. But just generally speaking, we’re racists. We are a bunch of racists.”