Rick Ross's New Single Causes Consumers to Demand Reebok Drop Rapper

In case you haven't heard, rapper Rick Ross has recently joined the despicable group of hip-hop artists that have come under fire for their brazen glorification of rape. In his new single U.N.E.N.O., the rapper says:

”Put molly all in her champagne/ She ain't even know it/ I took her home and I enjoyed that/ She ain't even know it.”

In case you're like me and the only thing that comes to mind when you think of "Molly" is the red-haired doll on The Big Comfy Couch, I Googled it for you and it also means DRUGS. Molly is crystallized MDMA; because it distorts reality and reduces inhibitions, it is often used as a "date rape drug."  

Activist and former Green Party vice presidential candidate Rosa Clemente posted a biting critique of the artist on YouTube. In her video, she says:

"This lyric is obviously promoting rape. Not just date rape, but rape and rape culture and violence against women. We live in a society that, by the time that African American women and Latina women are 18, almost half of them — 44% —have been sexually abused."

When the non-profit radio station 103.7 the Beat/WUVS-LP heard that Rick Ross was openly promoting rape, they announced their decision to ban all of his songs from the station. Paul Allen Billings, general manager and program director of the station told Billboard:

"Following that teen rape case in Ohio, we felt [Rick Ross] was very insensitive. It sends the wrong message out to the youth that’s following him [...] To promote a date rape drug in a song, it’s like saying its OK to do this behavior. He’s saying it’s acceptable."

Many are also demanding that Reebok drop the artist as their brand ambassador. A petition started on UltraViolet has collected over 50, 000 signatures, half of them in only two hours. The rapidly growing petition reads:

“Reebok devotes a lot of time, energy and money to marketing to women — and now they’re paying a man who is literally bragging about raping women. That tells women that Reebok isn't interested in our business. It tells us that Reebok is okay promoting rape culture and when one out of five women are the victim of an attempted or completed rape that has real life consequences.”

Do you think Reebok should sponsor an artist who promotes rape? If you don't, you can sign the petition here.

Let me know what you think on Twitter: @feministabulous