The Burger King chicken wraps commercial starring Mary J. Blige that caused an uproar among African-Americans was pulled, but the corporation says the decision had nothing to do with the backlash the ad received.
The spot debuted this week and in it, Blige sings soulfully about chicken snack wraps.
Burger King said Tuesday the commercial was pulled because of a licensing concern. According to the Associated Press, the company said it hopes to have the Blige “ads back on the air soon.” As the video went viral, some in the black community criticized it as stereotypical.
Popular website Madame Noire even posted an open letter to Mary J. Blige entitled “Her Buffoonish Burger King Commercial.” The letter/blog criticizes Mary for participating in the commercial, saying that the advert was a purposeful blow about Black people.
“Having a black woman sing about chicken was no mistake,” Renay Alize wrote. “They’re trying to reach the ‘urban’ (aka black) demographic and they used you.”
