Russell Simmons Removes Controversial "Harriet Tubman Sex Tape" Video and Issues Apology

Yesterday a "Sex Tape" of Harriet Tubman was uploaded to Russell Simmons' YouTube channel and the internet went crazy!

In the video Harriet Tubman, played by Shanno Malcolm, and another slave (YouTuber De Storm) decide to blackmail their master into letting her form the Underground Railroad by creating a sex tape. What is shown next is Harriet engaging in over the top sexual positions with her "massa" while her cohort is hiding in the closet filming everything.

After the video was released into this thing that we call the world wide web, many had something to say about it. Most were not happy thoughts. Here are just a few of the tweets that were directed at Russell Simmons:

Harriet Tubman?? Say it ain't so, @UncleRUSH

— John Legend (@johnlegend) August 15, 2013

 

Bruh @unclerush, Harriet Tubman is SACRED to our people. Anyone even thinking this skit up should have been cussed out with the quickness.

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) August 15, 2013

Just Saw Russell Simmons Produced Skit "HARRIET TUBMAN SEXTAPE.I Ask Why Do We Desecrate Our Ancestors?Why Do We Hate Ourselves?QUESTION???

— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) August 15, 2013

@UncleRUSH definitely made a mistake doin that #harriettubman skit. But he did apologize. So 4give him like u 4give people like Paula Deen

— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) August 15, 2013

 

Black folks..If u can forgive Paula Deen and all these other people who call u the N-word,you can forgive @UncleRUSH for that comedy skit.

— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) August 15, 2013

 

Russell Simmons  issued this statement on Global Grind this morning:

In the whole history of Def Comedy Jam, I’ve never taken down a controversial comedian. When my buddies from the NAACP called and asked me to take down the Harriet Tubman video from the All Def Digital YouTube channel and apologize, I agreed.

I’m a very liberal person with thick skin. My first impression of the Harriet Tubman piece was that it was about what one of actors said in the video, that 162 years later, there’s still tremendous injustice. And with Harriet Tubman outwitting the slave master? I thought it was politically correct. Silly me.  I can now understand why so many people are upset.  I have taken down the video. Lastly, I would never condone violence against women in any form, and for all of those I offended, I am sincerely sorry.

~Russell Simmons

I can see why people are mad, but the video was a parody. It kind of reminded me of the movie Inglorious Bastards. In the video they had Harriet Tubman turn around that rapes that were happening to black women and turned into "leverage" in order to succeed with her plan to help free slaves. Unfortunately the way the video was done destroyed the message.

The video is no longer on the All Def Digital channel but others have uploaded it to theirs. You can see it below:



What do you think?