Bruno Mars spoke out against those who claimed the artist is profiting off Black culture and is a "culture thief" in a new Breakfast Club interview with host Charlamagne the God.
The "24K Magic" singer has repeatedly been accused of appropriating Black music despite not being a Black man himself. Bruno Mars, whose real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, was born to a Filipina mother and a father who is half Puerto Rican and half Jewish.
During the interview, Charlamagne told the Grammy award-winning artist, "People love to accuse you of being a cultural thief, which I find interesting because you are a person of color. What would you say to those people?"
Mars responded to the host by acknowledging his influences, which were mainly prominent Black artists.
"I would say: You can't look at an interview, you can't find an interview where I'm not talking about the entertainers that come before me," Mars shared. "And the only reason why I'm here is because of James Brown, is because of Prince, Michael [Jackson] - that's the only reason why I'm here."
"This music comes from love," he concluded, "and if you can't hear that, then I don't know what to tell you."
He went on to add that the criticism he is facing "comes with the gig," but that "there's real merit to what people are saying about Black entertainers not getting their flowers."
This isn't the first time Bruno Mars had to defend himself against cultural appropriation claims - the accusations first began in 2018, when an activist by the name of Seren Sensei accused the star of being a "cultural appropriator," according to CNN.
However, several Black artists, including Stevie Wonder, have come to his defense. When asked his opinion, Wonder simply said, "He was inspired by great musicians and great artists and songwriters. So it's cool."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiZq62epHqurdGsZJ2dlpq7pb%2BMoaCmq5Whs26txpqgp6ukYsGpu9KeZLCgn2KvprjInq2eZZiaeqq%2FjKmpqJ6Zqbavs4yonZ9ln5t6o7jAnKJmm6Whwba%2BxGg%3D