
Source: Sarah Morris / Getty
There is no country for confederate statues or dancing in front of them as some sort of rebuke of the racist monuments.
What were they thinking?
That’s what many people are asking after making the ad featuring Flo Milli dancing to her single “May I” in front of a confederate statue located in her home state of Alabama go viral. The ad first premiered back in November as part of Beats “Flex That” holiday campaign, but like most things on Twitter, it has been given new life following outrage.
One Twitter user, Ahmad Davis, who is a public relations director, tweeted the one thing everyone has been asking since the ad has begun circulating:
“I just want to know how many people sat at a table and decided that Flo Milli x Beats By Dre commercial was a good idea.”
I just want to know how many people sat at a table and decided that Flo Milli x Beats By Dre commercial was a good idea.
— AD. (@AhmadDavisPR) January 4, 2021
Another user professed her love for Flo Milli and felt the popular headphone brand set the rapper up with the insanely tone-deaf and was confused by the campaign’s rather strange slogan.
“Listen I love Flo Milli, but they set her up with this one. Why tf would she randomly break out dancing in front of a confederate statue and what does “flex that clap back” mean?”
Listen I love Flo Milli, but they set her up with this one. Why tf would she randomly break out dancing in front of a confederate statue and what does “flex that clap back” mean? 😭 https://t.co/PLyXZ16lfj
— F. (@SolanasChanel) January 4, 2021
According to a press release from Beats, the “Flex That” campaign which also featured tennis phenom Naomi Osaka and her boyfriend, Hip-Hop star Cordae picked “influential Black, Gen Z talent, who continue to take a stand against racial inequality while inspiring youth around the world to bravely challenge norms, push boundaries and celebrate their identities.”
Sounds good, but instead, what we got was Flo Milli looking silly in front of a confederate statue that even has Questlove perplexed.
This is real?! https://t.co/ZP2xXbo05h
— Qurley? (@questlove) January 4, 2021
Uh oh, it looks like Beats is trying to dethrone Mary J. Blige singing about a Burger King chicken sandwich. You can peep the reactions to the clueless ad in the gallery below.
—
Photo: Sarah Morris / Getty
Twitter Is Perplexed By Beats By Dre Ad Featuring Flo Milli Dancing In Front of a Confederate Statue was originally published on hiphopwired.com
1. Very good point.
thinking about @limewirereset essay on Dark Skin Black Women as Black Liberation Aesthetic Merchandise.
— mx. milli (@MxKA___) January 4, 2021
and how Beats understood Flo Milli to be representational merchandise because she’s dark skinned. only for the advancement of the performative social justice aesthetic. https://t.co/1FcqYS0izj
2. Y’all can find humor out of anything lol
y’all clowning flo milli but if beats by dre offer me a check to dance in front a confederate statue i’m giving the girls gays and theys you got served period pic.twitter.com/0xkC9ypc5u
— Tiger Goods 🐯 (@tigergoods15) January 4, 2021
3. Howwwwlllinnnngg
Flo Milli in the beats commercial pic.twitter.com/Q18fhv0uZX
— ky (@KweenKy_) January 3, 2021
4. Screeeaaaammmmiiinnnnggg
I can’t believe Beats had Flo Milli up on that commercial like this
— CAPE (@UniversallyCAPE) January 4, 2021
pic.twitter.com/bzXxhBf8lE
5. Yup.
I hope Beats know they going to hell for doing Flo Milli like that pic.twitter.com/8IaaQhcqXo
— Openly Fat (@Puff_Iya) January 4, 2021
6. Spits out drink
I gotta stop applying to random shit on Indeed they just had me direct a beats commercial with Flo Milli 🤦🏽♂️
— sultan (@sultangelo) January 4, 2021
7. Word
if you’ve seen the beats commercial w/ flo milli, you may be entitled to financial compensation.
— pedagogy of the depressed😪 (@TyneshaMM) January 4, 2021
8. Bruh
In the midst of reading tweets about Flo Milli's Beats commercial, I saw a Burger King commercial that used the phrase "it just hit different".
— Jason, Jah, Leezy (@HipHopObama) January 4, 2021
9. Speechless
that flo milli beats vid.... pic.twitter.com/L9ZnK82tYA
— 🦑 (@sukuitas) January 3, 2021
10. Pretty much
beats by dre really had flo milli doing this in front of a confederate statue how dare they pic.twitter.com/VsqaQHnFii
— read eyeshield 21 and stan beyoncé for clear skin (@_aminatah_) January 4, 2021
11. Yikes indeed
Beats By Dre had Flo Milli dancing in front of a Confederate Statue to sell their products. Yikes.
— 𝐵𝑒𝒸𝒸𝒶 (@MJFINESSELOVER) January 4, 2021
12. Interesting
I am not holdin flo milli accountable for that mess!! As far as I’m concerned she had no parts pic.twitter.com/vSynkzWt8K
— purrrr (@YannaTheGoddess) January 4, 2021
13.
Obviously the Beats by Dre - Flo Milli commercial has been out for awhile, but nevertheless Im left more confused every time I see it.
— Elliott Mittons (@Corporate_el) January 4, 2021
Very tone deaf visual. Another clear example of brands lacking diversity within their creative departments.
14. You hate to see it.
this is what flo milli was giving in that beats by dre ad pic.twitter.com/REx5xRc6rA
— 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐣𝐮𝐤𝐮 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 (@SAINTLAURIANA) January 4, 2021
15. Oh noooooo
i hear that the next Beats commercial will have Flo Milli dancing in front of mitch mcconnell
— Justin Davis (Andros Fan Account) (@OGJOHNNY5) January 4, 2021
16. No chill.
SHE WAS AT RACIAL STATUES MOVING FEET
— Lemon Pepper Jr. (@CeeHawk) January 4, 2021
17. L M A O
Flo Milli saw the check and threw that ass like pic.twitter.com/PUfPbTtmu8
— Ahmed🇸🇴/Official A&R for OVO Records (@big_business_) January 4, 2021
18.
The statue of Robert E. Lee watching Flo Milli dance pic.twitter.com/EYbDKWCo1U
— YERRboi Shredda (@ShreddaSosa) January 4, 2021