Bruno Mars Talks Race In Recent Interview
Bruno Mars, fresh off of his 24k Magic release, landed the cover of Latina magazine for their February issue. The young superstar, Bruno Mars talks race and discussed a number of different topics during the interview, including clearing up some misconceptions about his own race and ethnic identity.
“I never once said I changed my last name to hide the fact that I’m Puerto Rican. Why would I f***ing say that? Who are you fooling? And why would anyone say that? That’s so insulting to me, to my family. That’s ridiculous. My last name is Hernandez. My father’s name is Pedrito Hernandez, and he’s a Puerto Rican pimp. There’s no denying that.”
He added that he received the nickname Bruno, his real name being Peter Gene Hernandez, when he was 2-years-old from his father. He was originally going to go just by “Bruno,” adding that the name Bruno Mars was a bit of a joke that sounded larger than life. But it stuck. Moving the conversation to race, Mars was saddened that discrimination and racism is still rampant today.
“I hate that we’re even having a conversation about injustice in America,” he said. “That we are having a conversation about this in 2017; the same conversation that’s been had decades and decades ago.”
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Another highlight from the interview was when Bruno was talking about music and what inspired him as a young boy, specifically black music.
“When you say ‘black music,’ understand that you are talking about rock, jazz, R&B, reggae, funk, doo-wop, hip-hop, and Motown. Black people created it all. Being Puerto Rican, even salsa music stems back to the Motherland [Africa]. So, in my world, black music means everything. It’s what gives America its swag. I’m a child raised in the ’90s. Pop music was heavily rooted in R&B from Whitney, Diddy, Dr. Dre, Boyz II Men, Aaliyah, TLC, Babyface, New Edition, Michael, and so much more. As kids this is what was playing on MTV and the radio. This is what we were dancing to at school functions and BBQs. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for these artists who inspired me.”
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