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Odd Future playing Williamsburg Park with Meek Mill, still debating controversial Mountain Dew ads +++ watch that live Tyler the Creator interview

Tyler, the Creator @ MHOW, March 2013(more by Jason Bergman)
Tyler the Creator

Earl Sweatshirt, who is about to link up with the touring Tyler, the Creator for some Earl Wolf shows in Texas, just played the Downtown Music Festival in NYC over the weekend. And now Odd Future have announced they’ll all return to NYC to play a big Brooklyn show at Williamsburg Park on July 20. It’s with Meek Mill and doubles as Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg’s 2nd Annual Birthday Show. Tickets for that show go on venue presale on Thursday (5/14) at 10 AM with the regular on-sale happening Friday (5/10).

The Brooklyn show comes right before Meek Mill starts touring with Mac Miller and friends, a tour that also includes Earl Sweatshirt and The Internet on some dates.

Meanwhile, Tyler, the Creator is dealing with the controversy around one of the online Mountain Dew ads he helped create along with other members of Odd Future. The online video, one of three, was pulled after Syracuse University professor and social analyst Dr. Boyce Watkins called the spot “arguably the most racist commercial in history.” Watkins has since mellowed, saying via Twitter “Studied your music, I have an altered perspective. Still could do without the ad, but I think you were well-intended. #respect.” Tyler then spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the ad:

It was just a goat who liked Mountain Dew. He wanted more. The waitress lady got hurt. He got pulled over by the cops, and the lady points out the goat [in the lineup], who obviously attacked her because of the Mountain Dew. And that’s it.

I guess people are claiming that it’s racist, which … you know, that wasn’t even portrayed in that commercial. There’s no type of hate being portrayed in that work of art at all — which I’m confused by. But this older black dude, Dr. Boyce Watkins, I guess he found it racist because I was portraying stereotypes, which is ridiculous because, one, all of those dudes [in the lineup] are my friends. Two, they’re all basically in their own clothes. It was originally supposed to be just two dudes, but Garrett from Trash Talk came with his friend and other people had showed up, so I just put all of them in that lineup, if you really wanna know the truth. Three, no [commenters] saw that commercial and said, “This is racist.” Everyone either said, “Wow, this is ridiculous. It’s a goat talking,” or they said, “Wow, this is the dumbest. Why would they even make this?” So for [Watkins] to nitpick and notice that, clearly shows his state of mind is on some other shit that I can’t comprehend, for him to actually sit there and for him to notice that it’s all blacks [in the lineup]. That wasn’t my intention.

Tyler may or may not have another online Mountain Dew ad coming. “Defer that question to Mountain Dew,” said Tyler to THR.

Tyler was recently in NYC for a live chat with Elliot Wilson at Highline Ballroom. Watch that in four parts below…

Tyler The Creator talks to LOUD:

Tyler’s Mountain Dew Ad