Questlove from The Roots thinks Nivea ad is racist

This is a beef report we never expected to write. Questlove, drummer for The Roots and one of the most beloved figures in hip-hop, has taken exception to Nivea's new advertising campaign telling customers to "re-civilize yourself." The ad presents a well-groomed man wearing Express Men-esque clothing and gripping what appears to be Questlove's severed head by the afro. See for yourself.


We're guessing Nivea didn't intend it to represent anyone in particular, but still, it bears an undeniable resemblance to the musician's longtime look. Upon learning of the ad, Questlove picked up his gauntlet (aka Twitter account) to throw down this tweet: "Lotion with a 38 yr old atlanta strippers name really wants my head off. uncivilized?" He ended with a hashtag that we can't reprint, but it rhymes with "duck" plus the word "Nivea."

Then, on Facebook:


hat's a lot of words spent on an issue that's summed up pretty nicely by this.

Hopefully "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," where Questlove is the house drummer, will pick up this story and run with a sketch tonight.

UPDATE: Nivea has pulled the ad. The company apologized on Facebook: "Thank you for caring enough to give us your feedback about the recent "Re-civilized" NIVEA FOR MEN ad. This ad was inappropriate and offensive. It was never our intention to offend anyone, and for this we are deeply sorry. This ad will never be used again. Diversity and equal opportunity are crucial values of our company."

http://clutch.mtv.com/2011/08/18/questlove-nivea-racist-ad/

I see why he's mad. That was in poor taste.

I agree, it was in poor taste. Hopefully their intent was not to offend, but it is hard to say. Glad they pulled it, apologized and didn't just ignore it.

Indeed, very poor taste. Condescending and judgmental on the end of Nivea, who apparently were under the impression that a 'natural' hairstyle isn't civilized or refined. I'm glad they pulled it too.