Is Lenny Kravitz Invited To The Cookout? Rock Icon’s Black Media Support Complaint Sparks Debate

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Ever since he first “let love rule” in 1989 on his debut album of the same name, Lenny Kravitz has been one of the biggest Black musicians to impact the predominately white genre of rock in the vain of legendary acts before him like Tina Turner, Prince and Jimi Hendrix. With plans next March to release Blue Electric Light, his longevity-defining 12th studio album, you would think the 59-year-old guitar hero would be in his Lifetime Achievement era at annual award ceremonies like the NAACP Awards, Soul Train Awards and especially the BET Awards.
Surprisingly enough, Kravitz recently argued the opposite in his Winter 2023 cover story for Esquire Magazine by stating that he’s actually received little to no Black media support at all; as he put, not one “BET thing.”

RELATED: 5 Black Musicians That Redefined Rock Music Over The Past Five Decades

Reading into Kravitz’s comments regarding lack of Black media support, there’s room to see things from both sides. The plight of biracial musicians can oftentimes come with its fair share of identity issues when it comes to connecting with the community at large, as equally big pop stars like Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys for example have discussed in their own careers. However, where Mariah and Alicia both have cemented themselves at the forefront of Black music, which mainly favors hip-hop and R&B/soul, Kravitz hasn’t always shown the same representation in his career as a Black musician.
A look at the many beautiful models featured in his music videos over the years, for example, shows an interesting look at what catches his eye.

…we do give him props for embracing his Bahamian roots in the 1998 video for “I Belong To You” though, and featuring Bermudian beauty Aliana King in his 2020 video for “Ride”:

While it’s true that Kravitz’s only nominations when it comes to Black award ceremonies are for his supporting acting roles in Precious (2009) and The Hunger Games (2012) — none for music, unfortunately — can it be argued that his rock-fueled artistry overall might’ve been too fast-paced to properly build a Black audience? We believe all artists from our culture should feel accepted in the community, but you’ve also got to give a little to get a little, right?

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