Rap star Adam Briggs says Chris Lilley won’t learn from ‘blackface’ TV shows
Indigenous rap star Adam Briggs says Chris Lilley’s cancelled ‘blackface’ sitcoms underscore a bigger problem in the TV industry.
Confidential
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Indigenous rap star Adam Briggs says blackface comedian Chris Lilley won’t learn from his offensive TV shows because the “teachable moment” has passed.
Chart-topper Briggs said Lilley’s blackface characters, featured in four shows dumped by Netflix over claims they are racist, are part of a bigger problem in the TV industry.
“Chris Lilley didn’t do these shows last week, and he’s not the only one,” Briggs told Confidential. “He became the poster child for that cancel moment ... but you can still download and buy his products. It’s not like he’s going anywhere.
“But anyone who knows how TV shows get made; there’s a lot of people that sat around, let it happen, and thought it was a good idea. But this isn’t a teachable moment yet because he hasn’t learnt. He hasn’t accepted the ramifications of what he’s done.”
After Netflix ditched his show, Lilley posted deleted scenes of his blackface character Jonah Takalua on his YouTube channel.
Briggs, whose rap crew A.B Original won two ARIA Awards for their top 10 album Reclaim Australia, is also a writer on The Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s sitcom, Disenchantment.
Disenchantment co-creator Josh Weinstein has said Briggs’ work is “funny and powerful,” adding: “We would have hired him on The Simpsons, if he hadn’t been 10 years old at the time.”
Briggs laughs: “Isn’t that upsetting? That broke my heart. I was born in the wrong era. To get kudos from guys who built the universe where my comedy lives, that validation is always welcome.
“They have an incredible work ethic and take time to make things great. They’ve got nothing to prove. They don’t have to make a new show. They’ve got The Simpsons.”
Meanwhile, Briggs is the guest editor of GQ Australia’s September-October edition, on sale on Monday. The magazine features pieces on artist Reko Rennie, actor Nayuka Gorrie, musician Barkaa, and Corey Tutt, founder of Deadly Science, an initiative that provides science books to remote schools, and the Rumbalara Netball Club in Shepparton.
“GQ is an international brand that rings bells around the world,” Briggs says.
“But these ideas and stories should not be a one-off. They deserve to be explored every week, for a healthy discourse between Indigenous Australia and mainstream Australia.”
Briggs’ new EP, Always Was, is out now.