Bono's comment on "girly" music incites backlash

Bono stirred controversy after saying in an interview that "music has gotten very girly." The U2 frontman caught flak on social media for the comment, and also for saying that only the hip-hop genre channels young male rage. 

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Bono was explaining how he and his children connect over music. The interviewer then asked him about the direction of rock 'n' roll, and Bono responded, "I think music has gotten very girly. And there are some good things about that, but hip-hop is the only place for young male anger at the moment -- and that's not good." 

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He continued, "When I was 16, I had a lot of anger in me. You need to find a place for it and for guitars, whether it is with a drum machine – I don't care. The moment something becomes preserved, it is f***ing over. You might as well put it in formaldehyde. In the end, what is rock 'n' roll? Rage is at the heart of it. Some great rock 'n' roll tends to have that, which is why the Who were such a great band. Or Pearl Jam. Eddie has that rage."

Twitter users took Bono to task for the comments, calling them both racist and sexist. 

Music correspondent Roisin O'Connor tweeted, "Where do you even start with this: The sexism? The racist stereotyping? The positioning of hyper-masculine aggression as a positive thing? F*** off Bono."

• U2
• Racism