If you give Robert Glasper lemons, he’ll make a lemonade stand. The acclaimed artist earned his fifth Grammy during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. But it wasn’t just his win that spread his name across the internet. Glasper received attention after fellow nominee for the ‘Best R&B Album’ award Chris Brown made a fuss about his loss. As per usual, Brown took to his Instagram story to express his feelings. According to Complex, Brown’s dissed the winner by writing “who the fuck is Robert Glasper?” and “I’ma keep kicking y’all ass respectfully.”
Glasper didn’t let Brown’s tantrum hinder his celebrations. In fact, the Grammy winner ended up capitalizing on the shady remarks. He ended up creating a “who the fuck is Robert Glasper” t-shirt that emphasizes Brown’s question. Within just 5 days of its presale, Glasper has proudly announced that the shirts have sold out. Allegedly, Glasper had already played around with the phrase before the Grammy’s had occurred, posting a teaser picture on January 30th. It’s likely that Glasper received his initial inspiration from the 1975 “Who The Fuck Is Mick Jagger” shirt made famous by the Rolling Stones. But, Brown’s hissy fit sure did help make this shirt even more iconic.
Robert Glasper Responds
The few folks that were able to buy a shirt before it sold out are holding a piece of history. Glasper’s response to the sales is grateful, and he took to instagram to announce the charitable cause that he plans on contributing to. He wrote, “a portion of the proceeds from this shirt will be donated to the Community Music Center of New Orleans. A nonprofit created to share the music culture and music education in New Orleans, providing free music lessons to underserved youth. I can’t thank y’all enough for supporting this cause.”
Although Brown has since apologized for his disrespectful remarks, nothing changes Glasper’s win. Black Radio III is soulful mix of jazz and r&b. Additionally, features artists like BJ the Chicago Kid, Jennifer Hudson, and Ty Dolla $ign. According to Complex, Glasper is booked to be the artist in residence at the Blue Note Jazz Festival this July.