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People are questioning whether Apartments.com's Super Bowl ad made Lil Wayne look like George Washington's 'slave'

Will Heilpern,Will Heilpern   

People are questioning whether Apartments.com's Super Bowl ad made Lil Wayne look like George Washington's 'slave'
Advertising2 min read

Apartments.com's Super Bowl 50 ad ended with Lil Wayne cooking dinner for George Washington - a former slave owner. Some people think it might be racist.

TMZ called it "low-key racist" earlier this week. And now people on Twitter seem to agree.

 

You can watch the full video here:

The advert shows Jeff Goldblum as a "Silicon Valley Maverick" being pulled up the side of an apartment block on a grand piano, accompanied by a gospel choir singing "Moving On Up" by the Jeffersons. At the top of the block he finds Lil Wayne and a fictional George Washington having a Super Bowl party.

Here the rapper tells Goldblum that he's "flame-broiling some burgers."

TMZ first suggested that the ad might be racist when the spot was released earlier in the week:

Washington, the first President of the United States, sanctioned black slavery and had close to 150 slaves on his property at one time, according to the New York Times.

TMZ also quoted a source "very close" to Lil Wayne saying the ad is "meant to be funny and silly and not the least bit offensive," and that "people need to calm down."

Business Insider has contacted Apartments.com with a request for comment. We'll update this article once we hear back.

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