A Song Comparing Black Hair To A Brillo Pad Costs Sony $650K

Filed Under: Icky Icky Poo Music Minute Legal Matters

A song that compares black women's hair to Brillo pads has cost Sony Music more than $650,000 after a lawsuit was filed by ten non-governmental organizations that are out to fight racism.

The song at the heart of the lawsuit is Veja os Cabelos Dela or Look at her Hair, which was released by comedian turned politician Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva aka Tiririca in 1997.

Here are some of the lyrics:

Look look look look look at her hair
It looks like a scouring pad for pots and pans

When she goes by, she catches my attention
But her hair just isn't right
Her stench almost made me faint
Look, I can't take it, her smell is so bad
Look look look look look at her hair
It looks like a scouring pad for pots and pans

I told her to take a bath
But she's stubborn and doesn't listen to me
This black woman stinks, she stinks horribly
Stinking beast, smells worse than a skunk

Wow.

The agencies originally sued for $161 million, but the settlement was significantly lowered on Thursday to $650,000 and will benefit the Diffused Rights Fund of the Ministry of Justice.

Sony maintains the song was not intended to offend women and Tiririca was actually alluding to his wife.

Riiight.

Thoughts???

[Image via Adriana M Barraza/WENN.]

Tags: brillo pad, diffused rights fund of the ministry of justice, fined, francisco everardo oliveira silva, lawsuit, look at her hair, racist, sony, sony music, tiririca, veja os cabelos dela

Posted: January 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm