Kandi Burruss, the Grammy Award-winning songwriter and star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, has joined the ongoing conversation about Britney Spears’ recent memoir, particularly the allegations that Justin Timberlake used a “blaccent” when meeting R&B singer Ginuwine.
Burruss, who co-wrote *NSYNC’s 2000 hit song “It Makes Me Ill,” passionately defended Timberlake during an exclusive interview with Page Six at BravoCon 2023.
She stated, “I don’t want anybody to, like, [put] down Justin because you’ve got to remember the times that we were going through at the time,” the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star told Page Six exclusively at BravoCon 2023 on Friday.
In her candid remarks, Burruss emphasized the importance of considering the historical context of the time when Timberlake was part of the pop and R&B scene.
“That era of pop and R&B, it was a lot of boy bands that did, like, urban music, urban routines and dancing, the whole image. That was in at the time, and nobody was passing judgment.”
Burruss also pointed out the shifting societal norms and the phenomenon of cancel culture, stating, “A lot of people are getting canceled these days for things that were not ‘a problem’ years ago.” She firmly asserted, “I just feel like that was young Justin. Leave him alone, y’all. He was a really, really good guy.”
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The reality star mentioned that she has not yet read Spears’ new memoir, The Woman in Me, but plans to listen to the audiobook after hearing a viral clip of narrator Michelle Williams impersonating Timberlake.
In the clip Williams read, “One day, J and I were in New York, going to parts of town I’d never been to before. Walking our way was a guy with a huge blinged-out medallion. He was flanked by two giant security guards. J got all excited and said so loud, ‘Oh yeah, fo shizz, fo shizz. Ginuwine! What’s up, homie?’”
As the debate over cultural appropriation and celebrity behavior continues, Burruss’s defense of Timberlake adds an intriguing perspective to the conversation.
