Guetta was called out over being "tone deaf" on Twitter. Photo / YouTube
Guetta was called out over being "tone deaf" on Twitter. Photo / YouTube
French DJ David Guetta's well-intentioned tribute to George Floyd has been heavily mocked on social media for its tone-deaf execution — which saw the star make a "shout out" to Floyd's family during a virtual rave in New York City.
Guetta – who raised US$670,000 for Covid-19 relief charities through the streamed dance party – dropped a track remixed with Martin Luther King Jr's 1963 I Have A Dream speech, which he dedicated to Floyd, the African-American man whose death in police custody has triggered nationwide protests in the US and outrage across the world.
"The world is going through difficult times," Guetta said during the livestream.
"And America, too, actually. So last night, I knew we were going to do this and I made a special record … so this record is in honour of George Floyd."
He went on: "I really hope we can see more unity and more peace when things are already so difficult. So shout out to his family," he said, before spinning the track and fist pumping to the crowd watching at home.
Scottish DJ Hudson Mohawke shared the snippet of footage with the caption: "Dono where to start w counting the levels of tone deaf and wrong here."
In a follow-up tweet, he added: "Clearly he's not intending to offend and he's attempting to do a noble thing by raising some money for a good cause but the execution is so hilariously off key in so many ways it's mind blowing."
Guetta was called out over being "tone deaf" on Twitter. Photo / YouTube
Unarmed Minneapolis security guard Floyd was pronounced dead after being restrained by two police officers, one of whom was filmed kneeling on his neck for several minutes.
That officer, Derek Chauvin, has now been arrested and charged with murder.
Titanium producer Guetta joins a host of other celebrities in speaking out against the killing, but his mid-DJ set statement has raised eyebrows across Twitter.
Fans who responded to the clip were baffled, with many commenting that it was so ill-thought out it seemed like satire.
"I cannot believe this is real. It feels like a sketch," one said.
"How can this be real," another wondered.
"I sometimes misread situations and miss the mark but GOD DAMN," one added, while one simply wrote: "This video is unbelievable."
"This new Sacha Baron Cohen character seems a little exaggerated," another joked, and one compared it to Gal Gadot's now-infamous Imagine video.
"I thought nothing could top Gal Gadot singing 'imagine' but WOW I was wrong," they wrote.
Guetta's #UnitedAtHomeNYC livestream held at the top of 30 Rockefeller Centre was organised as a collaborative effort with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to help raise money for CovidD-19 relief charities.
In addition to the Mayor's Fund, proceeds will be allocated to Feeding America, Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris-Hôpitaux de France and the World Health Organisation's Covid-19 Solidarity Respond Fund.
"New York is one of my favourite cities and it's an honour to be able to do something to help the city during this difficult time," Guetta said in a statement before the event.
"As a DJ, the crowd is the most important part of any show and even though we can't be together in a club or at a festival, we can use this time to come together in new ways and help those who need it most."
