Just days on from her death, Aretha Franklin has been honoured at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.
But not everyone is impressed with how the Queen of Soul was remembered.
Prior to presenting the final award of the night, the highly coveted Video of the Year Award, Madonna appeared on stage in front of a backdrop of Aretha.
In her speech, Madonna spoke about her career started and the struggles she endured along the way.
“One day, a French disco sensation was looking for backup singers and dancers for his world tour. I thought ‘why not?'” she said.
“The worst that can happen is I can go back to getting robbed, held at gunpoint and being mistaken for a prostitute in my third floor walk up that was also a crack house.”
You can watch a snippet of Madonna’s Aretha Franklin tribute below.
But while some fans praised Madonna for sharing her tough journey, others believed Madonna “disrespected Aretha’s legacy” by the making the speech all about herself.
The 60-year-old singer was also criticised and accused of cultural appropriation for wearing traditional African garb.
What do you think? Did Madonna cross the line in her tribute? Let us know down below.
Top Comments
It was worse than Meryl Streep's Golden Globe Lifetime Achievement Award speech. With a lifetime of stories and a cavalcade of people to thank, she spent her entire time shaming Donald Trump. She and Madonna vie for ego of the ages.