It’s safe to say Lemoore Councilwoman Holly Andrade Blair and her colleagues don’t share the same taste in music.
Blair was excoriated by Mayor Ray Madrigal and another member of the city council during an April 17 meeting for sharing a number of rap lyrics on her official Facebook page. The songs by Cardi B., Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole include words like “bitch,” “ho,” “n*****,” and phrases like “get the f*** off my d***.”
But is this a blatant example of inappropriate behavior on the part of an elected official or just evidence of a generational clash? If you ask Blair -- the youngest and only female member of the council -- it’s the latter.
“I think we’re at that point in our generation, it’s like we’re living in two other worlds right now. I ran for this reason. I want to break up the good ol’ boys network,” she told the Sacramento Bee. “I grew up listening to Tupac and Dre. I find it to be artistic. I don’t understand what the big deal is. I don’t think that’s what their problem really is with me. The thing that is probably the most disturbing is the idea that I shouldn’t in any public way criticize my fellow council members.”
Blair claims the songs have significant cultural value. They address issues like racism and police brutality, she noted.
But the councilwoman's antics aren’t limited to posting controversial rap lyrics. Blair recently sent text messages to the city’s police chief complaining that she was the victim of excessive traffic stops too.
The cops “have too much time on their hands,” she told him, adding “WTF?”
“I’m not going to say what that means,” said Councilman Dave Brown (by the way, it’s what the f***”). He called Blair’s actions “unbecoming of a council member.”
Councilman Eddie Neal defended Blair and said it was time for the council to move on to more important things.
“We all come from different areas of life, different cultures... Lemoore has changed, and I’m sorry, but it’s here now. We’ve got to move on. We’ve got things we have to do. We’ve got to move this city.”