Kurt Cobain says white people can't rap in newly found audio

In a newly unearthed audio recording, Kurt Cobain weighed the merit of white rappers and discussed misogyny in hip-hop when his asked his feelings on a rap-influenced group with white members. And while the late Nirvana frontman claimed respect for the rap music genre, he seemingly dissuaded white people from taking part in the art form.

Read more: Why is Tumblr missing from the App Store?

The revelation comes by way of interviewer Roberto Lorusso. The former student journalist recently shared the full audio of his “embarrassing” 1991 chat with Cobain, conducted before a Canadian gig, per UPROXX. Skip to about eight minutes into the interview to hear Lorusso ask Cobain for his thoughts on Consolidated, a radical activist group from the period with white musicians playing hip-hop-informed music:

“I read you’re a big fan of rap but dislike white rap groups,” implored the interviewer of Cobain before reciting one of the frontman’s previous thoughts on music history. “And this is a quote: ‘The white man has ripped off the black man for long enough.'” On mentioning Consolidated, Lorusso seemingly got Cobain’s true thoughts on white rappers.

“I totally respect and love it because it’s one of the only original forms of music that’s been introduced,” offered Cobain of the whole genre, while he added that its often anti-feminist character usually kept him away. But after indicating that his previous quote might have resulted from inebriation, the artist said that the “white man doing rap is just like watching a white man dance. We can’t dance, we can’t rap.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Was I drunk at that time? I’m a fan of rap music but most of it’s so misogynist that I can’t even deal with it. I’m really not that much of a fan, I totally respect and love it because it’s one of the only original forms of music that’s been introduced. But the white man doing rap is just like watching a white man dance. We can’t dance, we can’t rap, you know?”

Elsewhere in the interview, the Nirvana icon talked about recording the legendary Nevermind with producer Butch Vig. (Lorusso’s Kurt Cobain interview reportedly took place on Sept. 20, 1991, just days before the influential album dropped.)

The latest Kurt Cobain news follows yesterday’s assessment from The Smashing Pumpkins singer/guitarist Billy Corgan that Nirvana’s classic “Come As You Are” riff was a musical figure pulled “right out” of the Killing Joke playbook.

What do you make of Kurt Cobain’s thoughts on white people in hip-hop music? Do you think the musician would hold the same ideas were he still around today? Sound off in the comments section and let us know your take on the matter.

Watch more: 10 surprising cover songs