courtesy of Instagram/@blackmadonnachiMusicNewsThe Black Madonna pulls out of an Amazon-backed music festivalThe DJ says she was ‘shocked and hurt’ by her association with the event backed by Amazon Web Services, citing links to ICE and Homeland SecurityShareLink copied ✔️October 19, 2019MusicNewsTextThom Waite The Black Madonna – an acclaimed and vocal DJ – has pulled out of performing at Las Vegas’s Intersect Festival after discovering the event’s relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS’s ties to ICE and Homeland Security are well-documented, with the tech giant hosting DHS databases that help track and apprehend immigrants. “I was never formally or informally advised of any Amazon branding,” the DJ writes in a statement posted this morning (October 19). “The offer I accepted did not propose any kind of brand partnership. I am profoundly disappointed that anyone, at any level, in the long chain of people between the offer I saw and the eventual promotion of this event presumed I would.” “Clearly, I was shocked and hurt when press and promotional materials appeared with my name on an event presented by AWS yesterday.” She then goes on to describe the issue as: “a moral and ethical transgression against my work, my faith and most importantly the people I stand with.” (She’s a global ambassador for Help Refugees and donates 100% of merch sales to refugee assistance, among other charitable acts.) “I am in total solidarity with the demonstrators, workers, other tech laborers, and immigrants and all people of conscience in calling for and (sic) end to corporate digital collaboration with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security.” “I am in a position to say that will not agree to perform at an AWS branded event. I know that position isn’t an option for all artists. Respect to all of you, in any case.” Artists including Kacey Musgraves, Jamie xx, JPEGMAFIA, Anderson .Paak, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat are still slated to perform at the festival December 6-7. Read The Black Madonna’s full statement below. A note regarding Intersect Festival. -❤️ Madge pic.twitter.com/W0xTUfYGHn— THE BLACK MADONNA (@blackmadonnachi) October 19, 2019Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MORE‘He’s part of the fabric of my life’: Young Black fans remember D’AngeloBloodz Boi: The humble godfather of Chinese underground rap InstagramHow do you stand out online? We asked two Instagram Rings judgesA rare interview with POiSON GiRL FRiEND, dream pop’s future seerNigeria’s Blaqbonez is rapping to ‘beat his high score’Inside Erika de Casier’s shimmering R&B universe ‘Rap saved my life’: A hazy conversation with MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt7 essential albums by the SoulquariansIs AI really the future of music?The KPop Demon Hunters directors on fan theories and a potential sequelplaybody: The club night bringing connection back to the dancefloorAn interview with IC3PEAK, the band Putin couldn’t silence