Ashley Judd Responds to Hip-Hop Backlash By Throwing Her Book Editors Under the Bus

Here's a lesson for all future actresses considering penning explosive memoirs about their childhood sexual abuse and philanthropic work: If you blame rap and hip-hop artists for creating the "the contemporary soundtrack of misogyny," you will be called out en masse by rap and hip-hop fans. Take Ashley Judd, whose two paragraph tangent in All That Is Bitter & Sweet about how Snoop Dogg and P. Diddy have fostered a "rape culture" left fans furious. To mend her ever-important relationship with the hip-hop community, Judd posted a 1,200 word apology on Russell Simmons's website on Monday in which she took the high road... and blamed her editors.

After trying desperately to relate to rap fans as "an Appalachian" who would be really bummed out if anyone made "negative generalizations about [her culture's mountain music and bluegrass]," Judd broke her thoughts on the Twitter war that her memoir incited into easily digestible "Thumbs Up" and Thumbs Down" bullet points. In the "Thumbs Up" category, Judd name-dropped her favorite feminist teachers (Bell Hooks and Gloria Steinem), mentioned that she enjoys herself some India.Arie and thanked fans for teaching her that rap and hip-hop are two different things, again, just like mountain music and bluegrass. The "Thumbs Down" category was saved for her editors.

Thumbs Down: I take full responsibility for the book. It is my text. However, it was read by scores of people, none of whom gave me feedback that I might be inadvertently offensive. How was this missed? Why wasn't it mentioned until it was too late? Thumbs down to all of us for not having the sensitivity and acuity to catch the paragraphs might be hurtful.

So there you have it, folks. That is where Judd's heart is on the matter of hip-hop, rap and her editors' inability to appropriately edit her memoir.

· All That Is Bitter & Sweet: My Hip-Hop Remarks [GlobalGrind]