Neo-soul musician India Arie reflected Monday on her decisions to boycott Spotify and hold Joe Rogan accountable for the repeated use of the N-word on her podcast.

On the latest episode of “The Daily Show,” the singer-songwriter engaged in a thoughtful 30-minute conversation with host Trevor Noah about Spotify’s treatment of artists, as well as the difference between the “conscious racism” and “unconscious racism”.

“I’ve learned in my life to make room and forgive people who are unknowingly racist because our whole society is built on racist concepts,” Arie told Noah.

“I think that [Joe Rogan] is consciously racist. … The fact that he [said the N-word] repeatedly and was aware and knew – I think that’s being racist. And I don’t even like to say that because I’m a sensitive old soul, and I want to believe the best of people.

Earlier this month, Rogan apologized for saying the N-word and making racist remarks on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ after Arie posted a video compilation of the podcast host using the racist slur about 20 times. The day before, Spotify had removed around 70 old episodes of Rogan’s show without explanation.

In his public apology, Rogan insisted he was “not racist” but admitted he “f—up”. He also said his stance on saying the N-word has changed since those episodes aired – in an effort to educate “anyone who doesn’t realize how offensive that word could be coming out of their mouths.” of a white person, in context or out of context.”

“When I first heard his apology, my instinct was to say, ‘He tried,'” Arie said on ‘The Daily Show’.

“But when I go further and wonder what I really think… what I really think is that he was consciously racist. And that makes me wonder how he speaks behind closed doors.

Warning: The video below contains profanity.

Despite recently receiving direct messages on social media replete with racist and misogynistic slurs from Rogan supporters, Arie said she doesn’t consider the comic book to be her “deadly enemy.” She did, however, encourage him to invite “some of our biggest black thinkers around race on his show to have these messy conversations.”

Ultimately, however, Arie reiterated that his main issue with Spotify is “its treatment of artists’ rights.” On “The Daily Show”, Arie accused the streaming giant of giving the average artist 0.003% to 0.005% – “a fraction of a penny” – of the profit they make for streaming their music.

Last month, Arie became one of the first entertainment figures to join Neil Young’s protest against Spotify. On Monday, she was “still battling” to remove her catalog from the platform, which she dubbed “the biggest player” and “lowest payer” in streaming gaming.

Representatives for Rogan and Spotify did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.

“Requesting that my music be removed from Spotify in protest doesn’t really serve me,” Arie continued.

“Because now my music… won’t be heard on the biggest streaming platform. But I did it in protest because… I felt like I was being disrespected. …I thought the only way to assert my dignity and integrity was to be honest about how I feel.