Rick Ross U.O.E.N.O. Song Controversy Update: French Montana Says Reebok Should Have 'Taken It Light' On Ross 'Date Rape' Lyrics

Rick Ross was recently booted by his sponsor Reebok for dicey lyrics that appeared to be about date rape on the Rocko track "U.O.E.N.O." The song caused its fair share of controversy among women's groups culminating in three apologies from Ross (one of them actually good!) and a decision by Rocko to axe Ross from the songs remix. However, after all of that,Ross buddy French Montana thinks that Reebok should have "taken it light" on Ross.

"I feel like a lot of people did worse than that and people didn't judge them." the Moroccan MC said in an interview with MTV Hive. "They could've taken it light on him, understanding that it was a mistake. People make mistakes; we all human. That's about it. As far as Ross, I know him personally. I know he's a great guy. He's like a big brother to me and I'm a big fan of Reebok. I can't wait for them to cut me one of them big checks."

For the record, the offending lyric was "Put molly all in her champagne/ She ain't even know it/ I took her home and I enjoyed that/ She ain't even know it."

After an outcry from women's groups, particularly UltraViolet, Reebok released the following statement along with a decision to boot Ross:

"Reebok holds our partners to a high standard, and we expect them to live up to the values of our brand," the statement read. "Unfortunately, Rick Ross has failed to do so. While we do not believe that Rick Ross condones sexual assault, we are very disappointed he has yet to display an understanding of the seriousness of this issue or an appropriate level of remorse. At this time, it is in everyone's best interest for Reebok to end its partnership with Mr. Ross."

Ross released three apologies after the outrage began. The first came on Q93.3 in New Orleans, where the rapper said ""Woman is the most precious gift known to man. And there was a misunderstanding with a lyric...a misinterpretation where the term rape was used. I would never use the term rape, you know, in my lyrics. And as far as my camp, hip hop don't condone that, the streets don't condone that, nobody condones that."
The second was that ever-present product of our times, the Twitter apology.

"I dont condone rape. Apologies for the lyric interpreted as rape," he tweeted.

After being booted by Reebok, he released his most comprehensive and coherent apology:

"Before I am an artist, I am a father, a son, and a brother to some of the most cherished women in the world. So for me to suggest in any way that harm and violation be brought to a woman is one of my biggest mistakes and regrets. As an artist, one of the most liberating things is being able to paint pictures with my words. But with that comes a great responsibility. And most recently, my choice of words was not only offensive, it does not reflect my true heart. And for this, I apologize. To every woman that has felt the sting of abuse, I apologize. I recognize that as an artist I have a voice and with that, the power of influence. To the young men who listen to my music, please know that using a substance to rob a woman of her right to make a choice is not only a crime, it's wrong and I do not encourage it. To my fans, I also apologize if I have disappointed you. I can only hope that this sparks a healthy dialogue and that I can contribute to it."

Ross has since posted a pic of himself and he appears to be doing just fine, in his brand new Air Jordans.

What do you think? Is French Montana right for defending Rick Ross? Are we unfairly singling out Rozay's date rape lyric among other just-as-bad lyrics?

Sound off in the comments.