Oh no, Google thought Luther Vandross was Master P, and social media is not letting this one slide.
Questlove noticed the flub on Wednesday night and shared a screenshot of his Google search to Instagram. The description read, “Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide,” but the photo depicted was not that of the eight-time Grammy Award-winning soulman — it was “Make ’Em Say Uhh!” rapper Master P, a.k.a. Percy Miller.
Questlove quipped, “This is why humans aren’t replaceable” alongside the screenshot.
Naturally, social media had a field day. Instagram, Twitter and TikTok all popped off, and the content did not disappoint.
RaeShanda Lias-Lockhart posted a video to TikTok that included a montage of Vandross photos from every angle at every age and varying weights. “Let me go ahead and clear this up right now. This is Luther Vandross. This is also Luther. Now whether you like fluffy Luther, or Thin Mint Luther, you can’t deny his voice and he’s a legend,” said Lias-Lockhart as she pointed to Vandross in different eras of his life. “From every angle, this is Luther Vandross. … So just imagine trying to explain to someone who Luther is, so you tell them to Google him, and this is what pops up. When was Luther a ‘no limit soldier,’ huh?”
The TikToker continued by referencing lyrics from Master P’s 1997 rap hit and Vandross’ 1981 soul ballad “A House Is Not a Home.”
“When did Luther sing ‘Make ’Em Say Uhh!’ huh? Why is Master P up here? Who did this? This is why a lot of y’all don’t know that a chair is still a chair, even if there’s no one sitting there. But a house is not a home! I need someone to correct this immediately. Google, y’all slipping and I don’t want to have to teach this class again.”
Twitter user @RenaAshley also posted a screenshot of her search results showing the wrong musical artist, saying, “Who uploaded this photo of Master P for Luther Vandross because I am SCREAMING. Google really said, No Limit Luther.”
Sarah Nina Hayon commented on Questlove’s post, saying, “They need David Allen Grier’s book: How to tell black people apart,’” and Nicki Mayo tweeted, “Well this is awkward. Ummm [Google] we need to talk. SMH, Master P is not Luther Vandross.”
The issue has since been fixed, although Google reportedly had been showing Master P instead of Vandross for an entire month.
“We source images for Knowledge Panels from a range of sources, including licensed image providers. In this case, the image we received was unfortunately mislabeled. The provider has updated the image metadata, and our systems now reflect that update,” a Google spokesperson told The Times via email.
