Talk:Lenny Kravitz

Incorrect information to relative Albert Roker Jr.

The article indicates that Lenny Kravitz is related to Albert Roker Jr. as a "first cousin (twice removed)", but this is incorrect. This type of relationship would indicate that one of the relatives is two generations below the other in relation to their common relatives. The truth is that Lenny and Albert are both three generations below their common relatives, who are Roxie Roker's paternal grandparents. Thus, the article should show "second cousin" to Albert Roker Jr. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:CBA0:4470:A963:BE8B:5D2:FC45 (talk) 18:24, 18 June 2018 (UTC)

I came here to check on the same information. I believe Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker are actually four generations below the common ancestors, and thus are third cousins. The common ancestors are not Roxie Roker's grandparents, but her great-grandparents. The source says that Lenny Kravitz's grandfather (Roxie's father) and Al Roker's grandfather are cousins, which I think we can assume means first cousins. So Roxie's paternal grandfather and Al's grandfather's father are not the same person, but rather brothers. Or, described differently, Lenny and Al are both two generations below their grandfathers who were [first] cousins, making them [first + 2 =] third cousins. I'll give it a couple days for comment before editing. --DavidK93 (talk) 13:29, 14 December 2018 (UTC)

Article in need of an overhaul

Any big Kravitz fans out there? This article needs you. Proper mark up, better writing, proper referencing. It's a shame to see a mess for such a big name star. Anna (talk) 09:24, 20 March 2019 (UTC)

I wouldn't say I'm a *big Kravitz fan, but I do enjoy his work. I came here wondering if his photography and partnerships with Leica are mentioned on his page, to my surprise they are not. I'm up for compiling some info and sources if someone else is willing to proofread. My knowledge of wikipedia syntax is... weak at best. --The Schiz (talk) 22:36, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

Interviewed on Speakeasy.

Greetings:

I just watched an hour-long interview on the PBS show, Speakeasy, where Lenny Kravitz was interviewed by long-time friend, Sean Ono Lennon. Some of the questions that readers have expressed may be answered there. Kravitz editors may be interested in watching for additional information to include in this article. There's more to his career than I realized. https://frontandcenter.com/speakeasy4/ Thank you for your time, Wordreader (talk) 07:23, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

Orphaned references in Lenny Kravitz

I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of Lenny Kravitz's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "allmusic":

• From Precious (film): "Precious: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". AllMusic.com. 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
• From Are You Gonna Go My Way: Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz". AllMusic. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
• From Again (Lenny Kravitz song): Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "Greatest Hits - Lenny Kravitz | Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved July 26, 2014.

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. AnomieBOT⚡ 06:11, 30 April 2022 (UTC)

Paternal Ancestry

For whatever reason, IP users keep changing Kravitz' paternal ancestry from Russian Jewish to Ukrainian Jewish. Someone is also claiming that his father was born in Kyiv? This is the revision right now: "His father was from Kyiv. Kravitz has always stated that his father was of Ukrainian Jewish ancestry". None of the sources state that his father were born in Kyiv. Sources like the 2002 Newsweek source only mention his father being "Jewish" but no mention of birth place or specific ancestry.[1] The Telegraph article does mention Ukrainian Jewish ancestry, but the claim/mention did not come as a quote from Kravitz himself. It also describes his as being Jewish American.[2] From the paragraph where it is mentioned, Kravitz only inserted quote states: 'It’s the Jewish mother in me,’. The rest of the article is not a quote from Kravitz, and may have been inserted by the author themselves. "Kravitz’s background is unusual. His father, Sy, [...] a Jewish American of Ukrainian descent. "

This contradicts more consistent claims from Kravitz himself, where he explicitly states that he has Russian Jewish ancestry[3] Quote: "Later my mother told me, “Look, I’m African-American and your father is a Russian Jew, and you should be proud of both sides, neither more than the other". Other source from NPR interview[4] Quote: "[KRAVITZ:] Well, Brooklyn was just - I had Jewish grandparents - Russian Jews that were in Sheepshead Bay". Clear Looking Glass (talk) 07:45, 15 May 2022 (UTC)

Basically, the Ukrainian connection seems to be the invention of a vandal and should be removed on sight. Dimadick (talk) 07:03, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

Hi @Dimadick: - There's one interview with The Telegraph[5] which does mention Ukrainian ancestral connections. I thought I'd start this discussion just to clarify things. That may explain why IP users are adding it, but the claim contradicts Kravitz' own words in other interviews provided (both specifically state Russian Jewish roots). So it's likely the claim of Ukrainian ancestry was added by the author of the Telegraph article, not Kravitz. Clear Looking Glass (talk) 07:45, 15 May 2022 (UTC)

No reference to penisgate

There is no reference to the penis gate as seen in this article included in the articles sources: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lenny-kravtiz-penis-stage-stockholm-6655643/ 178.238.167.15 (talk) 18:20, 10 November 2022 (UTC)

Could Lenny Kravitz have made a mistake in his statements?

Because due to Russian imperialism, many people from Ukraine were considered and mistakenly called russians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvTcGJQNdfo in this video he mentioned that his great-grandfather was a native of Kyiv, isn't it logical that a native of Ukraine would be a Ukrainian Jew? Here another one in Kyiv https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZAyTB1cD6U . So what's the problem with calling his ancestors Ukrainians? Mariia Borodii (talk) 08:41, 24 April 2023 (UTC)

American woman

American woman was written by the band The Guess who in 1970. Hollywood needs to get this right and stop saying Lenny Kravitz wrote American woman it's wrong. Brad Branch (talk) 22:29, 21 October 2023 (UTC)

Paternal Ancestry Redo

An IP user has cited an Instagram post[6] from Tanu Muino, a Ukrainian music video director/stylist/photographer where Kravitz's comments saying You put two Ukrainians together and that's what happens. All love and respect to you. Can't wait to do it again. I believe this comment is only viewable if one is logged into Instagram.

While this may imply that Kravitz is claiming to have Ukrainian[-Jewish] heritage, he has stated two times in two different interviews that his father was Russian-Jewish descent. Furthermore, I don't think a comment on someone else's Instagram post is a usable source, and AFAIK, many pages only cite SM accounts if it comes from a post directly made by the subject's official account(s).

If we accept the comment, then either those two reliably sourced interviews are not reliable, or Kravitz might be a bit ambiguous. Is he referring to himself as the "other Ukrainian" (aside from Muino), or could he referring to the other people tagged in Muino's Instagram post? As Munio's Instagram caption says BIG love to my Ukrainian team, forever supporting me [...]. Clear Looking Glass (talk) 02:02, 22 March 2024 (UTC)