Even though the band dove headfirst into excess, the success of their debut necessitated a quick follow-up. They released their second self-titled EP in 1988, and soon after released their second album, G N’R lies. Although only 33 minutes long, the record was a huge success, much like its predecessor, with the only single being the acoustic ballad “Patience”. During this period, the band was on top of the world and both albums were in the top five of the charts.

They may have been flying critical and commercial flights, but all was not well within the group. The song “One in a Million” had sparked a lot of controversy due to Rose’s racist lyrics, and rightly so. Although his friend and bandmate Slash had a black mother, the lyrics contained a series of shocking moments. They include the lines “Police and (N-words), it’s true / get out of my way / you don’t need to buy any of your / gold chains today” and “Immigrants and fags / they make no sense to me / they come to our country and think they will do whatever they want / like create a mini Iran / or spread a fucking disease.” Unsurprisingly, that’s when Rose became one of the most hated men in rock.

While Rose denied that the material was racist, providing strange reasoning for the use of the “N-word”, and cited the use of NWA and John Lennon, he later admitted that he had used the word to insult black people who had once attempted to steal. him. Strangely, he also claimed that his blatant homophobia was linked to his “pro-heterosexual” stance and his “bad experiences” with gay men.

Regardless of Rose’s insubstantial explanations, the song made Slash deeply uncomfortable, with the blatant use of the “N-word” by its singer around him deepening this feeling. With that example, drugs, Rose’s assault on security guards in Atlanta, and the tragedy of two fans being crushed to death at the Monsters of Rock festival compounding the malaise, the wheels began to come off. In February 1989, the band decided to take a break from touring and recording, and during this difficult time, each man’s condition began to deteriorate.

They were then asked to open for the Rolling Stones, a band among their ultimate idols, at four shows at the Los Angeles Coliseum in October. However, that dream would enter uncomfortable territory on opening night. On stage, Rose proclaimed that the concerts would be the group’s last releases unless a certain member stopped “dancing with Mr. Brownstone”, a reference to their song of the same name. While most of them were using, it was very clearly directed at Slash, whose addiction was really bad at the time.

In VH1 2004 Behind the music documentary, Slash revealed that it was something he never forgave Rose for. He said: “I know it was addressed to me because I was all tense at the time. It’s one of the things that probably made me hate Axl more than anything, something I’ve probably never forgiven him for, without even thinking about it.

Rose would later say that he was serious about his stance, as he did not want to see his bandmates die, and claimed that Slash’s mother and brothers even shook his hand after the announcement. However, “One in a Million” and other moments in the years that followed contributed to growing resentment, and Slash acrimoniously left the group in 1996. He did not rejoin the group until 2016.

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