Editor’s Note: This story is part of a week-long feature The ONESHOTS is doing on Black History Month, the presence of black people, and issues in K-Pop. In the following article, we take a retrospective on moments in K-pop black history that made us wince in horror.
We all know the moments: Boom painting his face black to “look like” Stevie Wonder. Taeyeon letting it slip that Alicia Keys is pretty “for a black girl.” So in a shameless desire to rehash past transgressions, here’s a look back at some recent embarrassing moments in K-pop black history and some sturdy advice to go along with it.
SAYING THE WORD “NIGGA” MAKES US ALL CRINGE
Hoya, stop. Just stop. Now take a seat and pull out a paper and pen, because you have a very important lesson to learn today.
You don’t get to say “nigga.” No – no, don’t argue with me. Every time you say the word “nigga,” thousands of fans around the world slap their palms to their faces in total mortification. Why you have to go and do that? It doesn’t make you more hip-hop – in fact, it merely serves to show how ignorant you are of the word’s impact (same goes for you, Taeyang. And Shinhwa. And Zico). There’s a whole argument in there about who can use the word “nigga” and who can’t. But at the end of the day, do you really want to shed blood in that epic battle?
THE DOUCHEKIGAYO MISSION STATEMENT IS NOT COOL
Boom’s got a comedy academy, and apparently he offers a course in coonery (which, I hear, has all sorts of modules like jivin,’ watermelon eating, and blackface). Ok, I might have made that last part up but it would sure seem so. Just look how the students emulate their teacher.
Yeah, that’s not pride you feel, that’s just a bit of nausea swirling around in your stomach.
BIG BANG – THAT’S THE SOUND OF VIPS EXPLODING (INTO TEARS)
Look at the li’l cuties Jiyoung and Youngbae – their adoration of hip hop culture is so cute and… and wait a minute! Are they embracing elements of the black culture they profess to know and love, without fully researching what they’re doing?
Oh, you think I’m exaggerating? Have we all forgotten Taeyang and this?
But the hurting doesn’t stop there for VIPs.
We all know G-Dragon is a huge fan of American hip-hop and of many black artists (we can only imagine how hard he fanboyed when he saw that Rihanna was following him on Instagram) but he’s always stepping into smelly dog poo in the form of race related controversy. Including this André 3000 getup.
I’m sure Andre is rolling over in his alien spaceship. Granted, it probably wasn’t GD’s decision to cake brown makeup all over himself. But it doesn’t matter.
Most of K-pop knows Daesung as the little cutie patootie with the amazingly hot bod that YG keeps shipping off to Japan. But even K-pop’s most lovable singer has fudged up with his Snoop Dogg impersonation.
Oh Daesung. Oh YG. F’real? It’s almost as if there was no one there to ask for advice or to guide you away from this heinous act. Oh wait….
All hail Dara! She managed to do what the rest of K-ingdom hasn’t managed to do yet – and that is to cosplay as a black person without a lick of paint to darken her skin. Man, this girl had better get a job in PR after her idol-life shrivels up.
FOREIGNERS WHO KNOW BETTER, SHOULD DO BETTER
It is only the beginning of 2014, and yet one of the most embarrassing things that could happen, did happen.
Snoop Dogg encountered this guy in Korea (*cringe*) and decided to make a joke of it. “Stunt double!” Ha ha, yeah, no. That doesn’t work at all. Way to go, Snoop, you just made a colossal ass of yourself.
AND THE MILEY CYRUS AWARD FOR CULTURAL ABOMINATION
*sigh* Do we really need to say any more on the subject of Wa$$up?
It’s generally ill-advised to take a facet of a culture and use it for profit – it’s just icky and unappreciated. But to do that, and then execute it poorly… ugh, NO. Please stop.
Also, God help the poor black guys they used as props in their “Nom Nom” MV – they probably can’t go anywhere without being laughed at.
SOME CLOUDS HAVE NO SILVER LINING
When Rain made an appearance at the MAMAs 2013, the K-pop fandom temporarily lost its shit as it struggled to breathe and contain feels. People were genuinely excited to see what kind of shirt-ripping, hip-shaking comeback Rain would make.
His crappy song aside, Rain ended up embarrassing himself (and his fans) with the music video for his comeback song, “La Song.”
What was so embarrassing? This:
Still don’t see the problem? Well, if Rain went around blowing air into a variety of women which caused their boobs and butts to pop out, then we wouldn’t be arguing about how racially incensitive this is – instead, we’d be arguing about the portrayal of women and women’s bodies. But seriously, this is not cool – why didn’t he do the same to his other female back-up dancers? Why aren’t they treated the same as this random woman on the street?
It seems like just because this woman is black that she has the privilege of being made bootiful by Rain (and yes, that was sarcasm).
YEAH, THAT’S RACIST
It’s one thing when an idol or other individual messes up and embarrasses themselves by making a racist boo boo, but it’s a completely different thing when racism is perpetrated by a giant-ass TV show, with editors and producers there to ensure that that sort of thing doesn’t happen.
Yet, the producers over at Infinity Challenge thought that it would be totally acceptable to describe a black man as “freshly cooked“ Noh Hong Chul. How the fuck did this dehumanizing comment slip by the editors?
However, the bright side to this depressing tale is that the K-netizens themselves called out the blatant racist remark.
“7. [+67, -9] This is definitely racism, don’t even try to shield it
8. [+44, -4] I like the show but.. I definitely felt that it was wrong when I read the caption today. Should be more careful next time. I’m embarrassed of the fans trying to shield this. “
Racism is being recognized and acknowledged by the Korean public. Hallelujah! Even K-netizens get embarrassed when fans try to shield their oppas from a racism scandal. So next time, save us all from the embarrassment and don’t blow up when someone calls out oppa on his racist remarks. It’s good for him, believe me.
Do the above instances matter to you or are you over the conversation centered around racial faux pas in K-pop? Let us know in the comments! And follow us the rest of the week for more stories related to black issues in K-pop!
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