A list of things kpop has taken from black culture: A thread

Now before we start, idc if you get upset that your favs are on the list because almost ALL of my favs are on this list. Pls keep in mind that not everything on this list is bad, as I included some dances too.

Our hairstyles: now we’ve been over this cultural appropriation talk over & over again so I’m not going to explain it for the 800th time, but kpop idols frequently wear black hairstyles in order to seem more “hip-hop” or trendy.

Hairstyles cont.: While non-black idols are allowed to partake in my culture, black artists & celebrities in Korea are/were frequently shamed for being “too black.” Mirae was consistently forced to straighten her hair while Alex wasn’t even given a stylist that could do her hair.

Our skin: Blackfishing & deep tanning isn’t a trend that stopped in america, as a few idols seemed to have picked up on the trend themselves. I’m fully aware that idols can be tan (like Hakyeon, Seolhyun, & Yuri), but these girls are shades away from their actual skin tone.

Bars: Hot Headz were just some teenagers that were free styling at school & created a trend that got noticed worldwide, yet they didn’t get credit as other artists used it. It was sampled for the Eung Freestyle yet nobody credited these teenagers for it (view video below)

(See tweet above for reference)

Entire songs & Concepts: Kpop has a tendency to steal from black artist while never crediting them. One of the most famous cases being Superlove, with Corbin Bleu/Shinee and Baby Vox/Tupac being another example.

Reggae: Skull, a non-black poc that was born & raised in Sk, being credited & considered a pioneer for reggae is problematic in itself. While skull frequently credits & shines light on the blk artists he is inspired by, he still took a music genre originating from blk people+

Reggae cont.: Put a Korean face on it, then sold it to a different audience. While Skull’s love for reggae music is undeniable, he is not West Indian & has never lived in Jamaica. He is the face of a genre that comes from a culture that he is not a part of, which is troubling.

The whip: while the dance was floating around in Atlanta during the 2000’s, Mr. Benny Imprint right here was the one who made the dance a global phenomenon by doing the dance to Bricks by Migos.

Nae Nae: another dance trend started by black people that became a globally phenomenon

Shmoney: in 2014, Hot N!gga dropped along with the Shmoney dance, which is done in Nct’s new song “Kick It.”

Shoot: another dance that came from black performers that gained popularity worldwide. (I’m almost done with dances I promise)

Twerking: (last dance I promise) A dance that first originated in West Africa. A dance that most female kpop artists do despite not being able to actually twerk

Repping Blackness: Nada from the group Wa$$up & Truedy (best known from unpretty rapstar) are best known for “cosplaying” as black. When asked if she was mixed, Truedy said that she is just cosplaying as black. Nada has called herself a BBW & called herself black during her raps.

AAVE: is frequently used in song (despite always being used incorrectly) ex: Lisa’s “you gon finna catch me”. While I understand why a person would mess up aave, it’s funny how we’re called ghetto & illiterate for the way we talk while idols get cool points for speaking like us.

Gang culture: something that idols know absolutely nothing about is frequently used as concepts when groups want to seem badass. Pls stop obsessing over a culture (a violent one at that) that you know absolutely nothing about.

“Acting” Black: talking black seems to be a talent idols take pride in, as idols come out mocking & imitating us as if that’s a talent. “Talking” like us is not a talent and making fun of the way we speak & imitating us as a joke is not cute.

There’s hundreds of more things I could think of but I’m stopping here because I’m tired of making this Pls make sure to thank black artists for their influence over kpop and being some of the trendsetters for the world