Kim Kardashian and her eldest child, North West, are “twinzies” in her latest Instagram share, which shows the mother-daughter duo rocking matching braids despite Kim’s history of getting called out for culturally appropriating the hairstyle. If there’s any family that’s familiar with accusations of cultural appropriation, it’s the Kardashians. The famous clan have been put on blast on countless occasions for appropriating hairstyles and tanning their skin way too dark, but no amount of educating has managed to stop them thus far. Kim has probably been called out the most often, most recently for ignoring the critics and wearing braids to her husband Kanye West‘s Yeezy Season 8 show during Paris Fashion Week.

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Looking back on the occasion, for which she also gave North a similar hairdo, Kim posted a throwback photo of the two of them on Instagram on Tuesday, writing that they were “twinzies.”

Although the photos may be cute, that didn’t mean Kim could avoid getting slammed for cultural appropriation and “blackfishing,” a term referring to when a non-black person attempts to appear black by altering their physical appearance. It’s interesting that Kim decided to remind everyone of what she thought was a heartwarming moment between herself and North, considering Kim was just recently exposed in a live video after North called her out for not paying attention to her kids enough. It could just be a coincidence, but when have any of Kim’s moves not been strategic in some way.

Bhad Bhabie debuted a new look on Instagram the other week, however the look was so different from her normal appearance that it resulted in backlash– specifically, there were plenty of comments claiming the young artist was trying to look black.

It’s not the first time Bhad Bhabie has been pummelled with accusations that she was blackfishing, and it’s not the first time she’s replied to these accusations either. Following her very-tan new look, she diverted attention back to Coronavirus with her response at the time. However it seems she’s still being targeted by her haters quite heavily, as she addressed the accusation once again during a new Instagram Live session. Unfortunately though, she may have just dug herself a deeper hole.

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In her latest IG rant, she compares her situation to that of Tarzan– the fictional character who was raised in the jungle by animals despite the fact that he was a human boy. 

She reflects on how these headlines are affecting her career, and could possibly affect her money too, if it means other artists and industry execs will judge her because of it, too.

“To see people wanna judge me off a picture, under a fucking light, that made me look a little bit darker. Then try to slander my name and make me seem like a racist person,” she goes off in the clip, which you can watch in full below. “I am not racist at all, and any fucking video of me saying the n-word, I was saying it in a fucking song, I was fucking thirteen, and where I grew up in Florida, we all said that shit.” 

She goes on to say, “At the end of the day we’re all people, we all bleed red…And then another thing I like to say is, y’all say that I’m tryna be black. Maybe a reason for me [tryna be black] is because I grew up in the hood. Tarzan…the story of Tarzan. He grew up around the bears in the jungle. He didn’t know no better!”

“That’s all he knows!” she continues, “When someone grows up in a certain area or a certain place, they’re a part of their environment. They only know what’s been around, what’s been taught to them.”

What do you make of this?

Danielle Bregoli, better known to most as Bhad Bhabie, came under fire this week after sharing several videos and photos of herself online with a much darker skin color than her natural shade. The internet attacked the 17-year-old girl and the backlash became too much for her to handle, forcing her to address the controversy on her Instagram Story.

“Millions of people sick, thousands dying every day and y’all worried about me getting make up done for a photoshoot?” asked the teenage rapper on social media. “I’m usually the wild one but y’all need to chill and focus on what’s important right now.”

To an extent, Bhad Bhabie is right. There are some pretty serious things happening in the world that deserve our undivided attention. However, just because we’re living through a global health crisis, it doesn’t give you free rein to act a fool on the internet.

Indeed, there are over a million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world. However, just because there’s a pandemic, it doesn’t mean that racism just disappeared. Cultural appropriation is still a thing and, in these times, it’s important for us all to unite (while still social distancing, of course) in order to combat the spread of this scary virus. Not divide even further.

Are you buying what Bhad Bhabie is selling?

Danielle Bregoli, professionally known as Bhad Bhabie, has been under attack for years because of the way she looks and speaks. Black men and women have gone after the 17-year-old rapper for wearing her hair in styles that black women have popularized, including box braids. She also speaks in an accent that is typically associated with people who look nothing like her. Perhaps her most recent uploads have been the most controversial because mere hours after sharing some content online, the star is being attacked left and right for cultural appropriation.

Wearing a black wig, Bhad Bhabie resurfaced online wearing a foundation shade that is far too dark for her skin. She also puckered her lips and showed off some fresh fillers. Many are accusing the teenager of "blackfishing," a trend where white women pretend to be black.

Reminding her critics that she doesn't give a fuck, Bhabie shared several more videos and photos with the controversial look, swapping out her black hair for a red wig. Going through the comments section to her photos, there is almost nothing positive being said about the display. The majority of folks are trashing the 17-year-old girl for her blatant attempts to appear darker than she actually is.

Check out the post above and chime in in the comments.

It’s Celebrity Siblings Week on The Talk, so the hosts were joined by Brandy Norwood and her equally famous brother Ray J. During their appearance on the talk show, the topic of Kim Kardashian‘s recent throwback Instagram photo came up in the conversation. Each time Kim shares pictures of herself wearing braids or cornrows, she faces accusations of cultural appropriation. While many have blasted Kim for her look, Brandy and Ray J think people are taking things too far.

“I don’t think that she’s guilty. I definitely believe in [cultural appropriation], but I think it’s reaching a little bit for people to say [that],” Brandy said. “I mean, it’s great. I love braids. I think everybody should have braids, but I think we’re going too far with that with her.” Then one of the hosts moved on to Brandy’s brother by saying, “Ray J, you know Kim Kardashian,” subliminally referencing their previous romance and infamous sex tape. The audience roared in applause and screams.

“Here’s what I think. I got nothing but respect,” Ray J stated calmly. “I just think that if you are paying homage to another culture by, you know, rocking the braids, I think it’s a compliment. It should be looked at as it’s going global. I think that when you get up and you feel good and you look good and other people say, ‘Hey, I wanna feel good, I want to look like that,’ that should be a compliment and a plus.”

Kim has previously addressed the controversy during a BeautyCon L.A. panel discussion. “I’ve definitely had my fair share of backlash when I’ve worn braids. I’ve been fortunate to be able to travel around the world and see so many different cultures that have so many different beauty trends,” she said of her styles, adding that it all comes from a “real place of love and appreciation.” Watch Brandy Norwood and Ray J on The Talk below.

All eyes were on Tom Hanks' son, Chet Hanks, the morning after the 2020 Golden Globes, as news outlets were jumping on the trending topic of his bizarre red carpet moment. A video showed him busting out a Jamaican patois accent while he shouted "BIG UP FIMI WHOL FAMILY SOON COM AT DI AWARDS NA SEEN." A discussion about cultural appropriation inevitably followed, but Hanks emphasized that he was unfazed by any criticism. The next day, he used the accent in another video on his Instagram page, promoting a "BIG CHUNE" he just released as Something Out West. 

Hanks, who uses the stage name Chet Haze, is back to torment all those who were bothered by his Jamaican alter-ego. "HOLD UP WAIT A MINUTE... YALL THOUGHT I WAS FINISHED?!?!????," he started an IG caption, referencing Meek Mill's iconic "Dreams & Nightmares (Intro)." He posted a video of himself entertaining friends at a pool party by talking about how he "no wan no mawga gyal." "Mawga" meaning meager in Jamaican patois, Hanks gives a shoutout to G-Eazy, who seems to prefer thicker women as well.

Hanks preemptively addressed the backlash that this clip was bound to attract. "AND TO ALL YOU LAMES STILL BITCHIN ABOUT APPROPRIATION PREE DIS... YALL CAN “APPROPRIATE” DEEZ NUTZ LMAOOOO," he wrote. The next post on his IG page features him sharing his thoughts on the topic in a more earnest tone. 

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Russ has had one of the most extraordinary and lucrative rises to prominence over the past decade of anybody in entertainment. Now, coming off of the release of his 14th studio album, Shake the Snow Globe (2020), the 27-year-old rapper/producer is making his rounds to various platforms to discuss his latest musical offering. This past week, the “Guess What” performer took his talents to the Brilliant Idiots podcast to address his mentality approaching music, his various disputes, what he hopes to accomplish as a musician, and more.  

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However, the conversation took an interesting turn when Russ, Andrew, and Charlamagne were discussing white people’s presence in the realm of hip-hop. The topic arose when the Breakfast Club host brought up an Instagram post of Russ’ detailing how white label executives would sign black artists that they wouldn’t want around their own children. 

As the discussion moved forward, the topic of white artists and culture arose and Russ detailed how historically white society tends to steal cultural relevance and rhetoric from the black community. Eventually, the “BEST ON EARTH” rapper described how some artists enter the hip-hop space to gain notoriety than abandon the culture, transform their aesthetic, and act as if hip-hop was merely an artistic phase for them. Russ went on to state:

“You can’t come into this from the vessel of hip-hop and use the clothes and the language and the music and then go on and start doing something white.”

Charlamagne interrupted the Atlanta-bred emcee saying, “Are you talking about Post Malone?”

Russ almost backpedaled as he retorted:

“Nah, I mean.. That’s a fair example because I do think that it’s an interesting thing to look at from that lens of where you come in with braids and golds to the point people are thinking you’re mixed and now, you know, you drink Bud Light and wear cowboy boots and stuff.”

The self-producing musician continued, giving Post Malone his props:

“Your music’s phenomenal, Post Malone’s music is phenomenal. But I think the caricature of how (he) came in compared to where (he) is now… seems a little, it’s a little interesting.”

With Post Malone hoping to drop another full-length project this year and Russ celebrating the release of yet another critically-acclaimed LP, both artists have established themselves as pillars in this current generation of hip-hop artists. Check out the full discussion between Russ and the Brilliant Idiots hosts on cultural appropriation and Post Malone starting at the 1:26:30 mark in the video provided below.