Rapper Cardi B is facing backlash on social media for posting a video of herself imitating a Korean accent.
On Oct. 11, the “WAP” singer was on Instagram Live, chatting with her fans about her upcoming birthday party.
“If y’all bitches don’t turn up and start dancing,” Cardi B said during the live. “If not…”
Then she imitated the animatronic “red light, green light” killer robot from the popular Netflix show Squid Game. She mimicked a Korean accent and said people would be getting “eliminated,” meaning kicked out.
Soon after she posted the video, Asian social media users called her out. Popular TikToker Sam Hyun was one of those social media users, disappointedly reacting to the Cardi B audio in a video posted on Thursday.
“If you’re not Asian, this might not be a ‘big deal,’” text overlay on the video, which has garnered over 790,000 views, reads. “But this is the kind of shit that people do that’s rooted in anti-Asian hate. It’s dehumanizing and othering.”
Hyun, who boasts over 220,000 followers, told the Daily Dot that he made the video because regardless of Cardi B’s intentions, her actions were harmful.
“She may not have had malicious intent, but this is pain that many people have experienced that is rooted in xenophobia,” Hyun told the Daily Dot. “We can call people out and hold people accountable without destroying who they are.”
The comments section of his video is split, with some defending Cardi B and calling her video humorous. Others, however, agree with Hyun and find it offensive.
“Yeah, the nasally tone was giving old-school yellow face,” one person said.
Another wrote, “Why are y’all defending her? Is Cardi paying y’all bills? She didn’t even COME CLOSE to saying a single word, so yes this is mockery.”
Hyun clarified to the Daily Dot that his criticism was not “to draw hate to Cardi B or single her out.”
“This is problematic behavior that many have done or condoned, including those who identify as being Asian. I hope that there is space for a nuanced discussion about why this is wrong and how we can be better going forward,” he said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Cardi B’s representatives for comment.
