Jay Park Defends Lil Pump, Doesn’t Think He’s Racist
By Elliot Sang
A series of tweets by hip-hop and K-pop star Jay Park have generated some controversy online for taking a more positivistic stance on Lil Pump’s racist lyrics.
On December 18, Jay Park first wrote: “lil pump said Ching Chong lol” with three facepalm emojis. The tweet was in reference to a teaser video the Florida rapper released with the lyrics: “Smokin’ on dope / They call me Yao Ming ’cause my eyes real low (ching chong)”
In response, Pump caught flack from numerous Asian figures, including Awkwafina and China Mac, for using language that has historically been perceived as racially insensitive, including the epithet “ching chong.”
Park then tweeted more sympathetically towards Pump, espousing that he did not believe the rapper was racist but “just insensitive.”
Park’s fans responded in numerous ways, including some who perceived his tweet as a lack of responsibility on his part. One user named @mysgmuse replied to Park, asking, “Why can’t you use your voice and platform to actually speak up on these issues?”
A seemingly affected Park sought to clarify that he was not condoning Lil Pump’s actions, responding to @mysgmuse’s tweets in particular.
Featured Image via Instagram / jparkitrighthere (Left), lilpump (Right)
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