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Noname.

Source: PYMCA / Getty

The release of Beyonce’s highly anticipated Black is King visual album finally happened and while it has been mostly praised, rapper Noname is not impressed with the project. The Chicago rapper took to Twitter to express that she feels the project is “draped in capitalism.”

“[We] love an [African] aesthetic draped in capitalism. hope we remember the blk folks on the continent whose daily lives are impacted by u.s imperialism. [If} we can uplift the imagery i hope we can uplift those who will never be able to access it. black liberation is a global struggle.”

She followed her tweet with news posts about Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga being arrested during protests. She also retweeted a reply to her previous tweet.

“[Sis], they’re killing us in Zimbabwe. literally. the world is turning a blind eye to the blatant human rights abuses we’re facing every single day. our black lives clearly don’t matter.”

The Chicago rapper also ignited a debate on Twitter about whether Beyonce’s project is truly authentic or is just being used for her own gain.

https://twitter.com/noname/status/1289210082626920454

This isn’t the first time Noname has spoken out against a popular artist. When J. Cole mentioned her in his song “Snow On Tha Bluff” she snapped back on her song “Song 33.” On the song she rapped “Just ‘cause you woke and I’m not that s–t ain’t no reason to talk like you better than me. How you gon’ lead, when you attacking the very same n-ggas that really do need the s–t that you saying? Instead of conveying you holier, come help us get us up to speed.”

She later regretted her response and apologized on Twitter.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I am not proud of myself for responding with song 33,” the 28-year-old wrote on Twitter. “I tried to use it as a moment to draw attention back to the issues i care about but I didn’t have to respond. My ego got the best of me. I apologize for any further distraction this caused.”

Take a look at the tweets regarding “Black is King” and Noname’s critique below.

https://twitter.com/Khal_Nikta/status/1289275527191121921

https://twitter.com/localblackicon/status/1289228185242988545

https://twitter.com/LegendThePoet/status/1289636905533939713

https://twitter.com/localblackicon/status/1289235635522306053

 

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