New Zealand pop singer Lorde has been hit with some recent controversy over her No. 1 Billboard hit single, "Royals". Alhtouhg the catchy tune topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts, the 16-year-old singer was recently blasted by a feminist blogger named Veronica Bayetti Flores from the Feministing.com network. Flores accused the song of not being directed at greed and materialistic interests, but rather at Hip-Hop and the Black culture as a whole.
Flores wrote:
"While I love a good critique of wealth accumulation and inequity, this song is not one; in fact, it is deeply racist. Because we all know who she's thinking when we're talking gold teeth, Cristal and Maybachs. So why sh-t on black folks? Why sh-t on rappers? Why aren't we critiquing wealth by taking hits at golf or polo or Central Park East? Why not take to task the bankers and old-money folks who actually have a hand in perpetuating and increasing wealth inequality? I'm gonna take a guess: racism."
Lorde's fans spoke up in her defense, and Lorde explained in a past interview with NPR that her song was addressing many of the common materialistic luxuries mentioned in Hip-Hop, but the lyrics never had racial motivations.
"I was just sort of reeling off some of the things which are commonly mentioned in hip-hop and the Top 40. I've always loved hip-hop, but as a fan of hip-hop, I've always had to kind of suspend disbelief because, obviously, I don't have a Bentley."
Source: hiphopwired.com
