Queen Naija is in the hot seat again. When Ari Lennox announced her collaboration with Queen Naija on the upcoming single, “Set Him Up,” fans’ response was less than favorable.
To say Ari Lennox fans were confused by this duet is an understatement. They reposted a 2017 YouTube video of Queen Naija, where she makes disparaging comments about “Black” girls. In the video, Naija refers to her bullies as; “Lil Black nappy-headed with little terrible hairstyles.”
When Ari tweeted the cover for “Set Him Up,” scheduled for release tomorrow, April 7, it launched a barrage of backlash.
https://twitter.com/AriLennox/status/1378090192314175498?s=20
Well, Queen is not here for it and responded with this tweet:
Naija apologized for the initial video in a 2020 Instagram Live, claiming the remarks were “ probably ignorant. Not probably. They were ignorant.” She shouldn’t have to continue apologizing for a previous mistake, but she shouldn’t respond in such a callous way when the video resurfaces. Don’t get defensive when the public produces receipts of your actions. The best course of action would be to ignore it. You know the culture we live in. Anything you say and do can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion. We know Queen Naija is young and has some growing to do, but am I the only one tired of people making strong public declarations and either playing victim or acting completely oblivious when it comes back to bite them in the a**? The moral of the story is, everyone should be allowed grace for past mistakes, but be aware of what you put out for public consumption. The public won’t be as forgiving of you as you are of yourself.
