Let’s stop pretending this is shocking.
G-Dragon is facing renewed backlash after wearing a shirt featuring a Dutch racial slur during a live performance in Macau, prompting an apology from his agency, Galaxy Corporation. The incident has reignited scrutiny of the BigBang member’s history of controversial choices, including criticism over racially and politically tone-deaf moments like the title of his 2025 album Übermensch. Together, these moments are being cited as part of a broader pattern rather than isolated missteps. How many times have we seen this play out on the global scale when it comes to non-Black people and their snafus when it comes to performing Black music? But here’s the truth nobody in these PR statements wants to say out loud:
This isn’t a mistake. It’s a pattern.
The Repercussions of Copying Culture Without Understanding It
For those not in the know, the obvious should be stated: K-pop liberally lifts its aesthetics, sound, and movement from Black music.
Hip-hop. R&B. Soul. Funk.
Entire industries overseas have spent the past few decades studying Michael Jackson from head to toe, replicating the Black vocal styling of music’s most prominent R&B singers, and mimicking choreography rooted in Black expression. But here’s where the disrespect creeps in: They’ll spend 5,000 hours studying the moves… and not even 5 minutes understanding the meaning behind the songs and choreography they claim to love.
Google Is Free: So Why Is Respect Still M.I.A.?
We are in 2026. As such, there is no excuse for using words you do not understand, wearing language or phrases you don’t comprehend, performing symbols rooted in racism, or claiming cultural ignorance AFTER you’ve been called out.
#MakeItMakeSense.
How does a global brand sell out arenas, dominate music charts, tour the world several times over, etc…but can’t take five seconds out of their day to ask Siri, Alexa, or Grok what a phrase means before incorporating it into a look?
This goes beyond willful ignorance into intentional negligence.
The Problem Is Larger Than One Shirt
The apology from BigBang’s agency emphasized “cultural sensitivity” and better internal review moving forward. How many times have we heard that before? What they hope will happen is that the apology will hold and everyone will soon forget about this incident. Not many people remember Paris Hilton using the n-word back in the day, and since then she has gone on to make hundreds of millions of dollars and the racist words that flew out of her mouth have never been questioned.
So, history shows us how this will go and what the repercussions are. But at some point, repeated “mistakes” stop being accidents and start revealing a deeper issue: They want Black culture — but not Black accountability.
Black People Don’t Need This Version of Ourselves
For the cosplayers out there, it must be repeated yet again:
Black culture is not a costume.
It’s not a trend cycle.
It’s not a global export for others to dilute and monetize.
We don’t need watered-down versions of our music, unmelanated recreations of our style, or industries profiting off our influence while disrespecting our existence. For those interested in engaging with Black music, you don’t get to remix the aesthetics to fit antiquated agendas or ignore history. We are not living in the 1930s anymore. Receipts will be pulled out and artists will be clocked in real time. G-Dragon and BigBang are feeling the heat now and deservedly so.
Love the Culture? Then Respect the People
Bottom line?
You cannot claim to love hip-hop while disrespecting the Black people who originated it. You cannot profit from R&B while insulting the communities that created it. You cannot dance like Black people, dress like Black people, sound like Black people — and then shrug when racism shows up in your wardrobe.
That’s not appreciation.
That’s exploitation.
Cancel Culture
We live in a world where cancel culture looms large, but this isn’t about canceling anyone. It’s about accountability. If artists and industries want access to Black culture, the expectation is simple and a non-negotiable:
Respect it.
Learn it.
Honor it.
Or don’t touch it at all.
Because at this point?
If you can’t take five minutes to understand what you’re wearing, saying, or performing…
Then you don’t deserve to profit from it.
This concludes the #TedTalk.
