Ariana Grande Pokes Fun at Cultural Appropriation Controversy in Lil Dicky ‘Earth’ Clip
Ariana Grande seemingly jokes about whether she's "white or black" on Lil Dicky's new collaboration with Justin Bieber, "Earth."
The rapper is about to drop his highly anticipated new track with Bieber later this evening (April 18), but there's a clip going around from Ellen that previews Grande's part—and it appears as though she's poking fun at her history with cultural appropriation.
In the short video teaser posted to Twitter, Grande lends her voice to an animated zebra as she sings the lyrics, "Hey, I'm a Zebra / No one knows what I do / But I look pretty cool / Am I white or black?"
Check it out for yourself below:
Of course, we're not 100% sure she's nodding to the controversy, but considering she's been accused of appropriating black culture in the past, the line "am I white or black" seems pointed.
Over the years, the Italian-American pop star has been accused of using spray tans to darken her skin, as well as putting on a supposed black accent (or "blaccent") when she speaks. Recently, she was also called out by rappers Princess Nokia and Soulja Boy for allegedly plagiarizing their flows on "7 Rings." But that's not all. On the song, she sings, “You like my hair? / Gee, thanks, just bought it!” which some believed was a reference to weaves.
In Grande’s defense, she's always incorporated elements of R&B and hip hop in her music. She's also spent years making her signature high ponytail (which is obviously extensions) an important part of her image.
Lil Dicky's "Earth" also features a string of other talented artists, including Katy Perry, Shawn Mendes, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Sia, Hailee Steinfeld, Charlie Puth and Adam Levine.