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Actor Gina Rodriguez posted an Instagram story of herself rapping along to the Fugees song “Ready or Not,” saying, “niggas give me heebie-jeebies.” What Rodriguez clearly wasn’t ready for was backlash, of which she’s receiving plenty on social media: She has since deleted the video from her Instagram account, she’s a top trending topic on Twitter, and Bossip has already dubbed her Carmen Klandiego and Becky the Virgin.
Rodriguez has a history of making tone-deaf, anti-black comments. In the last year alone she has interrupted an interviewer who commented on Yara Shahidi inspiring young black women, telling him that Shahidi is an inspiration to “women” in general; erroneously claimed that black women receive higher pay than Latinas in the entertainment industry and are therefore part of the problem with gender pay inequities in Hollywood; and cried about the backlash that resulted from her aforementioned pay disparity comments, while trotting out her Afro-Latino father and extended family in her own paltry defense.
So why would a woman who is semi-regularly pissing off black people boldly post a video of herself singing “nigga” on Instagram for her 4.4 million followers to see? Great question. Either Rodriguez believes that some convoluted race math gives her a pass, she’s a glutton for drama, she thinks that singing it doesn’t count, or she’s just not very fucking bright.
This will likely lead to 24 hours of cancellation with a side of “but J-Lo said it!” before Rodriguez and her career continue to carry on, largely unscathed.
Update, 4:30 p.m.: Gina Rodriguez posted a passive-aggressive apology on her Instagram story: “Hey, what’s up, everybody! I just wanted to reach out and apologize. I am sorry. I am sorry if I offended anyone by singing along to The Fugees, to a song I love, that I grew up on—I love Lauryn Hill—and, um, I really am sorry if I offended you.”
So I guess she thought singing “nigga” doesn’t count and she’s not looking too bright. Mystery solved.
DISCUSSION
I feel like Fat Joe was the last person that wasn’t black to get away with it. Because people were kinda mad at J-Lo (but it didn’t really matter, she was bulletproof back then.) I guess if you first did it before 9/11, you’re grandfathered in.