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K-pop idol Yaebin apologizes for using N-word while crooning Nicki Minaj song, Internet asks her to 'f**k off'

Yaebin was doing an Instagram Live session where she reportedly sang 'Super Bass' by rapper Nicki Minaj in which she utters the 'N-Word'

Race has always been a sensitive topic in socio-political and cultural spheres. This is why when celebrities or high profile individuals utter racist slurs on social media or public platforms, they immediately come under the radar of fans who want them to be informed on such issues. Something similar happened with K-pop band Hinapia’s member Yaebin who reportedly uttered the “N-Word” on social media, as per AllKpop. According to the report, Yaebin was doing a live Instagram session where she sang a song by rapper Nicki Minaj in which she says the “N-Word.” The singer and songwriter mentions in the video that she was aware of many people being sensitive to the word and tried her best to censor it and not pronounce it, the report further adds. 

Yaebin, who is currently under OSR Entertainment, is the main rapper of the girl group Hinapia and former member of girl group Pristin and its sub-unit Pristin V, as per Kpop Fandom website. In 2019, it was confirmed that she along with former Pristin members Minkyeung, Eunwoo and Gyeongwon, have all signed with the OSR agency and are preparing for debuting in their new girl group Hinapia. The group debuted on November 3 with their digital single album called 'New Start' and the title track 'Drip'. It had been reported that the group is aiming to release their sophomore album sometime in 2020 in which the group shall portray a more mature look than ever before. 

However, before that could happen, Internet users are hell-bent on scrutinizing the Yaebin over her remarks. A concerned user tweeted a video of her session in which Yaebin is shown uttering the slur while singing the song and is later shown explaining her side. “I don't want to overstep and if I am please let me know but I do not see anyone tweeting about this and it shouldn't go ignored. Yesterday Yaebin said the -- word while rapping on her IG live”. 

The user who tweeted the video noted that they are not asking people to “cancel” her but urging fans to inform her about the usage of such derogatory words. “I don't tweet this to call everyone to cancel her but we should do something. If you want to DM her some informative sources on Instagram, her." In another tweet, they wrote, “I think this should go without saying but please don't ask Sungyeon or Kyla about this, they are not involved in the situation at all, they're not even in the same group.”

On Wednesday, August 12, Yaebin posted an apology on her Instagram Stories, saying that she is “terribly sorry” for using the word on her IG live and said she was so “disrespectful” for using it. “What I did was really wrong. On yesterday’s live I was singing Nicki Minaj’s super bass and the word was included, I tried to censor it by myself but realized I couldn't when I saw my video. I was so disrespectful for saying that word. Many people noticed me about how that word has a huge historical background. I admit I was so insensitive and ignorant.” A user tweeted her apology saying “Update: Yaebin posted an apology to her IG story”. 

She said that her usage of the word wasn’t “intentional” though she has “offended” so many people now due to her lack of education on the matter. Indeed, she was right in assuming so as the Internet is enraged after her remarks especially in the time when Black Lives Matter protests have escalated in America and other parts of the world. Internet users are now bashing stars who claim that they are “uneducated” on such critical issues. Fans do not want to see their idols running scot-free after making such remarks and feel such apologies might be written by their internal staff and they might as well not mean it. In the same light, a user questioned her apology and tweeted, “Who even wrote this, her manager???"

Many fans are not ready to accept her apology and do not want to defend her finding her apology as unsatisfactory. “I’ve supported Yaebin for almost four years and not once did I think about defending her during this... she f**ked up badly and shouldn’t be defended at all especially when she knows the meaning behind the word stop treating idols like toddlers”, wrote one. 

“Apology not accepted. She called us sensitive for a historically racist word then blamed it on language barrier. she can fk off whoever she is,” tweeted another. 

“'Another slur? The f**k does that mean? Unless you're a part of a minority group that can reclaim a slur, you shouldn't be saying it. How are you going to say she 'knew it was insensitive' but 'didn't know the background' so therefore she's given a pass? And a pass of her”, tweeted a user in reference to Yaebin’s apology where she said the remark was due to language barrier.  

People are closely scrutinizing her two-part apology, iterating her incapacity to censor the word even when she tried. “I mean judging from the second part of the apology she was trying to censor it because she thought it was just a bad word so maybe that’s why she brought up her lack of education. I could be wrong though.” 

Some feel that it is in good faith that she wrote the apology and took responsibility for using the racist slur. “It's not for me to accept since I am not Black but I am glad she acted quickly”.