Noname Apologizes After Being Accused Of Using Teen's Death To Criticize Beyoncé

BY Erika Marie 23.0K Views
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Noname, Nathaniel Julius, Disney, Beyonce, Black Is King, Apology
She wanted to bring attention to the case involving Nathaniel Julius, a disabled teen who was reportedly shot by police.

She recently criticized Beyoncé's Black is King and it doesn't look as if Noname is letting up on her strikes against the Disney-promoted project. Noname previously accused Beyoncé and her team of using an "African aesthetic draped in capitalism" for the praised Disney+ film—a criticism that followed Noname's brief spat with J. Cole. Then, yesterday Noname set out a tweet about an reported instance of police brutality and used the opportunity to send another jab to the Grammy Award-winning singer.

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"Hey @Disney if black is king you'll boost this," she tweeted, hoping to shift attention to 16-year-old Nathaniel Julius who was shot and killed by police officers. It's reported that Julius has Down syndrome, and when he was approached by officers, he struggled with communicating. During the incident, things escalated and Nathaniel was killed.

Following her tweet, Noname stood accused of attempting to use the death of the disabled teen to support her disapproval of Beyoncé. The backlash was heavy, so Noname returned to her Twitter account to apologize while clarifying her objective.

"My intention was not at all to use Nathaniel’s death to critique Beyoncé," she wrote. "I apologize if that’s how it came off. It just hurts to see @disney a billion dollar company profit of the likeliness of black folks and not do anything to support when blk people dying from state violence. I take responsibility and sincerely apologize to his family. #JusticeforNathanielJulius."

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.