Veteran Miami rapper Trick Daddy reiterated he does not identify as African American after he received backlash for making those comments.
Per Complex, the rapper, whose real name is Maurice Samuel Young, came under scrutiny last week after he shared a video in which he touched on Black Americans choosing to identify as African American.
The Let’s Go rapper said he exclusively identifies himself as an American because he has not been to Africa before and he has no knowledge about the continent.
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“I’m trying to figure out how ‘Afro’ get in front of my mother-f**king race,” the 50-year-old said in the video. “I never been to Africa. Afro or Africa, never been there. I’m not from Africa.”
Trick Daddy also named the place of his birth as Goulds, Florida. He also explained that though he’s aware Africa is his “motherland”, no one from his maternal side has any links to the continent.
“[I] ain’t never went to Africa, ain’t thinking about going there,” the 50-year-old rapper said. “And I heard it’s a beautiful place, yes. And I know it’s the motherland, yes. But not my mother, not her mother, and not her mother’s mother, that ain’t their land. Americans’ real true land is right here, on U.S. soils.”
The video of Trick Daddy making those comments was shared on The Shade Room on Instagram, and it garnered several comments. “This type of ignorance is why that man president again,” a user wrote.
“He’s a Black American, a slow one, but yes,” another user wrote. “As a Nigerian, identify however you want. We are all black, and when the police pull you over they don’t know if you are black American, Caribbean, or African. This conversation is so tired,” a different user also said.
“You guys in the comments and trick daddy need to know the difference between race, ethnic group, and nationality,” another user wrote. “Our ethnic group is African our nationality is American i.e AFRICAN AMERICAN. Yea we’re not from African [sic] our ancestors are but we still have African blood. Lord mercy.”
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