Singer and rapper Doja Cat is addressing a resurfaced 2015 song with an offensive title, and also defended herself after receiving backlash for associating with alt-right internet users, saying she never personally took part in “any racist conversations.”
Last week many social media users called Doja (real name Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini) out for her song “Dindu Nuffin.” The title is a racist slur often used against black people who’ve faced police brutality. People also criticized the artist for appearing in past racist video chats.
24-year-old Doja apologized for taking part in the chats but denied saying anything racist herself. “I want to address what’s been happening on Twitter,” she wrote. “I’ve used public chat rooms to socialize since I was a child. I shouldn’t have been on some of those chat room sites, but I personally have never been involved in any racist conversations. I’m sorry to everyone I offended.”
Doja, who is half black, said she regretted releasing the old track, saying it was “written in response to people who often used that term to hurt me.” She concluded her statement by saying she took the situation “very seriously” and promised to do better in the future.
The musician, whose “Say So” remix with Nicki Minaj recently reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts, has previously apologized for old offensive remarks. In 2018, her 2015 tweet using a homophobic slur resurfaced, and while she initially defended herself, she later ended up expressing regret.
