Vince Staples isn’t here for Internet bullying.
The Long Beach rapper has defended the unidentified Christian mother of four who recently posted an 11-minute YouTube video criticizing the lyrics to his Summertime ‘06 hit, “Norf Norf.” The clip has since gone viral, generating headlines depicting the mother’s tearful rant as “nonsensical.”
Folks online also condemned the mother’s use of the “n-word” while reading the lyrics in front of her child.
However, one vital person in the mother’s corner is Staples himself. He’s saying that people online should respect an opinion that’s different from their own.
“I don’t really have much to say about the video — I don’t think it’s funny at all,” Staples told The Independent over the phone on Wednesday. “It’s not right to attack to someone over their stance, their opinions, and their religion. I think that’s very immature.”
In the mother’s recording, she describes the 2015 track as “crap” and says that the lyrics infuriated her. “I remember listening to the top hits as a kid,” she continues. “You know Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, and N’SYNC. Those were the top hits when I was a kid. Nowadays it’s not the same, not the same at all.”
She admitted that the curse words were removed from the track but encouraged fellow parents to pay attention to music their children are listening to.
“I’m raising four little girls and that just breaks my heart,” she says while sobbing. “I tell you right now, music has a strong influence on our children. I normally never listen to that radio station, it’s almost like I was meant to hear to let you guys know about it.”
To be clear, the song depicts the harsh reality of growing up on the north side of Long Beach, where folks have nothing productive to do but gangbang—a problem Staples has tried to remedy by investing in youth programs in the area.
Still, Staples believes that the negative reaction to the mother's video underscores a deeper problem in the states.
“We already have a lot of issues between black and white relations in this country based on misunderstandings,” Staples continued. “In my eyes, she doesn’t look like a racist. She doesn’t look like a mean person. It’s not very responsible for people to try to take that and jump, looking for some sort of commentary for these issues.”
“It’s just not right that’s she’s being attacked—it’s not okay.”
Watch the mother's criticism below.
For those who haven't heard, listen to Vince Staple's "Norf, Norf."
