R&B singer Daniel Caesar was the butt of a homophobic joke from Dave Chappelle just last week, but it looks like he may have burned whatever traces of sympathy he may have gotten from his audience. During a live chat on Instagram Tuesday night (March 19), the “Freudian” singer ranted about the perceived shortcomings of his Black audience, including accusations of “playing the victim” and defending controversial party host YesJulz.
“Why are we being so mean to Julz?” he asked. “Why are we being so mean to white people?” He continued to share his opinion that Black people are “rude and disrespectful to everyone else” but are sensitive when that energy is returned. He referenced the prior incident with Chappelle, saying he “had to acknowledge that I was being f*cking sensitive and I need to be able to joke just like everybody else.” He said that “all I want is love,” saying that being “sensitive” or “offended” doesn’t help and that he is unafraid of being “canceled.”
The video is apparently a response to a recent backlash against YesJulz — yes, another one — after she name-dropped two female Black entrepreneurs during an interview in a way that was perceived as disrespectful. Calling out influencers Scottie Beam and Karen Civil, she tried to defend herself from accusations of being a “culture vulture” for her hosting duties and position within the Miami hip-hop community.
https://twitter.com/2Cool2Blogggg/status/1105124302653976576
What resulted was a days-long drag-fest, as users on Twitter rose to the defense of the popular Black entrepreneurs, again lobbing accusations of cultural appropriation and racism at Julz, who has a history of commenting on her antagonistic relationship with Black women, attributing it to their jealousy over her popularity with Black men. Adding to the backlash was a January Instagram video of Julz performing a rap for Soulja Boy that doubled down on her prior comments, making generalizations about Black women many deemed problematic, such as “Because my ass is fat and my skin ain’t black / I’m the vulture that you’re huntin’ / Yet they never do nothing, they never give back / They keep killing blacks.”
https://twitter.com/drank_s/status/1089215331447517184
When Caesar tried to corroborate those statements and defend Julz, fans on Twitter let him have it too, saying “So Daniel Caesar just got canceled” and joking that he’d entered the Sunken Place — an evergreen insult for offenders like Caesar and Kanye, who have criticized Black fans with stereotypes that flattened complex issues and promoted harmful narratives that justify unequal treatment at the hands of the government and other vigilantes. Caesar may insist that he doesn’t care if he’s canceled at the moment, but considering that he only has the one album, compared to Kanye’s decade-plus of beloved hits and even Kanye backed off his political agenda, he may come to regret his statements sooner or later. For more responses from the Twitter outrage brigade, see below.
Is this the same Daniel Caesar that was about to cry when Dave Chapelle said he “sings gay”? Because if so… https://t.co/EsEihdtt8i
— Obviously, you are fired. (@eleven8) March 20, 2019
Daniel Caesar really thought he had a point … pic.twitter.com/zThdoJcROG
— Natelegé Whaley 🌺 (@natelege_) March 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/feeltheeebern/status/1108199875580178433
I just knew Daniel Caesar hit the sunken place the moment his hair went blonde. He’s really out here defending “No Julz” saying black people can’t take a joke… I’ve had enough. pic.twitter.com/RJ6nX8AGdR
— RUBIE 🇭🇹 (@DjRubieLee) March 20, 2019
i'm annoyed i stuck up for daniel caesar goofy movie face havin ass when ppl was calling him ugly. i won't be doing that again for a nigga no ma'am
— AfricanAquarian (@TennilleLaDon) March 20, 2019
The more Daniel Caesar keeps saying “I’m drunk af 🤪” … the more I know he’s sober
— Dilys (@Dilysnana) March 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/ValerieComplex/status/1108223594646122497
I felt bad when I said Daniel Caesar looks like a fruit bat with a beautiful voice but I don't anymore
— MonsterKing (@CerromeRussell) March 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/AntEscrow/status/1108215809246154752
https://twitter.com/anamberalert/status/1108210701560995841
https://twitter.com/KenidraRWoods_/status/1108221366602473472
https://twitter.com/BlackHorseLove1/status/1108224922290143232
https://twitter.com/WrittenByHanna/status/1108232248862695424
https://twitter.com/BeyonceEclipse/status/1108229564461772801