The Beyhive is once again upset with Noname after she offered her assessment of Beyonce’s visual album Black Is King on Friday. The notoriously protective Beyonce fans flooded Twitter with derogatory comments for the Chicago rapper, who they feel was disrespectful in pointing out her opinion that the film — a visual accompaniment to Beyonce’s Lion King tie-in album The Gift, aired exclusively on Disney+ — celebrated capitalism as much as Blackness or Africa.
On Friday, after the release of Black Is King, Noname tweeted, “We love an African aesthetic draped in capitalism. Hope we remember the Black folks on the continent whose daily lives are impacted by US imperialism. If we can uplift the imagery, I hope we can uplift those who will never be able to access it. Black liberation is a global struggle.”
https://twitter.com/noname/status/1289210082626920454
Some interpreted this as an attack on Beyonce and sour grapes on Noname’s part, prompting many fans to criticize the outspoken activist/rapper. For some, Noname’s comments characterized her as a “hater” who just looked for the negative in other artists’ work. A few commenters recalled the previous tiff between Noname and fans of J. Cole, noting that Noname has been attached to multiple contentious Twitter debates.
Nobody:
Noname: pic.twitter.com/o0jXhfefVd
— Read My Pinned Tweet for the Truth With Receipts (@FKAJohnLove) August 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/kingnalodarling/status/1289915489913671680
Noname wakes up every morning and the first thing on her mind is Beyoncé. Sounds like a fan if you ask me pic.twitter.com/Q5xty8KWrx
— ALIEN SUPERSTAR #1 SUPPORTER 🤠 (@ungodIybey) August 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/dom_dotty/status/1289223424028491776
https://twitter.com/localblackicon/status/1289235635522306053
https://twitter.com/_ManiacMcGee/status/1289269868823375872
However, others came to Noname’s defense. While many did view Noname’s comments as “overstepping,” they pointed out how the anger against her seemed misdirected and misogynistic, while others admitted she might have a point about the film.
https://twitter.com/Abalisah/status/1289646775729618945
I don’t like the way y’all be talking about/to Noname.
— Why (@YungYinkv) August 2, 2020
Im sick of y’all grasping at straws to criticize Noname’s hot takes. The way yall dogpile on her for any little tiff y’all dont readily agree with is very ugly. Its not lost on me that the spirit of mysogynoir is what even makes y’all feel comfortable doing it.
— #MOST (@jeandeauxmusic) August 1, 2020
https://twitter.com/AsiaChloeBrown/status/1290128661601857537
Meanwhile, Noname herself retweeted a few articles further explaining her position, choosing to stay above the fray. Beyonce has yet to respond to the controversy, once again leaving the din of social media to focus on the business that pays her.
https://twitter.com/noname/status/1289992010468737026
https://twitter.com/noname/status/1289927011331215360
Check out the responses to Noname’s original tweet above.
