Published 13:41 IST, December 25th 2019
Rapper Blueface faces backlash for throwing cash at locals in Los Angeles
Rapper Blueface faced backlash for throwing cash at locals in Los Angeles. Netizens criticized Johnathan Michael Porter for the improper act of degrading poor.
Rapper Blueface aka Johnathan Michael Porter has been slammed for posting a video of himself throwing money at passers-by in Los Angeles. In the clip, the rapper can be seen on top of a car, dispersing cash in the air at people who stood on a road in Skid Row. He posted it on his Twitter handle on December 23 and since then it's been viewed for over 515.3K times and flooded with negative responses. The rapper rose to fame after his song Respect My Cryppin with his off-beat style of rapping and his tattoo of Benjamin Franklin on the side of his face. He even was showcased in several internet memes.
When Blueface threw money at people
In the Twitter video post, people can be seen standing around the car, waiting for Blueface to throw the money out of bags. Since it's an impoverished area of the city, people clamoured to collect the cash as it fell, before stuffing it in their pockets. There were more from the other side of the road running towards the rapper to collect the money. A guy was also spotted landing his bicycle on the road and collecting cash promptly. Take a look.
Rapper receives backlash
Though the act was showcased as altruistic, several people have criticized him claiming the singer was 'degrading' those he was claiming to help. A user wrote: "Throwing bills in the air, watching the needy scramble on the ground for them. #degrading". A second user added: "Way to demean them. You could have handed it out in a decent way that wasn't so dehumanizing. Someone could have been seriously injured because of your stunt". "This is a disgusting way to flex on people that don't have money. Why not just pass them the money like human beings instead of throwing it everywhere and making them fight and pick it up off the ground. Class warfare is real... these people are a human being, not animals," wrote a third user. A fourth user joined saying: "This is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen in my life. Blueface and everyone who supports him should be ashamed". "Handing them the money wasn't an option? Instead, you literally stand on top of them and throw it at them and make them scavenge for it....bro your Buggin", added the fifth user.
Yet there were also others who stood by the rapper. They dismissed the claims that his act was demeaning and countered saying he was just trying to help. One of them was DJ Akademiks who took to Twitter to praise the rapper, saying he had 'humbly' donated $50,000. He thanked him and called him generous.
Updated 13:41 IST, December 25th 2019