| Rapper Wiz Khalifa: "Chill out, I'm not racist. I love all races. I have Korean friends." Capture from Instagram (@wizkhalifa) |
By Dong Sun-hwa
American rapper Wiz Khalifa will stage a Seoul gig on Sept. 7, about a year after his lyrics offended many Koreans.
Live Nation Korea announced Thursday that Khalifa and rappers Joey Bada$$ and Rejjie Snow would perform at KSPO DOME in Olympic Park in Seoul's Songpa District. The dome has 15,000 seating capacity.
Tickets are available from July 25 at Interpark. Price ranges from 99,000 won ($85) to 110,000 won.
In July 2018, Khalifa was in the hot seat over the lyrics of his song "Hot Now." The controversial line was, "Smoke got my eyes lookin' Korean."
| Joey Bada$$, left, and Rejjie Snow will also perform in Seoul on Sept. 7. Capture from Instagram (@joeybadass, @rejjiesnow) |
Many people regard such an expression as a racist attack against "small Asian eyes."
In the wake of the dispute, the rapper told American radio show The Breakfast Club: "Chill out, I'm not racist. I love all races. I have Korean friends who are not offended, so I don't know those people who are saying that. My art is up for interpretation." He refused to apologize.
Khalifa debuted in 2010 with the single "Black and Yellow." In 2015, he topped the Billboard single chart for 12 consecutive weeks with "See You Again," a soundtrack of the 2015 movie "Fast & Furious 7." He held the first concert in Korea in 2017.
Joey Bada$$ shot to fame with albums including "B4.DA.$$ (2015)" and "ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ (2017)." Snow is known for "Pink Beetle (2016)" and "Flexin (2017)."