Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo, the breakout pop star known for her hit song “Drivers License,” came under fire in the summer of 2021 for a resurfaced video showing her using what some have called a “blaccent” or a black accent. In a video clip from multiple Instagram Live videos, Olivia says phrases like “I be trending” and “emotional AF” as well as “y’all”. All of these phrases are considered to be AAVE.
A thread started on Twitter of Olivia’s tweets from 2020 and early 2021 where she uses AAVE slang terms like “homegirl,” “crine,” and “yung.”
Many fans and critics took to social media at the time to express their disappointment in Olivia and asked her to apologize for her actions. Some have also criticized her for appropriating black culture while not using her platform to address issues affecting the Black community.
Rodrigo has not yet publicly addressed the criticism of her accent. But she has fans who have defended her, saying that her use of the accent is not intentional and that she is simply expressing herself through her music.
