"Y’all just want to hate on someone" — P1Harmony's latest 'OUT OF CONTEXT' MV teaser sparks online debate of alleged cultural appropriation

P1Harmony got embroiled in a controversy surrounding the teaser MV for their forthcoming 7th mini-album, SAD SONG, released on September 15, 2024. The album is set to drop on September 20, 2024. Earlier, on September 3, the group had dropped another MV teaser titled OUT OF CONTEXT____.

In the OUT OF CONTEXT____ MV, the members of P1Harmony could be seen changing several outfits, including one where they were seen wearing scarves on their heads. Some netizens felt that it looked similar to a durag and accused the group of cultural appropriation.

For the unversed, a durag, often referred to as a doorag, do-rag, duraq, or dewrag, is a form-fitting, elastic head covering that's frequently used to preserve hairstyles. Culturally, it is one part of the African people's attire. Several Western artists, like Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, 50 Cents, Jay-Z, and more, made durag popular in the hip-hop scene.

Several internet users weren't pleased by P1Harmony's latest clip. However, others came to defend the boy band from the allegations. One X user defending the group wrote:

"Everytime a group releases hiphop concepts y’all accuse them of cultural appropriation. Honey, black community created hiphop, ppl will get inspiration from black culture cus said culture is hiphop’s essence itself. y’all just want to hate on someone, first xg, the yp now p1h"

Several netizens underscored how wearing a durag or a head scarf similar to a durag to achieve a "certain aesthetic" is culture appropriation.

"How u don’t get its problem? It’s obvious Koreans and the kpop industry for the most part are racist to black people yet they perform to and sing/ rap our genre of music. If they really appreciated the culture they wouldn’t be racist and prejudice to black people," one netizen said.

"You’re right people do dress like that on their daily life. But they’re putting it on as a concept in hopes of having a certain aesthetic or to look like a certain somebody. Not to mention the culture appropriation," another netizen shared.

"Understandable but also he put himself in the position to be held accountable for cultural awareness so yes i will hold him to that standard," another netizen remarked.

Others defended P1Harmony by stating that a K-pop album and MV concept is decided by the agency's CEO and the creative teams. K-pop artists don't have much of a say in what they wear or film.

"no cuz people act like keeho is: 1) a manager that even has a say in what the group does. 2) some type of culture police. I feel like people who keep themselves in check don’t have an obligation to police everyone in their lives ppl should try to educate themselves," one netizen said in defense.

"MOST IMPORTANTLY WHO TF IS KEEHO ??? WHY do you THINK an idol can decide about their concept ???? only a FEWWW can do that, he can’t just say no, he’d be fired or sum then he wouldnt have any income so… let’s start by blaming the company FIRST," another netizen said.

"All this commotion can’t be over a scarf on their head…. cause we got bigger problems to worry about than that," another netizen added.

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What is cultural appropriation and did P1Harmony cross a line with their upcoming release?

For the uninitiated, when a dominant culture appropriates or uses aspects of another culture in an offensive, exploitative, or stereotyped manner, it is called cultural appropriation.

In the OUT OF CONTEXT____ MV, P1Harmony wore the headscarves in different styles and used them to portray their hip-hop style. The MV did not include any profanity, inappropriate context, or stereotypes.

In a 2022 interview with Zach Sang, P1Harmony's leader, Keeho was asked if they considered cultural appropriation when deciding their concept and styles. Keeho replied that the company and the creative team think over and over before finalizing a concept and style for any album release. He continued:

"Obviously there’s AAVE and a whole bunch of other cultural stuff that is very sensitive and so we need to respect that, and I feel like it’s a responsibility to, so I feel like it’s something that we’re always thinking about and taking action about."

Netizens brought that interview up during their online discussion regarding the group's latest MV and teaser concept. Some felt that Keeho forgot his own statement, which is why they allegedly wore a durag in the OUT OF CONTEXT____ MV.

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In other news, P1Harmony includes Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul, and Jongseob and debuted under FNC Entertainment. They debuted in October 2020.