There have been plenty of tributes pouring in from musicians following the announcement of the George Zimmerman verdict in the case where he shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen among others have offered tribute songs to the deceased, and Stevie Wonder has declared he will boycott playing the state of Florida until its controversial "stand your ground" law is repealed. K-Pop star G-Dragon offered his own tribute, and some are understandably not appreciative.
Dragon appeared in a post on Instagram, posing in a hooded sweatshirt as many have done in an iconic tribute to Martin. However, the pop star is also wearing blackface makeup, which has proven in recent history to be among the worst PR stunts anyone can perform. As website One Asian World says, it was an "epic fail."
There seems to be a healthy disagreement over whether the move was in good taste or bad however. There was natural backlash and comments on the photo on social media, but the image also received more than 100,000 "likes" on Instagram. Some have suggested that Dragon meant well, but didn't understand the political incorrectness of his actions. But it's not the first time that the performer has painted himself black (or the first time he's been chided for it). The vocalist dressed to mimic Andre 3000 in a music video a few years back, in an action that had absolutely no political significance.
Dragon hasn't offered an apology yet, but that's not surprising considering that some believe him to be the Korean version of Kanye West, a guy that pushes boundaries, both out of artistic creativity and arrogance. The K-Pop world was shocked when Dragon tested positive for marijuana in 2011 (being a rockstar in Korea is less hardcore).
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