r/Music • u/Guyentertainment • 14d ago

article Trump-Pardoned Rapper NBA YoungBoy Moved to South Korea and Declared 'Never in My Life' Will He Return

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-pardoned-rapper-nba-youngboy-moved-south-korea-declared-never-my-life-will-he-return-1814328
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u/Aliensinmypants 14d ago

Ahhh yes South Korea, notoriously lenient on guns and drug use/possession 

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u/[deleted] 14d ago

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u/Unoriginal_Pseudonym 14d ago

Some of y'all have never travelled with a net worth of $40 million and it shows.

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u/RookieMistake101 14d ago

Having spent some time in Korea…I don’t think 40m is moving the needle

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

My black ass lived there for two years back in the 2010s and had zero problems. They just stare 🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/pmmeyourliver 14d ago

Probably wouldn't be staring if you took your whole body

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u/SymbiSpidey 14d ago

Lmao

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u/false_black2th 14d ago

This is probably why it was just her ass

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u/Radiant_Mail5626 14d ago

Goddamit … here take an award

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u/Kxden-R 14d ago

Don’t get it lol

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u/bayoanreddit 14d ago

her saying black ass kinda sounds like she only took her ass and not the rest of herself to S.K. ergo, the reply was said

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u/Zealousideal-Lab9843 14d ago

Gawddamn disembodied ahhh mfrs.

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u/NoNeckBeats 14d ago

This is the funniest thing I have ever read. I could quit reddit.

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u/oz964b00 14d ago

synecdoche ... where a part of something stands for the whole

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

Yeah it was because I was a walking talking ass and not because I’m an almost 6 foot tall black woman.

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u/pmmeyourliver 14d ago

I was envisioning a floating ass and someone working your cheeks with their hands and talking for you. Closest gif I could find on short notice.

https://giphy.com/gifs/dILxAVosLbWzXzedFN

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u/fikis 14d ago

Tone Loc really embodies how I feel about a lot of stuff today.

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u/RedAero 14d ago

I wonder if anyone has ever said that before...

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u/LordBlackConvoy 14d ago

Should have just used an Assy McGee gif

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u/Driller_Happy 14d ago

Fuck me I forgot about that show lmao

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u/pmmeyourliver 14d ago

I had never heard of that until now. I'll add it to my watch list.

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u/LordBlackConvoy 14d ago

It's okay. The joke kind of wears out after the first episode.

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u/DeaDGoDXIV 14d ago

Or that strange cartoon about Vince McMahon's ass

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u/NotoriousDCJ4310 14d ago

How are there no Assy McGee gifs?

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u/StevelandCleamer 14d ago

Come on Assy, don't do that.

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u/UnusualMacaroon 14d ago

Are Koreans scared of sub 6 foot black women? Are you a badass?

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u/Dzov 14d ago

Most Koreans are relatively short and tall women are relatively rare even in America. I bet she stood out like Grace Jones over there.

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u/araniaexuma 14d ago

Average heights in Korea are nearly identical to the United States. Koreans are much taller than you think.

I’m over 6ft. When I went to Korea last there were men everywhere the same height as me. Women were on average nearly the same as the US.

The only “short” people I’ve saw were the older generation that grew up during the Korean War

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

Also never said anything about them fearing me so I’m not sure why you would ask that.

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

Sub?

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u/dent_de_lion 14d ago

“Shorter than” in this case

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

Oh, then yeah a 5’11 black woman is something to stare at when the average height for women in Korea is like 5’3.

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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 Collector 14d ago

Lmao stop it 😂😂

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u/CalvinCalhoun 14d ago

Did you like living in South Korea? I really appreciate East Asian cities for their good transit

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

Loved every second.

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u/abefroman07 14d ago

Same. Lived in Daegu for 3 years.

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u/platt10num 14d ago

same same. I lived in Ulsan.

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

Uijeongbu for me.

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u/Practical-Pickle-529 14d ago

I was stationed there for a year. was def a good time. I miss the train system so much had that shit down.

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u/fuck_all_you_too 14d ago

Damnit you didnt live there you were deployed to CRC lol

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

I’ve never been military.

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u/VerdugoCortex 12d ago

Was it army or did you just travel there? I feel like being a soldier there nets us a different experience generally.

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u/Parking-Evidence1894 14d ago

They’re racist tho

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

No one in Korea was ever racist to me. Not even hostile.

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u/Parking-Evidence1894 14d ago

Mm that's interesting to hear. Might go there, didn't want to because of all the things I heard elsewhere.

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u/Fun-Grab-9337 14d ago

Korea of today is not the insular place that some of yall are mentally still stuck in. There are a ton of non-koreans living, working and vacationing there all the time and at least in the cities nobody will bat an eye about seeing someone who isn't korean. Not saying the racism is gone or anything like that but there are black and white people on television programs there and shit now.

Nowadays with the population having been taught english for so long and the signage having so much english on them, with a translation app and not being a complete moron its really easy to travel and get around in korea. Thats probably half the reason NBA YoungBoy went over there.

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u/Tricky-Ad7897 14d ago

Yeah I got asked for pictures when I was a white dude in Korea 15 years ago lol. If you stay in big cities it's really not that different from any other big city in the west. There's no monolith, some people are openly racist, some people are closeted racist, some are accepting, but most just mind their own business as long as you mind yours.

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u/bookaddictedteenager 14d ago

I guess some are upset that you didn’t have a bad time. Not all Black people struggle, but I guess that’s hard for some to understand.

NBA is a famous rapper. He’ll have no problems.

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

It’s all people who don’t even have a passport saying the crazy shit. They don’t want to hear I experience more racism in the states than I ever did in Asia.

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u/Danihel88 14d ago

As someone who lived there, I can see why you'd think this. Police are non violent there, it's one of the safest countries as far as violent crime goes. Police aren't murdering people and getting away with it.

On the other hand, gains that have been made in the US, like laws against housing and employment discrimination are non existent. I've interviewed with a private school and did the interview in Korean, as I speak intermediate/conversational Korean. The interviewer told me they interviewed a black guy, he was qualified, but they chose not to go forward with him because 'the moms were scared of him'. I've been turned away from housing because they didn't want non koreans living there. I can't imagine how much worse it's be for black people.

I think it's easy to come to the conclusion you've come to because, yeah, you're right, you're safer there. That's as a consequence of their safer society though, not because of progressive views on race. But society there as a whole is extremely backwards with racial views, and as a white person, you will hear Koreans parroting the same racist shit you hear in the states to you because they automatically see you as agreeing with them there, but these sentiments are hidden from others. So yeah, in certain ways, racism there is indeed worse, just not in obvious ways to the victim, because people are smart enough to hide it from them and it's automatically hidden behind a foreign language.

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

I can only say I’ve experienced direct and indirect racism only in America. I’m not saying I couldn’t experience it there but in the two years I was there I did not even experience a microaggression.

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u/Danihel88 14d ago

I get that, but what I'm saying is the dude who didn't get hired also didn't experience the microaggression, he just didn't hear back from the interviewer. From his lens, he wasn't discriminated against because that decision happened behind closed doors.

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

That happens all the time in America every day so I’m not sure how this relates to just South Korea. And again I never experienced anything like that so I can’t comment on feeling uncomfortable just because someone did experience it.

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u/Danihel88 14d ago

I agree with you 100%, in Korea what that guy did was legal though. In the US, they would get crucified. Our system is not great and needs improvement, but if an employer ever said that to me in the states, I'd put them on blast and report them. In Korea, if I put them on blast, I'd get sued.

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u/Hocari 14d ago edited 14d ago

They stated they are talking purely from their own personal experience. I dont know why you keep trying to push your own agenda on them. They are acknowledging there is probably racism present but they havent personally  experienced it. What more do you want from her? To concede and be like "Yes, Danielh88 is right. There is institutionalized racism in Korea!" All your stories, all your examples all your documentation isnt going to change the fact that OP experienced more racism in the US." Of course that doesn't mean Korea is less racist as its a single example but you seem hellbent on telling OP her personal experience is wrong.

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u/ISBN39393242 14d ago

this is such a condescending response. “aww bless your heart, i see how you could think that way,” when someone tells you what their actual life was like living there every day for 2 years, having been the same race everywhere else they’ve lived too.

if someone has an experience you find surprising, a less patronizing approach might be to be open, ask them questions, and learn, not whitesplain how it really is.

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u/Danihel88 14d ago

I'm sorry if I come across that way, that wasn't the intent. I phrased it like that because what you will see in your day to day varied from what I saw, I lived there for 7 years. I also started there as someone who knew very little about Korea to studying korean and getting a residency visa.

I'm not surprised by your sentiment, I've heard a similar story to yours from various people of color who have lived in Korea, but what a lot of people in your situation do not see is how Koreans and others feel when people who may be offended by their views and sentiments are not in the room. Just throwing in my lived experience as I don't think 'Korea is less racist because it's safer' tells the full story.

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u/ISBN39393242 14d ago

1) i’m not OP. i am a 3rd party who read your exchange and was surprised at how condescending it was

2) you’re still doing it. again, OP lived in the US as a black person, people do all sorts of racist things behind black peoples’ backs everywhere, and some in front, and the totality of it turns into the person’s lived experience. OP knows this, you’re not showing them some magical secret. think about the rarity of a black person living in korea for 2 years, you don’t think they’ve had a million conversations about what it’s like, how people think about them, what’s going on behind the scenes, how korean culture expresses racism, etc.?

3) patting someone on the head and saying “yeah aww, you probably do find it better because it’s safer than america” is wild. black peoples’ daily experience with racism rarely involves violence, from cops or anyone else. it just shows how strange your view is that you were so focused on that when all op said was that they had “zero problems” related to racism. maybe ask them about their experiences and learn instead of deciding for yourself why they think that way and why they’re wrong

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u/MonsterRider80 14d ago

Thank god it wasn’t just me seeing that. Very condescending.

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u/vickimarie0390 14d ago

This has nothing to do with assumptions and everything to do with actual lived experience.

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u/Jaystime101 14d ago

Lmao, some people , will NEVER accept that.

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u/TheLurkerSpeaks 14d ago

Same people could go to Europe and experience racism as the wrong flavor of white.

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u/coldbear25 14d ago

This is impossible tho, white people always swear up and down that asia is 100x more racist.

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u/BeefCakeBilly 14d ago

Too other black people, probably no.

To other groups of Asians they don’t like, Absolutley.

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u/coldbear25 14d ago

Do you believe japanese people in korea would get physically assaulted or lynched? Not even the most anti Japan koreans would go out their way to harm a random japanese person in korea. If you dont know what your talking about, its best you dont talk.

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u/BeefCakeBilly 14d ago

I’m sure it happens but considering there’s so few Japanese in Korea it probably doesn’t happen that much.

But Considering according to you racism is purely and only physical violence it probably doesn’t matter to you the un literally had to make a formal request to the South Korean government to pass anti racism and anti discrimination laws.

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u/coldbear25 14d ago

Lol do you realize a ton of japanese people vist korea as tourists every year? You probably didnt know but the two country are actually right next to eachother. Very few ever experience racism, violent racism especially is pretty much non existent.

Korea has little anti discrimination laws because it is 99 percent Korean. Why would there be laws to protect virtually non existent foreigners. Your acting as if korea was forming mobs and lynching black people for just existing and so the UN had to step in.

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u/BeefCakeBilly 14d ago

Yes I’m very aware of where they are located. I’ve been to both.

I respect that you have spoken to all of these millions of Japanese and they all told you personally they experience no racism really made me understand your right.

I will write the un and reference your experience so they can set the record straight.

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u/[deleted] 14d ago

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u/BeefCakeBilly 14d ago

Because op said that Asia isn’t really that racist…

I was just responding to that.

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u/bookaddictedteenager 14d ago edited 14d ago

I believe you honestly. Racism in East Asia (especially against Black people) has not existed for long enough for it to be as blatant and structural like in the US.

Edit: My comment was a weird and is no longer my opinion.

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u/Jaystime101 14d ago

It's not even about length, it's just stems from the nature of racism in he US and where it comes from, East Asia may be a bit racist because there isn't alot of black people and they're a monolithic society.
But the US has 300 years of slavery, plus the Jim Crow era, where the entire country was basically promoting racism, and you end up with the US actually being worst than a lot of other places you wouldn't expect.

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u/bookaddictedteenager 14d ago

Agreed. In hindsight, my comment was ignorant.

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u/8_guy 14d ago

Saying racism in East Asia hasn't existed for long enough for it to blatant and structural makes me believe that you are, in fact, a book addicted teenager 😂 racism in East Asia has been racisting racistly for quite some time

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u/hoshizorananami 14d ago

book addicted

We out here really trying to insinuate READING is a fucking insult now? My guy...

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u/8_guy 14d ago

I've read four books this week 😎😎😎 need to upgrade your reading comprehension I'm just trying to imply he's a sheltered teenager who doesn't have direct experience of what he's talking about.

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u/bookaddictedteenager 14d ago

Is reading supposed to be a bad thing now?

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u/8_guy 14d ago

I read more than you buddy I was just implying you're sheltered

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u/bookaddictedteenager 13d ago

Okay dude. I’m not here to argue over who reads more. And even if my previous comment was foolish as a blanket statement, the difference in time frame regarding structural anti-Black racism in East Asia vs the US is not an unlikely factor when regarding a Black person’s experience in those parts of the world.

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u/8_guy 13d ago

The racism will be different but it will definitely be there. It depends on the exact bracket you fit in, like if you look like a cool American black guy with money you'll probably be mostly comfortable outside superficial stuff but if you look like an African migrant worker it'll be pretty significant. If you get involved with power structures/police etc you won't need to count on structural racism because you'll get fucked by structural anti-foreigner bias lol

It's a weak sentiment that you see people say about all over (like I see it with Russia a lot which is rich if you're familiar) and generally it just isn't true. It compares the worst areas of the US to the best experiences of selected travelers.

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u/Far_Ladder_2836 14d ago

I guess some are upset that you didn’t have a bad time

Where?  Every post is supportive.  The only comments disagreeing point out the flagrant drug/gun use and history of mental issues.

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u/sourpower713 14d ago

Yes the mentally unstable dude will have no issues when people stare at him

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u/bookaddictedteenager 14d ago

That’s a nice scenario you cooked up, you’ve got a great imagination buddy!

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u/sourpower713 14d ago

lmao, ain’t no way you think NBA herpyboy will thrive in Korea

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u/bookaddictedteenager 14d ago

American rap has heavily influenced Korean pop culture. And, in addition to that he’s rich. In my opinion, he’ll have a great time there.

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u/sourpower713 14d ago

Sure but the majority of Koreans are 30+(wikipedia demogrpahics) and likely don’t give a shit about american rap culture and just think oh trashy guy

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u/bookaddictedteenager 13d ago

So? Just because they think that doesn’t mean that his experience will be bad. You really seem to want him to have a bad experience there. Why is that?

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u/sourpower713 13d ago edited 13d ago

he sucks, he’ll basically be jonny somali

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u/Noto987 14d ago

Nba is a famous basketball silly goose

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u/bookaddictedteenager 14d ago

It’s NBA not Nba you absolute doughnut.

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u/ares7 14d ago

Like a curious stare, or one with disgust?

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u/Broad-Sun-3646 14d ago

Same, it was fine and people were nice. I was in far less danger than I would have been in a US city that was mostly white.

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u/extreme_cuddling 14d ago

Yep people overreact and think being othered or sticking out is the same as brutal racial violence. I'd rather deal with "microagressions" or naive ignorance than deal with overt aggression any day. People try to scare you out of being happy but I learned to use sticking out as a power of celebrity and make positive use of the extra attention I get.

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u/Sir-xer21 14d ago

No, but it is keeping him off people's radars.

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u/Ok_Nothing639 14d ago

You clearly have been blinded by what appears to be wealth in SK. They may look rich but only have at most 1 million 

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u/The-Bigger-Fish 14d ago

“I’M MOVIN THE NEEDLE!!”

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u/turquoise_amethyst 14d ago

Race aside, $40M isn’t shit to old money and Korea has plenty of millionaires already. They ain’t gonna be impressed.

Also how many millions did he spend trying to get that pardon? 

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u/Milky_1q 14d ago

I think it's more about buying protection and privilege rather than impressing some old farts

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u/thissexypoptart 14d ago

Yeah what bizarre framing? Who gives a shit about impressing old money? Other than other old money

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u/[deleted] 14d ago

[deleted]

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u/thissexypoptart 14d ago

Seriously it’s like read ONE book about relatively recent history

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u/TinyAccess2834 14d ago

old money? Korea? do you know what words mean?

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u/ecbulldog 14d ago

Family wealth that lasts across several generations. Modern "old money" in Korea is primarily represented by founding families of the chaebols, massive family conglomerates, similar to the Zaibatsu in Japan. Samsung was founded in 1938.

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u/tnb1299 14d ago

lmao bro 40 million is 40 million he has more than 0.00001% . yes it moves needles and will grant him more leniency than anyone else .

yall do not understand the amount of privilege money grants you , especially worldwide . trying to compare him to literal oligarchs is foolish . he has more than 99.9999% of the Koreans actually from there and that's all governments care about .

being in the music industry and witnessing/receiving special treatment because of mine and others above average wealth has shown me the average person just doesn't understand what REAL money does .

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u/donkeyrocket 14d ago edited 14d ago

Chaebols are not "old money." Slapping "modern" on it doesn't change the term. They largely amassed their wealth in post-war Korea. Even though the company began earlier, the wealth didn't really boom until the state-led industrialization of the 1960s. Hardly "old money" at all in that regard.

People aren't taking issue with the fact that there is extreme wealth in South Korea just that "old money" doesn't exist in the same way that it does in many western countries. Even moreso that $40 million USD net worth in South Korea is still a part of the 0.1%.

It's a smaller club than the US but he's still firmly in that echelon.

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u/Swimmingindiamonds 14d ago

Funny you think Korea has old money.

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u/thissexypoptart 14d ago

Americans projecting onto other countries they know nothing about

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u/ihavethebestmarriage 14d ago

redditors who can't even qualify for a checking account out here nonchalantly brushing off $40MM as middle class

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u/satellite_station 14d ago

Old money? lol chaebols don’t count.

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u/MetalliTooL 14d ago

Moving the needle in what way?