In April, the soulful and introspective rapper Chika announced she was ending her ten-day retirement from music, returning to social media, and went public about her recent mental health struggles, explaining that overzealous fans and the music industry at large had led to bouts of depression. And since her return to the internet, the artist appears determined to unapologetically exist on her own terms this go-around — even more so than before. This week, the musician sent out a series of tweets teaching followers about the enduring appropriation of AAVE, shorthand for the rich tapestry that is African-American Vernacular English, a staple of rap music. Free education? On Twitter? How generous of her.
“AAVE is not stan language or internet culture,” Chika first posted to Twitter on Wednesday, going on to argue that a large cohort of non-black social media users “just found out about it because of social media.” Two days later, taking stock of followers gaslighting her critiques and claiming that AAVE was a made up “whitewashed term” invented by a white person, Chika broke down the history of the particular way of speaking. “Knowing that a black man coined this term & a white person thinks it sounds ‘white washed’ is a glaring indicator that YOU don’t think black people can utilize scholarly terminology to describe ourselves,” Chika clapped back at a self-identified white user.
She continued on, tweeting, “Calling the way we normally speak ‘slang’ denotes that it’s not proper english, when in fact, it is. It’s just specific to black people.”
Then, perhaps showcasing her renewed focus on the positive, Chika delivered uplifting personal news. “I would like to announce that I am getting my life together,” she tweeted. She also shared that she is learning to practice “being nice to yourself.”
It’s great to see the lively and astute side of Chika return. Her actions align with a growing body of young, queer, POC rappers, including Lil Nas X, who are not afraid to live life on their own terms and effortlessly shut down toxic criticism. Recently, Lil Nas X has dismissed invasive “top or bottom” questions by pointing out the internalized misogyny they represent, trolled homophobic conservatives, and struck down suggestions he’s playing up his sexuality “for success.” Chika has applied a similarly frank, self-determined approach to her career: She was transparent about the harmful sides of social media and how fan culture has affected her mental health struggles, and vowed to take a step back from both. And let’s not forget this iconic line in her GLAAD Award acceptance speech: “What can I say? I deserve it.”
Increasingly, Chika is showcasing the beauty of living in your truth. Thank heavens she’s back — we can’t wait to see what other sharp insights she provides and, more importantly, the ethos-packed tracks she hopefully drops.
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