With the surprise release of his new album, “GNX,” Kendrick Lamar delivered an early holiday gift to fans on Friday. With the Drake feud firmly behind him, it looks like the “Not Like Us” Grammy nominee is already picking his next crop of targets. On the track “Wacced Out Murals,” he has a very specific message for white comedians.
The song features the line, “Don’t let no white comedian talk about no Black woman, that’s law.” Most fans are speculating that this is directed at Andrew Schulz, who insulted Black women during a discussion of the “Black Girlfriend Effect” trend. He received backlash from those letting him know his comments were offensive and culturally inappropriate.
Gary Owen, a white comedian who tours with Black comedians and is very familiar to Black audiences, seemed to have an issue with the line, writing on Instagram, “If that’s the law that makes me a criminal.”
This kind of disingenuous response is exactly why the west coast rap legend had to say what he did. He’s simply saying that if you’re not in the culture, you don’t have the right to mock it and your first reaction is to get all defensive. Are you incapable of finding humor in Black culture without insulting Black women? Would it physically hurt you to give up those jokes? Maybe you should stop talking and just listen.
Comments on his post immediately let him know he messed up. One user advised him to learn when he should keep scrolling, replying, “Know when to skip over something Gary.”
“I don’t think this landed like you thought it would,” wrote someone who let Owen know this wasn’t his best comeback.
Owen shares four Black children with his ex-wife, which led one person to wonder why he can’t understand what Lamar is saying, writing, “It’s comments like this that expose the glitch. He has a black daughter and doesn’t understand what protection looks like and nor [would] I expect him...he is just visiting, he don’t live here.”
Over on X, f.k.a., Twitter, the comedian referenced the song, writing, “Did Kendrick just come for me??? lol.” This led to muiltiple replies telling him the lyrics were probably directed at Schulz, but that he should watch his step.
One person let him know he wasn’t the target, but he easily could be, writing on X, “No but he put you on notice.”
Another user seemingly referenced some of Owen’s recent comments about his ex, posting, “Truthfully the way you been moving about some topics lately, consider it a warning shot.”
Meanwhile, in response to the line, Schulz allegedly told DJ Akademiks, “Is this guy too woke to understand a joke?” Keep in mind, this story comes from Akademiks, so take it with a grain of salt.
Every time someone calls out an offensive or questionable joke, these comedians immediately jump to “woke culture” as their default response. The most egregious part in all this is that the jokes aren’t even funny. You’re just using played out stereotypes to craft unfunny punchlines.
At this point, Kendrick Lamar is basically Candyman. If you don’t want him to come for you, keep his name out your mouth. If Gary Owens calls him out three more times, it could be over for the comedian.