Just two weeks ago, Marvin Sapp was the topic of church controversy for trapping a congregation until they each made a $20 donation ($100 for those on stage) until $40,000 was raised. And now, another round of religious discourse has started after a video of Asian gospel singers went viral on TikTok and landed on Black Twitter.
In the :38 second-long clip, an Asian praise team was recorded singing a gospel song in what looks like a church. With your eyes closed, it’s easy to mistake them for a Black choir based on their sound alone, but they indeed are not.
The original video was shared on YouTube in November 2018 by Vincent Bohanan. The video, titled “Vincent Bohanan & The Japanese SOV Choir,” included the caption: “Pastor Bohanan had the honor of working with a choir from Japan.”
“They love to have the rhythm BUT NEVER THE BLUES!” one user wrote in the replies on X. A note that these singers, albiet talented, do not carry the weight of the history that led to this type of gospel music sparked fierce online debates. What some non-Black folks might not understand is that Black gospel goes back to slavery and holds cultural significance.
“The true roots of African American gospel music lie in the American South of the 19th century. Spirituals emerged when slaves held informal gatherings together and improvised folk songs,” Cincinnati Playhouse wrote. “With echoes of biblical stories and the teachings of Jesus Christ, spirituals told the harrowing story of American slavery with call-and-response counterpoint and freeform rhythm.”
Many viewers appreciated their anointed performance, with one person writing: “There’s no us. It’s just humans pouring out their souls for the Lord like anyone else would to be in his grace” alongside a Kendrick Lamar gif. Another supporter wrote: “This is what Heaven will look like. All nationalities praise God,” while one YouTuber praised the “Tenor in the olive green suit [who] better praise HIM!!!!!! I love this entire video....God is definitely rejoicing over the unity in this video.”
Other comments included: “If this doesn’t prove we are all God’s children I don’t know what will,” “Gods praise and worship is colorless,” and “Cmon asian mass choir.”
But others weren’t so appreciative. “Like everyone else they copy everything we do,” one user wrote in response to the video.
“We can’t have nothing,” another TikTok user wrote, although someone else shot back, “But its not ours to own!” The back-and-forth continued: “This gospel kept us alive while being whipped in the fields and gave us hope when we were separated from our families. It is ABSOLUTELY OURS.” Another person replied, “It is ours. Gospel music is what got Black Americans through the trial of life. We were not just singing. We created gospel music,” while another agreed people can “enjoy it, but not appropriate it.”
Other social media users took the comedic route, joking, “I hear soul but see Seoul,” while another person wrote how “Koreans are really our cousins idc idc idc.” A third poked: “I bet everybody be on time for rehearsal.”