Rapper Noname Accused of Using Teen’s Police-Involved Death To Criticize Beyonce, Issues Apology After Backlash

NoName, Beyonce

Noname Tweets Request To Disney: Publicize Police-Involved Death Of Disabled Black Teen In South Africa + Issues Apology After Backlash

Rapper Noname took to Twitter on Thursday (August 27) in what appeared to be an attempt to bring visibility to the police-involved death of Nathaniel Julius, an unarmed 16-year-old black male with Down’s Syndrome in South Africa. However, she’s now had to issue an apology after receiving much backlash from fellow Twitter users.

Reportedly, Nathaniel Julius had difficulty expressing himself to police because of his disability when they asked him what he was doing. He was allegedly shot by the officers and according to reports, was thrown into a police van and allegedly dropped off at a hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Now, protests have erupted in the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa in response to the incident.

[WATCH] The family of 16-year-old Nathaniel Julius say they want justice for his death. The disabled teen was allegedly shot and killed by cops. @malungelob speaks to his sister, Pertunia.

Tune into #Newzroom405 for more. pic.twitter.com/hjhhyfJwjo

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 27, 2020

In her tweet where she reposted a Twitter user’s tweet about the shooting, Noname asked for Disney to publicize this tragedy:

hey @Disney if black is king you’ll boost this

Some believed that the Chicago rap artist was using the death of Nathaniel Julius to continue her recent criticism of Beyonce’s “Black Is King,” a visual released by the megastar on Disney+ in July.

An image from Beyoncé’s Black Is King

At the time, she took issue with the African-themed costuming and dance styles within the film, saying:

While some understood her request to Disney and supported the attention she seemed to be trying to bring to the incident in South Africa, others did not. Check out what some of them had to say:

As a result of all the criticism received because of her tweet, Noname released an apology on her Twitter page:

My intention was not at all to use Nathaniel’s death to critique Beyoncé. I apologize if that’s how it came off. It just hurts to see @disney a billion dollar company profit of the likeliness of black folks and not do anything to support when blk people dying from state violence. I take responsibility and sincerely apologize to his family. #JusticeforNathanielJulius.

What are your thoughts on Noname’s latest tweets? Sound off in the comments!