Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a global perspective that includes European culture and Western colonialism. Scholars with this wider view may date the practice of blackface to as early as Medieval Europe's mystery plays when bitumen and coal were used to darken the skin of white performers portraying demons, devils, and damned souls. Still others date the practice to English Renaissance theater, in works such as William Shakespeare's Othello.
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" is a song written and performed by English new wave band Culture Club. Released as a single in September 1982 from the group's platinum-selling debut album, Kissing to Be Clever (1982), this ballad was the band's first major hit and first UK No. 1 hit. In the United States, the single was released in November 1982 and also became a hit, reaching No. 2 for three weeks.
"Not Ready to Make Nice" is a song co-written and performed by American country music trio Dixie Chicks. It was released on March 20, 2006, as the first single from the band's seventh studio album, Taking the Long Way. The Dixie Chicks wrote the song in response to the backlash they experienced in 2003 after criticizing President George W. Bush.
"I'm Out" is a song recorded by American recording artist Ciara, for her eponymously titled fifth studio album (2013), featuring guest vocals from Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj. It was written by Ciara, Minaj and Rock City brothers, Timothy and Theron Thomas. Rock City and The Co-Captains provided production. "I'm Out" made its premiere on May 22, 2013, on Ciara's official SoundCloud account and was serviced to urban radio in the United States on June 3, 2013, as the second single from Ciara through Epic Records. Lyrically, it incorporates themes of breakups and making an ex-boyfriend regret leaving.
"Now I'm That Bitch" is the debut single by Barbadian British singer-songwriter Livvi Franc, released on 13 June 2009 by Jive Records. It features guest vocals from rapper Pitbull. The artists co-wrote the song with its producer Salaam Remi. "Now I'm That Bitch" received mixed reviews from contemporary critics, who considered it as an empowering anthem, despite criticizing its composition.
"One Less Lonely Girl" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was written and produced by Ezekiel Lewis and Balewa Muhammad of The Clutch, and Sean Hamilton, John "J.R." Harris and Hyuk Shin of the production team A-Rex. The song was released exclusively to iTunes as the second single from his debut release, My World, on October 6, 2009, and was later released to more digital distributions and mainstream and rhythmic radio soon after.
"Baby" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber featuring American rapper Ludacris. It was released as the lead single on Bieber's debut studio album, My World 2.0. The track was written by the artists alongside Christina Milian and producers Tricky Stewart and The-Dream.
Rucka Rucka Ali is an Israeli-American rapper, singer, radio personality, comedian, YouTuber, and parodist. He has released eight independent studio albums, four of which have charted in the Billboard Top Comedy Albums. As of 2024, he has amassed 450+ million views and about 1.76 million subscribers on his music channel on YouTube. Though he claims his songs are parodies, he has been banned from Youtube multiple times for content deemed racist and offensive.
"Friday" is the debut single by American pop singer Rebecca Black, written and produced by Los Angeles record producers Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson. The song's music video was released on February 10, 2011; it was officially released as a single on the iTunes Store on March 14, 2011. The song features a rap verse from Wilson, which was uncredited on the single. Its music video caught a sudden surge of hits after Mystery Science Theater 3000 and RiffTrax comedian Michael J. Nelson called it "the worst video ever made" on Twitter and the song was featured on the Tosh.0 blog. The song's reception was highly negative, and it was parodied by numerous artists and comedians.
Ark Music Factory was a musical composition and production company based in Los Angeles, California. The company was co-founded in 2010 by Patrice Wilson, who partnered with producer/composer and multi-instrumentalist Clarence Jey.
Rebecca Renee Black is an American singer, songwriter, and YouTuber. She gained extensive media coverage when the music video for her 2011 debut single "Friday" went viral on YouTube and various social media sites. The song had a polarizing reaction as while it peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, it was also panned by audiences and music critics, many of whom considered it "among the worst songs ever made". In 2013, Black released a follow up single "Saturday" to similar commercial success and marginally improved reception. Her debut studio album Let Her Burn—preceded by two extended plays—was released in February 2023 to generally favorable reviews.
Patrice Iteke Wilson, also known by his stage name Pato, is a Nigerian-American record producer, songwriter, and singer. He co-founded the ARK Music Factory in 2010, a record label which specialized in young pop artists. Wilson is credited with signing American singer Rebecca Black prior to the release of her 2011 debut single "Friday," which peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wilson and Jey wrote and produced the song, as well as most songs performed by artists of whom signed to the label; ARK shut down in 2012.
Davin Tong, better known by his alias Peter Chao, is a Canadian actor, comedic vlogger, and YouTube personality known for his unconventional portrayals of Asian stereotypes, which alongside other comedic videos have amassed a following of over 1.2M followers on TikTok and almost 800,000 subscribers on YouTube. Born and raised in New Brunswick, Canada, Tong is the second son of "Chinese immigrants", while his character Chao was born and raised in Hong Kong. Tong is bilingual, speaking both fluent English and Cantonese.
Allison Gorshkov, known professionally as Alison Gold, is an American actress and former pop singer. She is best known for her music career under the stage name, "Alison Gold", in which she released the single "Chinese Food" in 2013 through PMW Live, which peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. She has since pursued an acting career under the alias, "Alison Gold", starring in several films such as Rotten (2016), The Experience (2019) and Continental Split (2024).
Clarence Ranjith Jeyaretnam, known professionally as Clarence Jey, is a Sri Lankan born American record producer and songwriter. He co-founded ARK Music Factory with record producer Patrice Wilson in 2010. The label signed American singer Rebecca Black; Jey and Wilson wrote and produced her 2011 single "Friday", which peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Hello Kitty" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne, taken from her self-titled fifth studio album, Avril Lavigne (2013). It was written by Lavigne, Chad Kroeger, David Hodges and Martin Johnson. Production was handled by Kroeger and Hodges, with additional production by Brandon Paddock and Kyle Moorman. Musically, "Hello Kitty" is a J-pop, dubstep, and EDM song, featuring an electro-influenced drop. The song was influenced by Lavigne's affinity to the Japanese brand Hello Kitty, and has some sexual content.
Bryan Quang Le, better known as RiceGum, is an American YouTuber and online streamer. He is best known for his diss tracks and online feuds with other YouTube personalities. Since creating his YouTube channel, his channel has received over ten million subscribers and over two billion video views.
"Freaky Friday" is a song by American rapper Lil Dicky featuring American singer Chris Brown and uncredited vocals from Ed Sheeran, DJ Khaled, and Kendall Jenner. Written alongside Ammo and Nicholas Audino and produced by Mustard, Benny Blanco and Twice as Nice, it was released by Dirty Burd on March 15, 2018, alongside its music video.
Nigel Ng is a Malaysian comedian and YouTube-personality. He is best known for co-creating and portraying Uncle Roger, a character representing a middle-aged Asian uncle with an exaggerated Cantonese accent who is often seen critiquing people's attempts in cooking Asian food.
"Happy Ending" is a song by American rapper Hopsin. It was released on October 13, 2017, along with an accompanying music video as the second single from his fifth studio album No Shame. The video was originally taken down from YouTube due to featuring nudity. The song and video, which chronicle Hopsin's experience paying for sexual services at an Asian massage parlor, received nearly universally negative reviews from music critics and drew backlash for its racist and sexist depiction of Asian women.
