DINH DOONG

Saucy Santana has been facing intense backlash recently after old tweets resurfaced, where he made derogatory comments about Beyoncé and her daughter, Blue Ivy. Despite his rising success, including making it into XXL magazine’s Freshman Class of 2022, the resurfaced tweets from 2014-2017 have drawn significant outrage, particularly from Beyoncé’s loyal fan base, the Beyhive.

In these tweets, Santana insulted Blue Ivy by calling her “nappy-headed” and even compared her unfavorably to Kim Kardashian’s daughter, North West. Given Blue was just two years old at the time, his comments were widely condemned as inappropriate and anti-Black, especially since they targeted a child’s natural hair texture. Additionally, he body-shamed Beyoncé during her pregnancy with twins, saying she didn’t have the “pregnancy glow” and looked “dry.”

Unsurprisingly, the Beyhive reacted swiftly, swarming Santana online, calling him out for his past remarks. Many fans expressed their disappointment, pointing out the disturbing nature of comparing two babies and criticizing a child’s appearance. The outrage wasn’t limited to Beyoncé and Blue Ivy, as it also emerged that Santana had previously made offensive remarks about Cardi B’s daughter, Culture, even before she was born.

Instead of offering a straightforward apology, Santana took to social media with a defensive stance. He dismissed the significance of old tweets, claiming that people don’t have the power to “cancel” him, and argued that he has grown as a person since those tweets were made. His response, which many saw as defiant and dismissive, only fueled the backlash further. Santana’s unwillingness to apologize directly to the people he offended, combined with his comments about the perceived powerlessness of social media, struck a nerve with many who felt his remarks were deeply insensitive.

His attempts to smooth over the situation, such as now calling Blue Ivy’s hair “beautiful,” did little to pacify fans who saw it as too little, too late. The incident has opened up larger discussions on colorism, internalized anti-Blackness, and the responsibility that public figures hold for their past actions, especially when it comes to comments about children.

Santana’s situation highlights how quickly public sentiment can shift, especially when offensive comments resurface. His handling of the situation has left many questioning whether he truly understands the gravity of his past words or if he’s simply trying to move on without addressing the hurt he caused.