DaniLeigh attempted to quell the growing backlash over her unreleased song “Yellow Bone.” Critics called the singer-songwriter colorist for promoting a track that includes the lyrics “yellow bone that’s what he wants.”
At first, the Miami native pushed back against the idea that she was championing a light skin is superior narrative. She wrote, in a now-deleted post, “Why can’t I make a song for my light skin baddies? Why y’all think I’m hating on other colors when there are millions of songs speaking on all types… Why y”all so sensitive and take it personal… gahhh damn.”
DaniLeigh returned to social media on Sunday to once again address the colorism controversy. However, her new Instagram apology only seemed to further ignite more negative responses to her approach to the entire situation.
https://twitter.com/thhgurutv/status/1353474009342611458?s=20
“I think it’s super important because I definitely feel misunderstood. I feel like my song – ‘Yellow bone is what he wants’ – got the world raffled into thinking I said that’s what the world wants. No, I’m just speaking on my man. That’s what he wants. That’s what he has,” said DaniLeigh. “It wasn’t really meant to be something that people took so deeply. I understand that colorism is a real thing. I guess you can say, I wasn’t as knowledgeable in that topic, but I wasn’t thinking so deeply into it when I was making this song.”
The “Dominican Mami” performer added, “To call me a colorist, to call me a racist, how? I’m dating a whole chocolate man, and I have beautiful [melaninated] friends. Y’all really took it there when it’s not about that. That’s not where I was coming from. I don’t see my skin as a privilege. I never looked at myself as better than anybody, more superior. It wasn’t even about that. It was just me making a cocky-ass song. I’m sorry I offended you guys. It was not my intention at all.”
The “chocolate man” DaniLeigh was referring to is North Carolina-bred Hip Hop star DaBaby. Twitter users pointed out that claiming to have “chocolate friends” and holding a “colorblind” view is similar to what some Caucasians say when they are accused of being racist or perpetuating racism. She was even compared to Rachel Dolezal, the former white president of the NAACP chapter in Spokane who falsely lived her life as a Black woman for years.
https://twitter.com/WendyNelson621/status/1353482723579502593?s=20
Dear DaniLeigh, I too am a yellow bone. pic.twitter.com/8U0e5Rahcf
— NUFF (@nuffsaidny) January 25, 2021
Her name is DaniLeigh.
That’s two skips from Dolezal.
— George M Johnson Garçon (@IamGMJohnson) January 25, 2021
dani leigh when someone explained colourism to her pic.twitter.com/T0k02wvG2K
— dij (@DijahSB) January 25, 2021
Danileigh: “ I Don’t See Color”
Well how the hell you know you yellow? pic.twitter.com/GQXxOTOgKs
— DecaturSummers (@DecaturSummers) January 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/meimmichael/status/1353493582276079616?s=20
https://twitter.com/marcmacal/status/1353474491121197056?s=20
Danileigh made an “apology” video where she wore box braids, spoke in a blaccent, denied understanding colorism or light skin privilege, and said she had “melanated” friends so she couldn’t be racist. Unbelievable lmao pic.twitter.com/oqKSBJuTVF
— Eren Yeager is on the right side of history (@SuccYuhMadda) January 25, 2021