The actress wowed the audience with an original rap at the “MAMA Awards 2024” in Japan.
“Experimental” would be an understatement to describe the “2024 MAMA Awards”. As well as taking place in two different locations over the course of three nights, it featured some of the most anticipated K-Pop performances, as well as some of the most surprising.
Actress Lee Ji Ahin “Cross The Line”, performed together with the rapper Lee Young Jiit was definitely unexpected. His hard-hitting rapping was more than enough to wow fans in the audience.
Actress Lee Ji Ah shocks with her hardcore rap performance at the ‘MAMA Awards 2024’
As viral as the performance became, some fans are now expressing different reactions. A theqoo post, highlighting the fact that the rap was self-written, raised questions about what qualified the actress to take the stage compared to other K-Pop artists. Hundreds of comments asked, “But what about idol groups from smaller companies who don’t have the opportunity to perform?”
- “Second-hand embarrassment.”
- “It’s hilarious how the granddaughter of a huge pro-Japanese faction, who used to flaunt her ancestry, is now rapping in Japan.”
- “Even in Japan, LOL.”
- “There are countless rookie artists who would have killed for that stage. We should have let real singers sing on stage. So, why?”
- “She’s not that good.”
- “What was the purpose?”
- “What was the point of having her perform? It is not part of the MAMA lineup. It is difficult for artists to secure a performance at MAMA. We should have opted instead for smaller company idols that did well in 2024.
- “I don’t want to see it on screen.”
- “Huh? It’s unrecognizable.”
- “MAMA is pathetic for even planning this performance, having Lee Young Ji team up with her. All this instead of inviting idol groups from smaller companies and/or treating the idols present well.
Other comments included the most scathing criticism stemming from the fact that Lee Ji Ah is from a chin-he (친일, pro-Japan) background: His grandfather on his mother’s side had been a big shot “pro-Japanese faction”, someone who collaborated with Imperial Japan during the colonization of Korea. Throughout her career, even more so after admitting that she grew up in a “wealthy house, thanks to his rich grandfather” in 2011, the actress was unable to escape the chin-he label and the hostile reactions it triggered.
- “Stop supporting this pro-Japanese woman.”
- “Pro-Japanese.”
- “It is chin-he.”
- “She wants so much to be beautiful.”
- “Pro-Japanese.”
As the divide continues to deepen, with a handful of comments also pointing out that some comments are “harmful for the sake of being harmful”—the performance continues to attract attention.
Watch the full show here:
