Chet Hanks Defends Himself Against Cultural Appropriation Critics With Bullfighting Example

BY Erika Marie 6.8K Views
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Chet Hanks
He spoke about the backlash he's received for his Jamaican accent.

He has often faced off against accusations of cultural appropriation, but Chet Hanks will not be deterred. The son of famous actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson rose to viral fame after videos of him delivering his best Patois and Jamaican accent circulated online, and now, Hanks is back with an explanation of why he became so fascinated with the culture.

"I was hooking up with this chick and one day she was on the phone with her family in Jamaica and she was really in the middle of a heated conversation," said Hanks in a video before he began giving his impression of the woman speaking Patois. "I really had no idea what the f*ck she was saying." 

It was then that he seemingly became intrigued with the language and asked for the woman to break down the meaning. "She was just telling me how to say different sh*t, so for like, a week, I was really on a Jamaican tip and that just happened to be the week of the Golden Globes." Then, a clip of Hank's viral moment was aired.

"I had Jamaicans blowing up my Instagram," Hanks added, saying that he was receiving nothing but love from Jamaican people. "Then you got all these social justice warriors in America saying that I'm a f*ckin' villain." When asked specifically about his feelings regarding "cultural appropriation overall," Hanks gave an eample.

"I don't f*ckin' know, dude. If I'm interested in f*ckin' bullfighting, I can fly to Spain and go watch a bullfight," he answered. "And if I want to go talk to a matador and say, 'Hey bro, can you teach me how to f*ckin' fight the bulls?' and he's like, 'Hell yeah, bro! Here, put this on.' He's stoked that I'm stoked, right? Some asshole out there is gonna say I'm f*cked up because I'm culturally appropriating the matador culture."

"But I'm not even mad though because all these haters, they're on the way out, dude." Check it out below.

About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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