Yikes! Taylor Swift is already seeing major success with the release of her new single and music video “Shake It Off,” but one person who is not a fan of the song’s visuals is rapper Earl Sweatshirt.
The hip-hop artist from the Odd Future group, 20, took to Twitter on Monday night, Aug. 18, after Swift debuted the single and video during a much-watched Yahoo! livestream event.
“Haven’t watched the Taylor Swift video and I don’t need to watch it to tell you that it’s inherently offensive and ultimately harmful,” Sweatshirt wrote. “Perpetuating black stereotypes to the same demographic of white girls who hide their prejudice by proclaiming their love of the culture.”
“For instance, those of you who are afraid of black people but love that in 2014 it’s ok for you to be trill or twerk or say n—a,” the rapper continued.
While “Shake It Off” is already at No. 1 on iTunes less than 24 hours after it debuted, Swift, 24, raised some eyebrows with the single’s accompanying video.
In the clip, she is trying on various costumes and outfits, including a ballerina getup, a Lady Gaga-esque avant garde look, and at one point, gyrating while wearing a pair of skimpy cutoff jean shorts, knee pads, high-top white tennis shoes, a cropped leopard print jacket, and gold hoop earrings and layered chain necklaces. She is backed by six dancers of different ethnicities, who shake behind her. As the dancers bend over, she crawls underneath them, checking out their twerking backsides.
Swift has yet to comment on Sweatshirt’s words. “Shake It Off” is the first cut off of Swift’s upcoming studio album 1989.
