Vince Staples defends Christian mother upset over his lyrics

The rapper says people should respect opinions that are different from their own

(Daniel Zuchnik/Getty)

Vince Staples isn’t here for Internet bullying.

The Long Beach rapper is defending the unidentified Christian mother of four who recently posted an 11-minute YouTube video criticizing the lyrics to his Summertime ‘06 hit, “Norf Norf.” The clip has since gone viral, generating tweets and headlines depicting the mother’s tearful rant as “nonsensical.”

Folks online also condemned the mother’s use of the “n-word” while she read the lyrics in front of her child.

However, one vital person in the mother’s corner is Staples himself. He’s saying that people online should respect an opinion that’s different from their own.

“I don’t really have much to say about the video — I don’t think it’s funny at all,” Staples told The Independent on Wednesday. “It’s not right to attack someone over their stance, their opinions, and their religion. I think that’s very immature.”

“It’s just not right that’s she’s being attacked," he added, "it’s not okay.”​

In the mother’s recording, she describes the 2015 track as “crap” and says that the lyrics infuriated her. “I remember listening to the top hits as a kid,” she says. “You know Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC. Those were the top hits when I was a kid. Nowadays it’s not the same, not the same at all.”

She admitted that the curse words were removed from the track but encouraged fellow parents to pay attention to music their children are listening to.

“I’m raising four little girls and that just breaks my heart,” she says while sobbing. “I tell you right now, music has a strong influence on our children. I normally never listen to that radio station, it’s almost like I was meant to hear to let you guys know about it.”

To be clear, "Norf Norf" depicts the harsh reality of growing up on the north side of Long Beach, where folks have nothing productive to do but gangbang—a problem Staples has tried to remedy by investing in youth programs in the area.

So while Staples believes the mother has every right to defend her children, he also said that she is clearly confused about the context of his song.

“We already have a lot of issues between black and white relations in this country based on misunderstandings,” Staples continued. “In my eyes, she doesn’t look like a racist. She doesn’t look like a mean person. But it’s not very responsible for people to try to take that and jump, looking for some sort of commentary on these issues [in the community].”

Watch the mother's criticism below.

For those who haven't heard, listen to Vince Staple's "Norf Norf" here.