Tarzzan debuted with braids, grills, sagging silhouettes, AAVE-flavored slang, and a hip-hop persona built from visual signals Black audiences have been explaining for decades. Then K-pop fandom tried to reduce the entire argument to “people are mad about hair.”
Why the criticism started before debut
When THEBLACKLABEL revealed ALLDAY PROJECT, Tarzzan was already recognizable from modeling, dance work, and social media. His styling leaned hard into Black American hip-hop aesthetics. Braids and cornrows were the most visible part, but fans also pointed to grills, oversized and sagging clothing, gestures, slang, and the way the entire persona became darker and more “street” when he performed rap.
That last part is why “it is only hair” never answered the complaint. Black fans were not examining one isolated braid with a microscope. They were looking at a package. K-pop has a long habit of reaching for Black hair, speech, clothing, and movement whenever a company wants an idol to look tougher, cooler, or more authentically hip-hop.
Appreciation is a real argument. It is not a permission slip.
Tarzzan has a genuine dance background. He clearly likes hip-hop. Some Black and non-Black fans defend him because they do not see mockery. They see somebody participating in a global culture he respects. A Black hairstylist may have done some of the braiding. The work can be technically clean. Cultural exchange exists. None of that is imaginary.
The problem is that appreciation is usually declared by the person borrowing, while the cost is described by the people being borrowed from. Black people can still be judged at school or work for the same styles that become edgy, fashionable, or profitable on a non-Black celebrity. That unequal treatment is the sore spot. “He looks good” does not treat it.
I also do not think every fan criticizing him is asking for exile. Many are asking for awareness. Learn the history. Stop treating Blackness like the costume department’s emergency button. If you use the culture this heavily, listen when people from that culture explain why the pattern bothers them.
A competing fan discussion argues that Tarzzan’s styling can be read as appreciation rather than caricature.
The alleged slur made the argument worse
Later clips triggered claims that Tarzzan had used the N-word in unreleased material or altered lyrics. Reports and reposts spread faster than clean audio. Some listeners insist the word is audible. Others say the clip is ambiguous or the accusation was built from people already determined to hate him.
I am not stamping a verdict on muffled audio. There is no value in upgrading “people alleged” into “he definitely said” because a headline wants better engagement. What matters for this database is that the allegation existed, it intensified the cultural appropriation criticism, and neither Tarzzan nor THEBLACKLABEL had publicly resolved the dispute when the coverage circulated.
Fans debated the audio, his predebut posts, and the difference between criticism and online dogpiling.
Then there is the misogyny argument
Unreleased lyrics attributed to Tarzzan also drew criticism for calling women “bitches” and “hoes.” Defenders said those words are common in rap. True. Common does not mean neutral, and borrowing the most disposable language about women is a strange way to prove deep respect for Black music.
Rap is not one personality kit. You do not become authentic by collecting braids, grills, slang, and misogyny like achievement badges. If Tarzzan wants to develop as a rapper, the interesting question is what he has to say when the borrowed signals are removed.
The dogpile is real too
Tarzzan receives criticism that has spilled into appearance insults, xenophobia, and the kind of fandom sport where nobody cares about education anymore. That is not accountability. It is content farming with moral vocabulary.
Some posts have exaggerated crowd reactions or repeated claims without checking original clips. Fans who defend him are right about that. Once an idol becomes the internet’s designated villain, every neutral expression gets submitted as evidence.
Both things can be true again. Tarzzan’s public image deserves criticism. The harassment can still be ugly and dishonest. I can dislike the costume without joining a mob that wants to punish the person forever.
- Tarzzan has repeatedly worn braids and other styling associated with Black hip-hop culture.
- Black fans and Korean student media have criticized the broader package as appropriation.
- Other fans, including some people identifying as Black or mixed, have argued the styling shows appreciation.
- An alleged-slur controversy circulated, but the audio and intent remain disputed.
- There was no clear public company statement resolving the cultural criticism in the sources reviewed here.
Where I land
Tarzzan has charisma. Watch “MEDUSA” and tell me he cannot hold a camera. I will wait. That talent does not require me to defend every styling choice.
I want him to keep the dance control, the strange model face, and the confidence. I want him to build a rap identity that does not look rented. If he loves Black music enough to shape a career around it, then he can love it enough to hear Black criticism without treating the entire conversation as anti-fan noise.
That would be more interesting than another braid debate. It would also make the music better.
Keep digging
Read Tarzzan’s profile, meet ALLDAY PROJECT, then follow the separate Annie Moon privilege debate. This group arrived with enough context for an entire filing cabinet.
Receipts
Ewha Voice · KpopStarz debut backlash coverage · Hype Malaysia explainer · r/kpopnoir discussion · r/alldayproject counterargument