Fact Check: Is BLACKPINK’s Jennie Talked About In Travis Scott, Bad Bunny, And The Weeknd’s Explicit New Song “KPOP”?
A few days ago, it was revealed that American rapper Travis Scott, Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny, and Canadian musician The Weeknd (also known as Abel Tesfaye) would release a collaboration single.
Most surprising about the announcement was the title of the track — “KPOP,” though it was unclear if the track would be related to the music genre. K-Pop fans voiced their feelings after the announcement, expressing mixed emotions.
“Diss Track?” K-Pop Fans React To Travis Scott, Bad Bunny, And The Weeknd’s New Song “KPOP”
The single was released on July 21 and surprised many with the lack of K-Pop references in the song. However, some netizens wonder if BLACKPINK‘s Jennie was referenced during the track’s third verse.
The Weeknd sings, “You in Cannes and Saint-Tropez callin’ out my name,” and some have taken that to be a reference to when he and Jennie, along with the rest of the cast, were at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of The Idol.
More lines in the verse like “You know I’m high off that K-Pop,” and “Love when she’ll call me, ‘Papi’ even though she Korean” make it seem like he is talking about a K-Pop artist. Some even connected the line “this ain’t some little yatchty” to a blind item posted by a celebrity gossip account that groundlessly implied Jennie was involved in illegal activity while in Cannes.
Did you see the lyrics of the new song of the weeknd kpop ?
So the yacht thing was real ??😭
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s shading jennie pic.twitter.com/P1kJQVrqkQ— skyfall (@LLLLOCAL) July 21, 2023
However, given each line’s context, he is unlikely to be referencing Jennie. First, while the two were in Cannes, The Weeknd’s alleged girlfriend, Simi Khadra, also attended the festival and is likely who he is talking about.
The weeknd and his girlfriend Simi Khadra at The Idol After Party. May 22, 2023 Cannes #theweeknd #simi #Simikhadra #simi #abel #theidol #Cannes2023 @theweeknd pic.twitter.com/BkBv2NKK5A
— Sun2SS (@Sol27S) May 24, 2023
K-Pop is a music genre but also a term for a lollipop infused with the drug ketamine. Getting high is talked about throughout the song, and the cover art is a lollipop, meaning this is the actual “K-Pop” referenced.
The line that says “even though she Korean” is probably just a play on words involving the dual-meaning title.
Finally, the “little yatchy” line is more than likely talking about another American rapper named Lil Yatchy, as musicians will often mention other artists as wordplay in songs.
Following the distaste for The Weeknd that arose while The Idol was airing, it is easy to understand why many would assume the worst. However, Jennie was not name-dropped, nor is it likely she was referenced at all in the song.
