Actress Lee Ji Ah’s Surprise Performance Continues To Trigger Divided Reactions

“Experimental” would be an understatement to describe the “2024 MAMA Awards.” In addition to being held in two different locations over the course of three nights, it featured some of the most anticipated K-Pop performances—as well as some of the most surprising.

Actress Lee Ji Ah‘s feature in “Cross The Line,” performed alongside rapper Lee Young Ji, was unexpected, for sure. Her hard-hitting rap was more than enough to wow the fans in the audience.

Actress Lee Ji Ah Shocks With Hardcore Rap Performance At “2024 MAMA Awards”

As viral as the performance has become, though, some fans are now expressing different reactions to it. A theqoo post, highlighting the fact that the rap was self-written, raised questions about what qualified the actress to take the stage over other K-Pop artists. Hundreds of comments asked, “But what about idol groups from smaller companies who don’t get opportunities to perform?”

• “Secondhand embarrassment.”
• “Hilarious how a granddaughter of a huge pro-Japanese faction, who used to flex about her ancestors, is now rapping in Japan.”
• “In Japan, too, LOL.”
• “There are countless rookie artists who would’ve killed for that stage. Should’ve let the real singers sing on stage. So, how come?”
• “She’s not that good.”
• “What was the purpose of this?”

• “What was the point of having her perform? She’s not a part of the MAMA lineup. It’s difficult for artists to secure a performance on MAMA. Should’ve gone with idols from smaller companies that did well in 2024 instead.”
• “I don’t want to see her on screen.”
• “Huh? She’s unrecognizable.”
• “MAMA is pathetic for even planning this performance, making Lee Young Ji team up with her. All this instead of inviting idol groups from smaller companies and/or treating the attending idols well.”

Other comments included the more fierce criticism stemming from the fact that Lee Ji Ah comes from a chin-il (친일, pro-Japan) background—with her grandfather on her mother’s  side having been a named big-shot “pro-Japanese faction,” someone who collaborated with Imperial Japan during the colonization of Korea. Throughout her career, even more so after she admitted to having been raised in an “affluent home, thanks to her rich grandfather” in 2011, the actress has been unable to escape the chin-il label and the hostile reactions that it triggered.

• “Stop supporting this pro-Japanese woman.”
• “Pro-Japanese.”
• “She’s chin-il.”
• “She wants to be cool so bad.”
• “Pro-Japanese.”

As the divide continues to deepen—with a handful of comments also pointing out that some comments are “malicious for the sake of being malicious”—the performance continues to garner attention.

Watch the full performance here: