American rapper Swae Lee has revealed that he is partly Nigerian. The 30-year-old musician, who is one half of the hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, made the disclosure on Twitter on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
In a tweet, Swae Lee said that he added the Nigerian flag emoji to a previous tweet about his interest in experimenting with the trending South African genre, Amapiano, because he is partly Nigerian himself. He explained that he meant no disrespect towards the South Africans, and his tweet was simply a celebration of his roots.
“I’m partly Nigerian,” Swae Lee tweeted. “I added the Nigerian flag emoji to my previous tweet because I’m proud of my heritage. I love Amapiano and I’m excited to see what I can create with the genre.”
Swae Lee’s revelation about his Nigerian heritage sparked conversations about cultural appreciation and understanding. Some social media users praised the rapper for being open about his roots, while others criticized him for using the Nigerian flag without permission.
I salute it much respect I’m otw 🇿🇦🫱🏽🫲🏾🇳🇬 hit my email I’m locked in 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/zu32Y1bcaa
— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@SwaeLee) July 12, 2023
Wait till y’all hear Swae Lee on Amapiano 🇳🇬
— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@SwaeLee) July 11, 2023
I never discredited nobody sorry y’all read it that way I never said anything about it’s origins in that tweet I was just letting my fans know I’m tapped in and been cooking some amapiano style songs salute to the history of amapiano and the first creators of it I’m not taking…
— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@SwaeLee) July 12, 2023
Bigs up to the South Africans for creating this beautiful shit
— Swae Lee Lee Swae (@SwaeLee) July 12, 2023