Kendrick Lamar made history over the weekend by becoming the first person of colour to top triple jās Hottest 100, but his victory has still managed to court its fair share of controversy.
K. Dot became the second-ever hip hop artist to claim the countdownās #1 spot, and also broke a Hottest 100 curse by becoming the first act to make the leap from #2 to #1, after coming runner-up with āKing Kuntaā in 2015.
Despite Lamarās accomplishments, his Hottest 100 win has been met with some criticism online, mainly due to its lyrical content.
Triple j acknowledged HUMBLE.ās controversial lyrics after Lamarās win, including the fact that the songās āLilā bitchā hook led to a string of complaints on the triple j text line. The station also noted peopleās differing opinions of the lines, āIām so fuckinā sick and tired of the Photoshop / Show me somethinā natural like afro on Richard Pryor / Show me somethinā natural like ass with some stretch marks.ā
Others criticised the songās victory online (including on the Music Feeds Facebook page), calling the song āsexistā or just sharing their general dislike of the track:
Iāve listened to every hottest 100 on jjj, is it possible Iām now too old? So many amazing female Australian artists this year and Kendrick Lamar singing about bitches gets number 1?? Disappointed in current jjj listeners #Hottest100
ā Melanie Wray (@melanie_wray) January 27, 2018
Following Kendrickās win, Triple jās Music Director Nick Findlay said āHUMBLE.ā was a āmodern-day masterpieceā which āshows just how powerful and important Kendrick Lamar is as a songwriter of our generationā. He also said the station was āoverwhelmedā with requests for the song following its release in March.
Meanwhile, triple jās āHip Hop Showā host Hau Latukefu said, āItās a big moment to see a song like āHUMBLE.ā by an artist like Kendrick to be number one on the #HOTTEST100. The climate for hip hop and R&B has been changing for the good around the world and now weāre seeing it here in Aus.ā
Itās a big moment to see a song like āHumbleā by an artist like Kendrick to be number one on the #HOTTEST100. The climate for hip hop and R&B has been changing for the good around the world and now weāre seeing it here in Aus. More life! ā?
ā triple j Hip Hop (@triplejhiphop) January 27, 2018
āThis is so major, actually culture shifting,ā said artist Miss Blanks.
āBlack people/people of colour make great music, great art, and deserve to be prioritised, elevated, and supported in ways beyond a countdown and one day.ā
https://twitter.com/miss_blanks/status/957208894958321664
Others praised the songās historic Hottest 100 win, and suggested that some peopleās criticism of the track may be racially motivated.
The best song of the year easy! The moment we all heard it we knew! Unreal! Lucky to be alive when Kendrick Lamar is releasing music. Everyone! Sit down and be humble. #Hottest100
ā JamesTidswell (@JamesTidswell) January 27, 2018
Same ppl complaining about Kendrick being number one (for whatever reason) are probably the same ppl who said theyād boycott the #Hottest100 because of the date change #sitdown #behumble
ā Hau LÄtÅ«kefu (@hauiebeast) January 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/muppetbutler/status/957410155481591808
https://twitter.com/geraldmellor/status/957412217669873664
Kendrick is yet to publicly comment on his Hottest 100 victory, and itās unlikely that he will anytime soon, especially given that he didnāt speak to triple j following the weekendās countdown.
āHUMBLE.ā beat out Gang Of Youthsā song āLet Me Down Easyā to claim first place in the Hottest 100 of 2017, after two statistics experts who were tracking the publicās vote correctly predicted the song would top this yearās countdown.
For the full list of songs from triple jās Hottest 100 of 2017, head here.
