India.Arie Doesn't Like Yung Miami's 'Spend Dat': 'Everything You Listen to, See or Eat Is Going to Influence You'

Jack IrvinThu, July 2, 2026 at 2:53 PM UTC

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India.Arie in September 2024; Yung Miami in June 2026Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty; Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage -

India.Arie criticized the popularity of Yung Miami's "Spend Dat" as a reflection of larger cultural issues

The singer clarified she is not calling for a boycott but emphasized the importance of making mindful choices

Yung Miami recently celebrated the song's success in an interview with PEOPLE, saying it resonates with listeners and brings her joy

India.Arie is sharing her thoughts on Yung Miami's "Spend Dat."

As the 32-year-old City Girls rapper's latest solo single climbs up the charts, India.Arie, 50, took to Threads this week to explain why she's not a fan of the song and thinks its "mass acceptance" signifies a larger issue in culture.

Released in April, "Spend Dat" opens with a dedication to "all my scammers and my get-money bitches" and features lyrics about getting money and spending it. The song has already reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sparked a singalong in the crowd at the 2026 BET Awards when Yung Miami (whose real name is Caresha Brownlee) hit the stage as a presenter.

Yung Miami in June 2026Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty

India.Arie (whose full name is India Arie Simpson) first commented on "Spend Dat" in response to a Threads post about the song's success as well as Yung Miami's decision to write a letter in defense of her ex Sean "Diddy" combs amid his allegations of sexual abuse, which the rapper previously defended in a March interview with The Breakfast Club.

"I finally realized that not EVERYBODY wants to get free," wrote India.Arie. "And it was a very, very, very rude awakening. smh. because the mass acceptance of this song is a crystal clear sign of this much bigger truth."

India.Arie also replied to a post calling for a boycott of the song. "I spent my entire adult life, caring way too much," she said. "[Because] I finally learned that not everybody Cares ( with a capital C) And explaining it to them is not gonna make them care. Everything you listen to see or eat is going to influence you. So make wise choices y’all."

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The "Video" singer's comments sparked online conversation, which led her to clarify her thoughts in a longer post. She explained that she's not calling for a boycott of the song and said, "Everybody's gonna make the choices they wanna make."

"As a person who really thought we were supposed to be working towards world peace I really had to recalibrate. I don't think humanity is meant for peace," continued India.Arie. "The rude awakening I speak of came over the last six years. I learned that it is not my place to help anybody do anything ~ it is only my place to be myself. And I'm always gonna do that."

The artist noted that while she does not like "Spend Dat," she doesn't need to in order for others to enjoy it. "I will not be addressing this again," she concluded.

Yung Miami spoke to PEOPLE about the song in an interview on the 2026 BET Awards red carpet. "When I recorded that song, I said that this song is going to be a song that resonates with the people and I was right," she said. "I feel just so happy seeing everybody love the song."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”