Daniel Caesar Revisits YesJulz Controversy: ‘It Was Undignified’

In a new interview, Daniel Caesar revisited his 2019 controversy over his defense of personality, YesJulz. She had been accused of cultural appropriation and heavily criticized for a post she shared years earlier, rocking a t-shirt that read “N*ggas lie a lot.” Julz, who has white ancestry, eventually apologized for the post. Despite this, Daniel stood up for Julz’s behavior and threatened fans to “cancel” him.

Looking back, the singer believes he had some internalized hatred of himself. He also noted that his critiques were ultimately right. “As time has passed, I’m like, ‘Oh, they were 100 percent right,’” he said. “When you accept this type of behavior from people that throughout history have exemplified to you that they hate you, and then you accept the behavior to get out of the circumstances that you’re in, it’s undignified. You’re giving up your own dignity.”

Daniel Caesar Says He Took ‘Accountability’ After Being ‘Canceled’

Last year, in an interview with Billboard, the Toronto-born singer recalled how “drunk and foolish” he’d been. However, he notes it only became a story because he was famous. “I was canceled for being drunk and foolish in public. But that was something I was always allowed to do. No one gave a s–t [until I started to get famous].”

He added, “I’m literally my father’s son,” he continued. “My dad was the guy at sabbath lunch talking about how the government was going to put microchips in our arms. And I’m the same. If you get me riled up at a party, I’ll start talking about some crazy s–t. People roll their eyes, but that’s just the way we are.”