Music

Snapchat celebrates 4/20 with blackface Bob Marley filter

by Jesse Locke

It seems like someone at Snapchat smoked a bit too much kaya when they created a racist new face filter to morph you into Bob Marley. The add-on introduced for the ganja gun holiday of April 20th adds cartoonish dreadlocks, a rastacap, and Marley’s face over your own.

We wanted to see for ourselves, so one of our staff members ran Snapchat’s Marley filter through a quick test. See the side-by-side comparison at the top of this post. Unfortunately, as DJ Elijah pointed out, this is digital blackface.

Complex explained that Snapchat hasn’t officially announced a connection between the Bob Marley face filter and its 4/20 release date. However, the reggae legend challenges Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, and Rihanna as the world’s most famous weed smoker, plus there’s the fact that the Marley family just launched an official cannabis brand, so there’s no way the timing is accidental.

[h/t FACTMag]