Ria Rania defends her stance on ethnic dating

Rapper and dancehall artiste Ria Rania is defending her stance that choosing a particular ethnic group to date is not racism.

"I'm Jamaican and I have dated out of my Jamaican culture. That doesn't mean I'm cancelling culture against my Jamaican people. I've dated a white man before. That doesn't mean I'm racist towards black men or that I don't date black men," she told THE WEEKEND STAR. This came after the hosts of The Fresh and Fit podcast came under attack for what some consider their racial discrimination against black women.

"I was invited to the podcast through my manager, Erica. We were there to discuss the previous episode where rapper Asian Doll was kicked off the show, but then the topic came up on dating preferences," she said. The hosts, Myon Gaines and Fresh openly say that, as black men, they don't date black women.

"Persons wanted to know why they don't like black girls. One of the guys said he doesn't date black girls because his first girlfriend was white, so that's his comfort zone. It's what he's used to, so he just sticks to it. The other guys chose not to explain his reason," said Ria Rania.

They compared their stance to that of women who choose to date taller men or ones who make a lot of money. Ria Rania agreed with the hosts' statement, sharing that everyone is entitled to their preferences. She has been receiving negative feedback since.

On Instagram, persons said she didn't have a clear understanding of structural racism and that she should not have defended men who disrespect black women. One user even expressed hope that no black woman would support her music. The artiste is unfazed by the backlash, admitting that it comes with the territory of being in the industry.

"If they [the hosts] were really racist, they wouldn't have such a diverse set of ladies on their show. They would only have certain types of females on their show. But it's always a mixture of races," she added.