Nick Fuentes has turned to Spotify and Apple Music is his latest attempt to further his white nationalist agenda.
The American far-right political commentator banned from most mainstream social media and content creation platforms curated a playlist on Spotify and Apple Music last month that he dubbed the “White Boy Summer Playlist.” Despite being banned from Spotify, Fuentes was able to circumvent the ban by posting his “White Boy Summer” playlist under his “America First” account (a reference to his “America First organization and “Groyper” movement).
The tracklist is comprised of 300 songs mainly by Caucasian artists such as Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes, Miley Cyrus, Kid Rock, Fleetwood Mac, The Killers, and Weezer. The playlist is available on Spotify and Apple Music, though the “White Boy Summer” title has been removed to avoid detection.
Fuentes has also launched a “White Boy Summer” video blog on his official website where he documented his road trip across the United States to meet up with fellow racists and white nationalists. The self-proclaimed “American nationalist” recently stormed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, with a horde of followers chanting “white boy summer.” As he was being removed by security, Fuentes vowed to give the “most racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, Holocaust-denying speech in all of Dallas” across the street later that day.
Fuentes’ adoption of the “White Boy Summer” slogan is part of a larger trend of white supremacists using a pop culture trend to disguise racist behavior and as a call to action. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the phrase is a play on Megan Thee Stallion’s song, “Hot Girl Summer,” which Tom Hanks’ son, Chet, then remade as “White Boy Summer” in an attempt to “critique white men’s attire and behavior.” While not initially intended as hateful, the phrase has since been coopted by white supremacists to spread their extremist messaging online.
The “White Boy Summer” phrase has since been used in pop culture memes repurposed to include swastikas and other neo-Nazi symbolism, as marketing slogans to sell extremist lifestyle clothing, and as a rallying cry when celebrating white supremacy in action.
The “White Boy Summer” phrase also underscores the ever-changing nature of white nationalist coded language, which has evolved in an attempt to avoid social media bans. Some white supremacists are even using the term to strategically create extremist content that is more appealing to normal people. It is also being used as a subtle battle cry to galvanize disenfranchised Caucasian youth, calling on them to “take back summer”—a demand for white people to reclaim their supposed superiority.
Fuentes is among the white nationalists who has been most effective in weaponizing and mobilizing the “White Boy Summer” phrase. He launched an entire collection of WBS merchandise in order to profit off the far right’s new favorite meme.
“Very excited about our new line up. We have WBS and anti-vax designs, as well as other stuff,” Fuentes posted on Telegram in May.
