"It's just a bandana and a tank"- Fans defend Stray Kids' Bang Chan as his look in 'CREED' teaser sparks cultural appropriation allegations

On August 13, 2025, Stray Kids released the new teaser for CREED, a track from their upcoming album Karma. The teaser offered insight into the song's heavy bass and performance-based style. However, the discussion quickly shifted to leader Bang Chan's outfit.

In the 40-second teaser, Bang Chan's outfit included a loose black tank top, sunglasses, and a headscarf. Some viewers claimed the headwear resembled a durag, and this led to accusations of cultural appropriation towards Black communities.

Others criticized the hip-hop styling. They stated it relied on outdated stereotypes and linked it to past styling controversies for the group.

Many fans defended Bang Chan. They stated that the headwear was simply a bandana and matched the concept of the teaser. An X user, @_feminINomeyeon, wrote:

"It's just a bandana and a tank please y'all need to chill he's not an idiot."

Fans of Stray Kids urged others not to judge based on a few seconds of footage and insisted the styling did not disrespect any culture.

Some called the backlash an attempt to dampen excitement before the comeback. Others praised his stage presence and the overall visual impact.

About Stray Kids’ upcoming album Karma

CREED is part of Stray Kids' fourth full-length album Karma. It is set to release on August 22, 2025, at 1 PM KST (midnight EST). This will be their first full album since ★★★★★ (5-STAR) in June 2023 and their first domestic release in over a year.

The concept teasers follow a futuristic "2081 Karma Sports Event" storyline. It showed each member as a champion competing for victory in a cyberpunk-inspired setting.

Full Karma tracklist:

삐처리 (BLEEP)
CEREMONY (Title track)
CREED
엉망 (MESS)
In My Head
반전 (Half Time)
Phoenix
Ghost
0801
CEREMONY (Festival ver.)
CEREMONY (English ver.)

Stray Kids for their fourth album (Image via X/@Stray_Kids)

After debuting in 2018 under JYP Entertainment, the eight-member group has established a reputation for itself through self-produced music, experimental sounds, and energetic performances. Their last two major releases, ★★★★★ (5-STAR), and the EP ATE, became number one globally, and ATE sold over 3 million copies. It also earned them a No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200.

The group is also nominated in the Best K-pop category for the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in 2025 with their track Chk Chk Boom!

Best K-pop category nominees at the 2025 VMAs:

Aespa – Whiplash
Jennie – Like Jennie
Jimin – Who
Jisoo – Earthquake
Lisa ft. Doja Cat & Raye – Born Again
Stray Kids – Chk Chk Boom
Rosé – Toxic Till the End

The group recently completed touring across North America and Europe as part of their Dominant World Tour.

About the author

Mantasha is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda who covers K-pop and K-drama. She has recently completed her Masters in English and has a rich 3-year writing experience where she crafted engaging content for top companies such as Unacademy, Apollo Hospitals, Adani Airports, and the Economic Times. Her experience has helped her create a strong foundation that complements her passion for creating the best content related to K-pop, K-dramas and Korean movies.

Mantasha's interest in pop culture took root when her cousin introduced her to classic Hollywood and Bollywood tunes and the rest, as they say, is history. Mantasha’s connection with K-pop supergroup BTS is a special one as their song lyrics, hard work, and dedication resonate with her like no other group does.

Maintaining accuracy, relevance, and ethics in her reporting is extremely essential for Mantasha. She prioritizes thorough research, delving deep beyond just superficial sources, to ensure comprehensive and trustworthy information.

When not writing, Mantasha enjoys journaling and doodling, watching K-dramas and listening to songs.

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Edited by Maithreyi S