Male Idol Gets Accused Of “Ripping Off” Usher In New Release
A beloved male idol has become the center of controversy on social media after his latest release went viral.
The idol in question is Wonho, who dropped his first full-length album SYNDROME last year.
Though it has been months since the release, recently a snippet of the title song, “If You Wanna,” went viral on X (formerly Twitter), racking up nearly 4 million views at the time of writing.
album so fire it promotes itself pic.twitter.com/IC0eua3Di6 https://t.co/15YE9vZnhz
— II̷I̷I̷ (@urinparty) February 8, 2026
Though the original post highly praised the song, it sparked a myriad of criticisms from netizens. One of the most prevalent complaints was that the song sounded like it was heavily “ripping off” Usher.
this is quite literally “u don’t have to call” by usher https://t.co/gbrs67ib4H
— vanity pr team (@PINKMAKAVELI2) February 10, 2026
This is just an early 2000 usher song wdf lol https://t.co/CrU0Wq2sUi
— Ajay (@sanskritant) February 11, 2026
the lack of sauce, flavour, range, vibes in so much kpop/krnb/khiphop becomes readily apparent when you look at the originators:pic.twitter.com/f4LNyR75z6 https://t.co/PspmtYPy4Z
— moons🔻🖤 a luta continua; vitória é certa (@manticoremoons) February 11, 2026
gagging over reheated usher and ne-yo nachos man this why i can never take k pop fans seriously https://t.co/tB9IAGRWXe
— jay (@jaytee_burner) February 10, 2026
Some also named other prominent Black artists such as Ne-Yo and Lloyd while pointing out how the soundscape of Wonho’s song was “copied” from them.
It actually disgusts me how much black americans are copied, while also being hated/disrespected by all https://t.co/QESseE1CnR
— Tone 2x (@Beastmilla_32) February 10, 2026
kpop try not to ripoff black music (challenge impossible) https://t.co/P6qNtLeo0n
— SodjtheTHiRD (N.E.R.D Arc) 🇳🇬🇵🇸 (@sodjthe3rd) February 10, 2026
Kpop is literally just outdated versions of R&B and HipHop. I really don't get the appeal. https://t.co/HZ3kPUKQsT
— 🌟 Vida Angeleña🌟 (@LifeStarMedia) February 10, 2026
People who genuinely try to convince me this style of music is groundbreaking must’ve felt ousted or alone at some point b/c there has to be a reason to listen to knockoff music https://t.co/puwUaXa9qV
— Aerin (@FromAerin) February 10, 2026
However, many also praised the song, appreciating the refreshing sound. Many fans also pointed out how transparent Wonho has been about being inspired by R&B music, arguing that the accusations of cultural appropriation were unfair.
this is the most disgusting prechorus i’ve heard in the last few years https://t.co/DVNOBdkH3K
— ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ (@kyoongfairy) February 9, 2026
This sounds so good I'm ngl https://t.co/DuxVsXYox6 pic.twitter.com/MmsygoguDN
— nct 127, the main unit (@theehypocrisy) February 11, 2026
my black card may get revoked but I’m sorry wonho and yedam are very much in repeats THE MUSIC IS TOO GOOD IDK WHAT TO TELL YALL I love rnb entirely too much to give a fuck who singing it until you start sounding like an ideal copy then yeah that’s an issue I won’t name names…. https://t.co/UYkmq6v1Gq
— ⁺˖°ʚ hu hanwen thinker ɞ°⁺˖ ࣪𖤐 (@heesoluvlee) February 11, 2026
Wonho has mentioned in various interviews that he grew up listening to American R&B and hip-hop, especially from the 2000s. He is a fan of many Black artists, and this is evident in his music. He shows admiration in a respectful way
stop being so annoying https://t.co/1bRMy8T55H
— Rose ♡ ₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ (@kidamonbebe) February 11, 2026
Ppl hating but I say keep black, producers, writers amd choreographers employed!!! they be eating of these kpoppies no doubt and I’m fine with that 🫡 https://t.co/7HJ6q3pXdE
— ༺ ♡ 𝖈𝖞𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖇𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖊𝖊 ♡ ༻ (@bl0odybytez) February 10, 2026
You can check out the full music video right here:
