• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechSnapchat

Is Snapchat’s New Bob Marley Filter Just Blackface?

By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 20, 2016, 11:59 AM ET
Bob Marley in Concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta - November 12, 1979
Bob Marley, being interviewed after the show at the Fox Theater (Photo by Tom Hill/WireImage)Photograph by Tom Hill — WireImage/Getty Images

Here’s how Snapchat wants to make its users look like Bob Marley: Plop on some dreadlocks, have them rock a red, yellow, and green Rastafarian cap, and maybe darken up their skin a little?

Snapchat (SNAPCHAT) released a new Bob Marley filter early in the day on April 20th. The popular messaging app quickly drew criticism on social media for releasing the reggae look on a day well known as an unofficial holiday for marijuana fans (4/20).

[playbuzz-item url=”//www.playbuzz.com/fortune/is-snapchat-s-new-bob-marley-filter-just-blackface”]

Model Kylie Jenner came under fire after she tested out the new filter and posted the video on her Instagram page.

Warning: The video below contains strong language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qBJBMw1H40

Bob Marley music fans took to Twitter to express their disgust with the new filter, which they said looks like a high-tech version of blackface. They also say releasing the filter on 4/20 makes Marley seem more like a weed icon than a revered reggae musician.

https://twitter.com/jackquemi/status/722735264574148608

https://twitter.com/ZER0DayVirus/status/722720350228848640

https://twitter.com/TweetsByBilal/status/722750779577094144

Snapchat isn’t the only social media app with a reggae look for users to try on. Snapchat competitor MSQRD, recently acquired by Facebook, has its own bevvy of celebrity filters and masks, and notably, has had its own Rastafarian filter in place for months. That filter adds in dreadlocks, sunglasses, and a cap, but doesn’t change a user’s skin tone.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Snapchat told Fortune in an email that the new Bob Marley lens was created in partnership with the Bob Marley Estate, saying “millions of Snapchatters have enjoyed Bob Marley’s music, and we respect his life and achievements.”

 

Update Apr 20, 2016 1:40 pm E.T.: This story has been updated with a comment from Snapchat.

About the Author
By Hilary Brueck
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
An unusual Fed ‘rate check’ triggered a free fall in the U.S. dollar and investors are fleeing into gold
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 26, 2026
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Despite running $75 billion automaker General Motors, CEO Mary Barra still responds to ‘every single letter’ she gets by hand
By Preston ForeJanuary 26, 2026
14 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Trump was surging after the Venezuela raid—then came Jerome Powell, Greenland, and Minnesota. Now it feels like a ‘historic hinge moment’
By Jason MaJanuary 25, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Sweden abolished its wealth tax 20 years ago. Then it became a 'paradise for the super-rich'
By Miranda Sheild Johansson and The ConversationJanuary 22, 2026
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
'The Bermuda Triangle of Talent': 27-year-old Oxford grad turned down McKinsey and Morgan Stanley to find out why Gen Z’s smartest keep selling out
By Eva RoytburgJanuary 25, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Gates Foundation plans to give away $9 billion in 2026 to prepare for the 2045 closure while slashing hundreds of jobs
By Sydney LakeJanuary 23, 2026
4 days ago

Latest in Tech

markets
InvestingMarkets
S&P 500 wins back all losses from Greenland dip, gold and silver surge even higher
By Stan Choe and The Associated PressJanuary 26, 2026
7 hours ago
PoliticsBillionaires
Billionaire Tom Steyer says he’d vote for California wealth tax
By Eliyahu Kamisher and BloombergJanuary 26, 2026
9 hours ago
Palantir CEO Alex Karp during an interview at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
InnovationImmigration
Palantir/ICE connections draw fire as questions raised about tool tracking Medicaid data to find people to arrest
By Tristan BoveJanuary 26, 2026
10 hours ago
AIHiring
Job seekers are suing an AI hiring tool used by Microsoft and Paypal for allegedly compiling secretive reports that help employers screen candidates
By Patrick Kulp and Tech BrewJanuary 26, 2026
11 hours ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Why two Gen Z college dropouts are combatting financial nihilism with a credit card startup
By Leo SchwartzJanuary 26, 2026
18 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Meta abruptly halts teen access to its AI characters
By Alexei OreskovicJanuary 26, 2026
19 hours ago