Colombian Reggaeton star J Balvin issued a public apology Sunday to “Women and the Black Community” for the music video for her song “Pira,” which features black women dressed as four-legged animals.
“I want to apologize to everyone who was offended, especially women and blacks, a thousand apologies,” the artist said in a video clip posted on her Instagram account.
The video, which shows Palvin alongside two black women crawling alongside him, their necks chained, angered netizens as well as public figures.
The Vice President of Colombia, Marta Lucia Ramirez, accused the musician of promoting “macho” and “racist” messages.
“In response, I obviously removed the video (from YouTube) eight days ago, out of respect. The 36-year-old added, as they keep criticizing, I’m there (…) in person.
At the beginning of the clip, J. Balvin says he left for an “underworld” and then appears as the only light-skinned dancer among dozens of blacks in a slum.
By the time it was removed from the YouTube platform, the video had surpassed 10 million views and could still be viewed on other social networks.
