J Balvin Apologizes After Receiving Backlash for Depicting Black Women on Leashes in ‘Perra” Music Video

J Balvin apologizes for his “Perra” music video that showed Black women on leashes.

After weeks of continuous backlash, J Balvin has issued an apology after his music video depicted Black women in leashes. People online called him, saying the video was racist and misogynistic in the “Perra” music video, which translates to “bitch.”

In the video, which has now been removed from YouTube, two Black women are in leashes while several Black performers are in dog-like prosthetics and masks, Buzzfeed reports.

On Sunday, he took to Instagram, saying, “I want to say sorry to whoever felt offended, especially to the Black community,” Balvin said in his Instagram stories. “That’s not who I am. I’m about tolerance, love, and inclusivity. I also like to support new artists, in this case, Tokischa, a woman who supports her people, her community, and also empowers women.”

He went on: “As a form of respect, I removed the video eight days ago. But because the criticism continued, I’m here making a statement. Mom, I’m sorry too. Life gets better each day. Thank you for listening to me.”

The video was directed by Raymi Paulus, responded, saying, “Our creative process never aimed to promote racism or misogyny. The Dominican Republic is a country where most of the population is Black and our Blackness is predominant in underground scenes, where the filming took place, and which was the subject of the video’s inspiration.”

Tokischa, who is featured in the song, said in response to the backlash: “If you, as a creative, have a song that’s talking about dogs, you’re going to create that world,” she explained. However, she also apologized for how the video was perceived: “I understand the interpretation people had and I’m truly sorry that people felt offended. But at the same time, art is expression. It’s creating a world.”