J. Balvin has officially issued an apology for his "Perra" music video.
The clip, made in collaboration with Tokischa and directed by Raymi Paulus, showed some pretty problematic imagery — including a group of Black people who were made to look like dogs, two Black women on leashes and Tokischa on all fours in a doghouse.
Balvin took down the video this month after receiving significant backlash and criticism, even from the artist's mother. "When I found out, I called him... 'Where is the Josésito that I know?'," she told Cosmovisión. "That song is not... I don't even know what to say. I did not see my José anywhere."
On Sunday, Balvin addressed the issues surrounding "Perra," saying, "I want to say sorry to whomever felt offended, especially to the Black community." He continued, "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."
Balvin also made sure to directly speak to his mother. He added, "Mom, I'm sorry too. Life gets better each day. Thank you for listening to me."
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Collaborators Tokischa and Paulus have also addressed the controversy in an interview with Rolling Stone. The model said that she was not involved in the decision to remove the video. She told the magazine, "It was very conceptual. If you, as a creative, have a song that's talking about dogs, you're going to create that world."
Meanwhile, dPaulus provided an explanation with regards to the choice to have a Black cast. He said, "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. 'Perra' was a video filmed in the neighborhood, with people from the neighborhood, and the use of people of color in 'Perra' was nothing more than the participation of our people in it."
Photo via Getty