Video shows US rapper Afroman punching woman on stage

Musician said he did not know woman was there

Afroman is accused of punching a woman on stage in Mississippi (Reuters)

The US rapper and musician Afroman has issued an apology and said he will be checking himself into a clinic for treatment after punching a woman who climbed onto stage during a performance.

Video footage from a performance on Tuesday night at the Kress Live venue in Biloxi, Mississippi, shows the musician on stage, playing his guitar, while a woman – presumably a member of the audience – dances next to him.

The musician then swings at the woman’s head, causing her to fall to the ground, before he continues with his guitar solo.

Reports say that that the Grammy Award-winning musician, whose real name Joseph Foreman, was charged with assault by police. He was then released on a bond of $330.

In the aftermath of the incident, Afroman, 40, best known for a 2001 song I Got High, appeared to respond somewhat casually to the incident. “It is what it is,” he said on social media.

Later, however, the musician appeared to have had more time to reflect. In an interview with the TMZ website, he claimed that he had been heckled by the crowd and was not aware the woman was behind him. He said he would be attending a clinic to help tackle anxiety issues.

“There was three wrongs in the situation. All I want to do is right my wrong,” he said. “I’m up there trying to do a job. Honestly, I didn't know a girl was behind me when I swung.”