J Balvin apologises after removing music video amid racism and misogyny backlash

Controversial video was deleted from YouTube earlier this month

Pop star J Balvin has apologised after the music video for his recent track “Perra” provoked outrage over content that was labelled racist and misogynist.

The singer, real name José Balvin, deleted the video from YouTube earlier this month.

“Perra” is a collaboration with Dominican rapper Tokischa, and was featured on Balvin’s recent album Jose, released in September.

The video was criticised for its portrayal of Black women as dogs, and featured images of Balvin holding dog leashes around two women’s necks.

Among the voices to publicly condemn the video were Balvin’s own mother, and Colombian Vice President Lucía Ramírez.

In a series of videos shared to his Instagram Stories yesterday (24 October), Balvin apologised for the video.

“I want to say sorry to whomever felt offended, especially to the Black community,” Balvin said (per a translation by NME).

“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.”

“As a form of respect, I removed the video eight days ago,” the artist continued, “but because the criticism continued, I’m here making a statement.”