J Balvin Apologizes for “Perra” Video - Pitchfork

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J Balvin Apologizes for “Perra” Video

The singer removed the clip from YouTube following criticism for its portrayal of Black women

By Allison Hussey

October 24, 2021

J Balvin (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/WireImage)

J Balvin has issued an apology over the video for his Tokischa collaboration “Perra,” as Billboard reports. The singer confirmed that he removed the clip from YouTube earlier this month following criticism for its demeaning portrayal of Black women. “I want to say sorry to whomever felt offended, especially to the Black community. That's not who I am. I'm about tolerance, love and inclusivity,” he said in an Instagram story.

“Perra” appears on J Balvin’s newest album Jose, released in September. The video, wherein Black women were portrayed as dogs, premiered in mid-October and drew fast condemnation for its imagery, including from the singer’s mother. In his apology, Balvin said he deleted the video “as a form of respect.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Tokischa said that the video aimed to emphasize the wordplay of the track. “It was very conceptual. If you, as a creative, have a song that’s talking about dogs, you’re going to create that world,” she said. She also told the outlet that she was not involved in the decision to remove the video. 

Raymi Paulus, who directed the video, also offered Rolling Stone an explanation for the production’s choice of actors:

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.

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