The 'Mi Gente' hitmaker's official video for his track collaborating with Tokischa has been taken down from YouTube amid controversy over the clip's depiction of Black women.
- Oct 20, 2021
AceShowbiz - J Balvin's music video for his song "Perra", a collaboration with Tokischa, was taken down from YouTube. The clip was removed after critics slammed the video for portraying black women in a humiliating and disrespectful way.
The MV was taken down on Sunday, October 17. However, there's no public statement regarding the reason for the clip's removal. In the video, which was directed by Raymi Paulus, the 36-year-old musician could be seen walking a pair of black women.
The women's faces were made to look like dogs. Tokischa, who is a black woman herself, also posed on all fours inside a doghouse in the clip. The clip later prompted outrage over misogynoir, an oversexualized depiction of black women. On the track, J Balvin and Tokischa also compared looking for sex to the way canines do. The Dominican-born raptress' verses include the lyrics, "I'm like a dog in heat/ Looking for a dog to hit it."
Colombian Vice President, Marta Lucia Ramirez, and Presidential Counselor for Women's Equality, Gheidy Gallo Santos, issued a joint statement to Los Angeles Times. In their statement, the leaders criticized how the video "uses images of women and people of African descent."
Marta and Gheidy also pointed out that J Balvin's clip "presents" a population group with special constitutional protection "with dog ears." The statement continued, "In addition, while walking, the singer carries two Afro-descendant women tied with neck chains and crawling on the floor like animals or slaves."
Journalist Nuria Net also criticized the MV. Taking to her Twitter account, she wrote in Spanish that imagery in the clip was "totally despicable and racist." She also said that "taking it down from YouTube without making any kind of statement or mea culpa is very cowardly and does not solve anything."
Earlier this month, J Balvin was asked by Paper magazine about how black contributions have been marginalized in the reggaeton genre. He said at the time, "We know where reggaeton comes from, and if you're in this game you should know where you come from... Once you're doing the right thing, we'll find you."
