The “Perra” saga continues to unfold. J Balvin won’t be legally bound to apologize for the video of his song “Perra,” as ruled by Colombia’s judicial court. Released last year, the collab song with Tokischa received a storm of criticism for its depictions of Black women as chained dogs.
A tutelage complaint filed with Colombia’s Council of State, the country’s judicial body which oversees conflicts between people and entities, was swiftly dismissed on the morning of Jan. 24. The complaint was filed by Leonardo Santo Petro on behalf of Black and Afro-descendant communities. The court ruled against Petro, saying it was “inappropriate” for him to file a complaint because he is neither Black nor a woman.
The video for “Perra” was removed in Oct. of last year, but the damage continued. Ironically, the ruling comes after J Balvin accepted the African Entertainment Music Award in Dec. 2021, despite not being Black and in the face of online protest.
Other than a cryptic tweet this morning that read “This is step by step, without putting pressure,” J Balvin has not issued any statement regarding the ruling.
Most fans responded by hyping up the Colombian reggaetonero, but few fans seem to remember the artist’s recent anti-black history. One lone fan took to Twitter to express that no Colombians should support J Balvin.
Last year, after pulling the music video for “Perra” from YouTube, J Balvin took to his Instagram stories — which disappear at the 24-hour mark — to publicly apologize for his depiction of Black women. “I want to say sorry to whoever felt offended, especially to the Black community,” Balvin said on his Instagram Story on Oct. 24. “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.”