BIGHIT MUSIC’s Trainee A Production Team And Leo Issue Apologies Regarding His Insensitive And Misogynistic Lyrics
A member of BIGHIT MUSIC‘s Trainee A recently came under fire from netizens for writing insensitive and misogynistic lyrics.
The member in question is Leo. You may also recognize him from BTS‘s “Permission to Dance” MV.
Previously, Leo participated in a rap battle for Showdown that was actually posted to Trainee A’s official YouTube channel in fall 2021. For it, he wrote a rap to the instrumental track of Playboi Carti‘s “Stop Breathing.”
His lyrics were quite different from the original song’s and even more explicit. Netizens were horrified at the lyrics that were deemed both insensitive and misogynistic.
"he felt like something was missing" …?
the first pic is the og lyrics and the second is his lyrics. please do tell me what he thought was missing that wrong incriminate him further cuz dawg… https://t.co/jgO3Su75vf pic.twitter.com/2AqNTUM4Hk— mujin fans chicago (@utyarui) December 28, 2021
like are we serious? pic.twitter.com/WafQR5ikbB
— mujin fans chicago (@utyarui) December 28, 2021
Considering he is 19 years old and Australian, we know there are no misunderstandings of the lyrics or mistranslation issues. He knew what he was rapping.
Back then, he filmed a log, talking about the rap. He said that when he wrote the lyrics, he was angry and “tapped into that energy to write the third song.” Leo also excused the lyrics, saying it’s just about the “vibe.”
The video has since been deleted, so it is no longer available on YouTube. Now, both Trainee A and Leo have issued apologies regarding the controversial rap.
The Trainee A official account on YouTube posted the two apologies in Korean and English to their channel’s “Community” section. The production team now recognizes the severity of the issue and promises to be cautious moving forward in content creation.
Hello.
This is the Trainee A Content Production Team.
We would like to express our deepest apologies regarding the inappropriate lyrics in ‘Leo’s SHOWDOWN’ video uploaded on the Trainee A YouTube channel in October.
We sincerely apologize for failing to recognize the seriousness of the issue and releasing a video with inappropriate content. After having recognized the issue, we have decided to delete the video.
We would also like to apologize to everyone to whom we caused pain and distress due to the lyrics in question. We will exercise extra caution in creating content.
We will exercise vigilance to ensure that every trainee including Leo fully understands the issues related to diversity and respect so that they can be more mindful of their actions and words.
We will also make sure to be more attentive to your advice and we will continue to strive to create better content.
We would like to apologize once again to everyone who may have felt pain and distress by the Trainee A video.
— Trainee A Content Production Team.
Leo also personally apologized. He explained why he felt the lyrics were justified at the time but now realizes that it was a “poor decision” and feels “embarrassed.” He strives to learn from his mistakes, and the Trainee A production team ensures that he will understand the importance of respect and diversity.
Hello.
This is Leo.
I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone who has been offended by the lyrics released on the first episode of SHOWDOWN. As it was a competition, I felt as though I needed to use more provocative words and expressions in order to make an impact. This ultimately led me to make an extremely poor decision in which I feel great embarrassment over. I had absolutely no intention to offend or degrade anyone but my words and thoughts were very immature and I deeply apologize.
I’ve been endlessly reflecting on my mistakes, and after rewatching the video, I’m feeling extremely embarrassed and ashamed of my performance. Although I can’t take it back, I am aware that this was entirely my fault and will strive to do whatever it takes to reflect and learn from my mistakes.
Once again, to everyone who may have felt offended by my inappropriate actions and words, I sincerely apologize. I will take this opportunity to reflect and think of more positive and mature ways to express myself through my music.
— Leo
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