Gunplay has addressed widely criticized footage in which he’s seen hurling a number of deeply offensive comments and anti-Asian slurs at someone on Instagram Live.
In the footage in question, recently shared by WorldStarHipHop but circulating since at least a month ago, the Maybach Music Group-affiliated artist is seen calling someone on his Live a “g**k piece of shit” and a “corona-having ass motherfucker” before later pulling a page out of the Trump book by referring to coronavirus as “China virus,” an inaccurate and inflammatory term which has become a staple among xenophobes over the past year.
“You’re not qualified to even speak in America … You are Chinese, n***a,” Gunplay says in the video. “You fucked up the world. How does it feel to have your race fuck the world up, n***a? You fucked up football.”
In a new video shared to Instagram over the weekend, Gunplay tagged the official WorldStarHipHop account and claimed they had shared the original video “just for the views.” He also addressed the contents of the video, though his new comments couldn’t fairly be described as any sort of apology.
“They got me on there hatin’ on Asians, dawg, when I love Asians,” Gunplay said on Sunday. “I watch Japanese porn, so shut the fuck up, first of all. Second of all, motherfuckin’, you didn’t see when the motherfucker was trolling me calling me n***a the whole time, trolling me the whole time. So when you come with a knife at a fight, I’m gonna shoot you in the fucking front of your forehead with my words.”
From there, Gunplay said he “fucks with the Asian community” and said his jeweler “is Asian” before claiming that those criticizing the slurs-filled original clip are ruining his chances at sexual relationships.
“I have no problems with Asians, you know, I would love to fuck an Asian bitch,” he said. “I been to the motherfuckin’ massage place. I fucked one before. They got some good pussy. You see what I’m saying? I’m trying to get me some Asian pussy here. Y’all fucking me up now.”
Elsewhere, he again mentioned the person he was shouting slurs at in the original IG Live video, saying he wouldn’t mind if that person died a violent death in front of their family.
In the comments of Gunplay’s IG post, many were quick to point out that he needs to issue a respectful apology for his initial comments while also noting that his latest statement on the controversy only further contributes to hateful stereotypes.
Condemning such comments is of particular importance at the moment due to the recent surge of anti-Asian violence, which has been on the rise thanks in large part to the spreading of racist and xenophobic rhetoric in connection with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
For info on how to help curb this surge of targeted violence, including the steps to take in reporting instances of violence and how to get involved at the local volunteer level, read this.
