“I felt his pain “ — J Balvin’s Perra music video controversy explored as the Colombian singer refers to Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap

J Balvin opened up about feeling connected to Will Smith following the backlash he received from his infamous 2021 music video for Perra. In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Tuesday, August 13, Balvin called the actor one of his "biggest idols" who he felt connected with. Referring to Smith's infamous slapping of Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards, the singer said,

"[With] what happened with Will Smith, I felt his pain because I was going through a similar situation when I felt that some part of the world was against me for mistakes."

The singer was referencing his late 2021 music video, Perra, which was on the receiving end of major backlash from fans, other artists, and even Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez, for allegedly being racist and misogynistic. Balvin later apologized for the video which showcased black people's appearance altered to look like dogs and black women being walked on leashes.

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"Will Smith has always been one of my biggest idols. Period." — J Balvin talks about Will Smith

Back in April of this year, Will Smith made a surprise appearance at J Balvin's alien-themed Coachella set. The singer sported a shiny sci-fi outfit while Smith was dressed up as his character from the Men in Black movies, Agent J.

Smith performed the iconic Men in Black theme song alongside Balvin while performers dressed as agents and aliens from the hit franchise danced alongside him and Balvin. Towards the end of Smith's performance, some dancers took Blavin off stage while Smith used a Neuralyzer on the crowd. A Neuralyzer is a device in the franchise, used to wipe people's memory of alien encounters.

During a Rolling Stone interview published on August 13, J Balvin opened up about his connection with Will Smith.

"Will Smith has always been one of my biggest idols. Period. I feel really connected with him. You cannot judge a person for some mistakes,"

Balvin insisted a mistake could not define who a person is, as that would mean everybody was a bad person. The mistake Balvin is referring to here is Will Smith's infamous slap at the 2022 Academy Awards. Back on March 27, 2022, comedian Chris Rock jokingly likened Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's scalp to the 1997 Demi Moore movie G.I. Jane.

Pinkett Smith had been open about her experience with alopecia, which caused her to lose hair. In response to Rock's joke, Smith calmly walked to the stage and smacked Chris Rock in the face before returning, only to swear at the comedian on live television. Smith, who won the Oscar for Best Actor that year, faced intense media scrutiny for his behavior.

As mentioned earlier, during the interview, Balvin noted he felt Smith's "pain" during the scrutiny, as he was going through intense backlash. Balvin's backlash resulted from a 2021 music video for his track, Perra. The video featuring Tokischa, showcased imagery of black people being transformed into dogs.

At one point, Balvin was also seen walking two black women with canine facial features on leashes. The video triggered intense scrutiny for the singer and was taken off YouTube. Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez even signed an open letter that claimed that the track's video and lyrics were "misogynistic expressions that violate the rights of women".

A week after the video was taken down, Balvin took to Instagram to apologize. Before claiming that this was not who he was and that he was about "tolerance, love, and inclusivity" the rapper said,

"I want to say sorry to whomever felt offended, especially women and the Black community."

J Balvin told Rolling Stone that if there was anyone who's been through "darkness and light publicly" at that moment, it was Will Smith. Balvin's "inner child" was screaming to have Smith at the concert because there was "no one better than him". When Balvin approached Smith, the actor requested for a week, but the rapper kept pressuring him. J Balvin told the publication,

"I kept sending him pictures of me praying, until he called and said he was down, and it was a beautiful moment to see us together, man."

J Balvin saluted Will Smith's "new season" just like he was having a "new season." Smith returned to theaters, earlier this year in June with the release of Bad Boys: Ride or Die while J Balvin just released his sixth studio album Rayo on Friday, August 9.