At the end of March, J Balvin guested on a YouTube show hosted by Portuguese vlogger SirKazzio. The appearance included a game of "Fuck, Marry, Kill," during which the Colombian reggaeton singer opined that Rihanna was not an ideal candidate for marriage. “Rihanna isn’t a good woman to marry, just fool around,” he said. Watch the comments above at 4:20.
In an email to The FADER, a spokesperson for the singer defended his comments. “J Balvin has the utmost respect for Rihanna, which he has stated multiple times in interviews – repeatedly naming her as one of the artists he would most like to work with one day. In this particular case, which is being taken out of context by some, a Brazilian video Blog interview requested he answer two rounds of Kiss, Marry, Kill. J Balvin lightheartedly choose his two recent ‘Machika’ collaborators Anitta and Jeon as his ‘Marry’ responses because he knows each of them well – leaving only the ‘kiss’ or ‘kill responses remaining. He would no more wish to show any type of disrespect to Rihanna, as he would wish harm on the other names presented."
Fans of Rihanna on Twitter were swift in their defences, digging up purported old Instagram comments from Balvin asking for Rihanna's hand, and accusing the singer of sexism and anti-black racism.
(L) thumbnail photo by Rick Diamond/One Voice: Somos Live!/Getty Images, (R) photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS
