Bliss N Eso Rapper Max MacKinnon Says Sorry for Sexist Photos on Instagram [VIDEO]
Bliss N Eso rapper Max MacKinnon, called MC Eso in the group, has released an apology video Thursday to express his remorse for posting misogynistic photos on Instagram.
“It was a stupid mistake, and I’m extremely sorry,” he ended his video message after admitting that violence against women is not something one should joke about.
Earlier this week, Eso posted several Instagram photos deemed to be sexist during a recent visit to Madame Tussauds in Hollywood. In the images, he is seen playing with the waxworks of a few female celebrities.
In one of the pictures, he is seen sticking his hand up Lady Gaga’s skirt, while in another, he looks up the skirt of Raquel Welsh.
But perhaps the most offensive post was his picture with Rihanna’s waxwork, in which he appears to be on the verge of punching it. He captioned the image with “#smackmybitchup” and “#shelovesthewayithurts,” referring to the lyrics of Love the Way You Lie.”
It wasn’t just an innocent referral to a song, tough. Rihanna was a victim of domestic violence in 2009 when her then-boyfriend Chris Brown hit her senseless until she passed out. The incident had become a tabloid fodder for months, leading to Brown’s arrest.
The reactions on Eso’s photos were overwhelmingly negative, with some people calling him misogynistic and a promoter of domestic violence.
He has since apologised for posting the images, writing on his Instagram, “The photos were not intended to promote violence and were shot in a comedic manner.”
Some of his peers in the hip-hop community have already condemned his actions, with The Tongue writing on The Vine, “To be clear: he does not speak for us and, on this issue, we do not think like him.”
Sydney-based rapper Chance Waters acknowledged Eso’s apology, saying that there would be nothing accomplished if people continue to harass him.
“...there are simply much bigger fish to fry. The real problem is not just the jokes he made but how readily accepted they were by the majority of people who read them and what this says about our cultural awareness of this situation,” he wrote on Faster Louder.
Dialect and Omar Musa, on the other hand, wrote on Twitter:
If being a success/ rich off music means your mentality toward women & domestic violence is allowed to be a joke may I die poor & a failure.
— Dialect (@DIALECT_) September 2, 2014
The parade of vulgarity continues, but this time it's making jokes about a woman being brutally beaten. Not on. Eso should apologise ASAP. — Omar Musa (@obmmusic) September 1, 2014
Triple J radio network, meanwhile, has stopped playing Bliss N Eso songs since the incident hit the news on Monday.
“We appreciate that Eso has apologised and believe his sincerity. We’ll wait on the audience sentiment before playing the band again,” the management said in a statement.