Chris Brown Slams Critics Calling Him Anti-Semitic: 'Do Not Wake Up The Demon In Me'
By Favour Adegoke on November 27, 2023 at 5:15 PM EST
Singer Chris Brown responded to backlash after coming under fire for allegedly being anti-Semitic because of a viral video of him with Kanye West.
The video showed the duo dancing to West's new music, which contains lyrics referencing a "Jewish b----." Many social media users condemned Brown for associating himself with West.
Brown replied to his critics by denying the anti-Semitic label and saying he was not a hateful person.
Chris Brown Slams Anti-Semitism Allegations On Instagram
On Sunday, Brown took to Instagram to respond to critics who called him anti-Semitic for dancing to a song by rapper West, which featured lyrics about sleeping with a "Jewish b----."
He made an Instagram Story post that radiated heavy anger and emphasized his gang affiliations. It read, "Let me make this perfectly clear before y'all try to use me as a pawn ... Ima a Piru, I aint Muslim or Jewish so don't start no s--- wont be no s---!!!"
Brown added, per TMZ, "Im trying to be peaceful but please do not wake up the demon in me! ... Go on about your f------ day."
The "Forever" singer didn't stop there by making it clear that anti-Semitism was the wrong label for him. However, his second Instagram story post was significantly more peaceful than the first.
It read, "I'm pro life and I make music for the entire world!!!!!! So please do not get tricked into thinking I spread hate or am kool with it! This is for the millions of young kids that look up to [me] and [may] be confused."
Chris Brown Was Labeled As Anti-Semitic
Brown came under fire on social media for a controversial video of him with West. The clip showed the two music icons in Dubai, listening to West's newly released song with Lil Durk and TY Dolla $ign.
The track has become heavily controversial because of a line in which West raps, "How I'm antisemitic? I just f---- a Jewish b----."
In the video, which went viral on Instagram, West and Brown were seen vibing to the new song playing loudly. They were with the Yeezy founder's wife, Bianca Censori, rapper TY Dolla $ign, Bump J, and several others. The rapper debuted "Vultures" via Chicago radio station Power 92 on November 17.
The video of West and Brown dancing to the song triggered immediate condemnation on Instagram. Tanya Zuckerbrot, a Jewish businesswoman, openly criticized the duo and shared her disgust for the lyrics and their actions. In her post, Zuckerbrot called West and Brown a pair of "sick, masochistic, and antisemitic f-----."
The Comments Heavily Criticized Him
The fan comments on an Instagram post of the video also heavily criticized West for the anti-Semitic song and Brown for seemingly enjoying the music. One comment read, "Let the record industry chew on this. Let them never EVER work again."
A second critic wrote in the comments, "Chris Brown and Kanye West: the two most problematic rappers of all time."
Another comment read, "Chris had some spare time between hitting his girlfriends I guess." This remark was a reference to Brown's history of physical and verbal abuse against former ex-girlfriends, including Rihanna and Karrueche Tran.
A fourth critic stated, "I don't understand how this is allowed to be a song. Why do we allow as a society any songs that degrade an entire group of people? I don't listen to rap but I guess it's common to do this in that form of music about so many different people and I'm shocked that our society supports it in any form."
Chris Brown And Kanye West Are Problematic Music Figures
The anti-Semitic controversy against Brown is only the latest among his many problems with fans. He's had to rebuild his career after legal issues relating to physical and verbal abuse.
These legal battles include him pleading guilty to assault charges against Rihanna in 2009 and multiple assault and battery accusations.
The "Undecided" singer has been diagnosed with post-traumatic disorder and, just like West, suffers from bipolar disorder.
West, for his part, has barely recovered from the damage done to his music and business career after his anti-Semitic controversy began last year.
In the months since Ye made the statement to go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," he's been heavily and repeatedly condemned by the press and the public. The "Good Morning" rapper lost his business partnerships with brands like Adidas, Gap, JP Morgan. and Balenciaga.