After Chris Brown caught flak for dancing to Kanye West’s new song, he took to social media to clarify that he isn’t antisemitic.
Brown, 34, recently came under fire for a video shared on social media that showed him dancing as West, 46, Lil Durk and Ty Dolla Sign performed “Vultures” at a party in Dubai. In the song, West raps, “How I’m antisemitic? I just f–ked a Jewish bitch / I just f–ed Scooter’s bitch, and we ran her like Olympics / Got pregnant in the threesome, so whose baby is it? Whose baby is it?”
Fans soon questioned Brown’s seeming enjoyment of the lines, and he responded in a pair of since-deleted Instagram Story messages on Sunday, November 26. “Let me make this perfectly clear before y’all try to use me as a pawn,” he wrote, per XXL. “Ima Piru, I aint Muslim or Jewish so don’t start no s–t wont be no s–t!!! Im trying to be peaceful but please do not wake up the demon in me. Go on about your f–king day.”
In a second post, Brown was more diplomatic. “In no way shape or form am I antisemetic [sic] !!! 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 million of young kids that look up to [me] and [may] be confused.”
The performance in question occurred at Blue Dubai, and the club shared videos of the event via its Instagram Story. The three rappers performed in coordinating all-black outfits and left the stage after the song was over.
West debuted “Vultures” on November 17, airing it on Chicago radio station Power 92. The track marks West’s first new song since July 2022, when he teamed with Cardi B for “Hot S–t.” Since that collab, West’s career has cratered following a series of controversial incidents. In October 2022, he held a Yeezy show at Paris Fashion Week in which one model wore a shirt that read “White Lives Matter.”
That same month, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram restricted West’s accounts after he posted antisemitic comments. Celebrities and his fellow stars condemned West’s actions. In November 2022, West dined with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and former President Donald Trump. The following month, West appeared on Alex Jones’ InfoWars, where he made comments like, “I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.”
In the wake of West’s comments, celebrities condemned the rapper while brands including Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap severed financial ties with him. This move resulted in West losing his status as a billionaire.