The R&B and hip hop singer, 30, took to Instagram on October 10 to issue a statement following accusations that he had ignored some fans because of their skin tone at the 2022 SOMEDAY PLEMORA a day earlier.
Crush Addresses Racist Claims: ‘I Sincerely Apologize’ - Statement in Full
In viral video footage, a fan who attended the concert claimed that Crush had been giving high fives to fans, but allegedly chose to skip over her and her roommate over their “dark skin.”
Sharing a video of the alleged incident, the person wrote on Twitter: “sooo i have decided 2 post it..here it is! the ppl crush says “no” 2 is my roommate n i, u can c my hand go down (i have dark skin so it stands out) right after. i dont think crush should “get away” w this. i want other ppl 2 know what he did!
“we r both black, she just has lighter skin than me! on top of that a friend of mine moved her hand away so crush could get 2 me n my roommate but he skipped us n still touched her hand anyways, which she told me after the festival. so.
“also wanna add that my friend n i have been fans since idek how long. me specifically, i listened 2 his music EVERY DAY b4 n thruout hs. my friend even bought me a cd of 1 of his albums in hs bc she knew i luved him sm. so this rly rly f***ing hurt lol [sic]”
In response to these claims, Crush issued a statement on Instagram in which he explained the reason he chose to not give high fives to everyone at the festival.
Crush wrote: “Hi everyone, I just wanted to address the issue revolving around the audience interaction from my performance last night at the 2022 SOMEDAY PLEROMA festival.
“I’ve been away for roughly 2 years and being able to perform on stage with my dearest fans in the audience was such an unforgettable and long-awaited experience, so I naturally and instinctively walked towards and reached down to the crowd.
“To avoid further misunderstanding, I would like to explain that I had to refrain from giving out high-fives with the fans in particular sections as a safety precaution - fans were getting too close to the fences holding up the audience section and I saw that those in the front row were getting pushed against the fence, so I made a quick judgement not to approach for the safety of my fans.
“I sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding that my actions may have caused. I love each and every one of my fans and I would never discriminate nor favor anyone.”
Newsweek has contacted Crush’s representatives at his record label, P Nation, for further comment.
