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Viral rapper PSY apologizes for anti-U.S. protests years ago

40 Comments
By CHRIS TALBOTT

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the “Gangnam Style” rapper performs a song with lyrics about killing “Yankees” who have been torturing Iraqi captives and their families “slowly and painfully.”

Bye-bye Psy.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

If he's sincere in his apology I can forgive him.

-2 ( +9 / -11 )

Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers/Kill them all slowly and painfully.

I can see how the angst can lead to killing mothers, fathers, and maybe daughters... But killing a daughter-in-law is just way over the top! So I'm assuming that phrase rhymed nicely in Korean.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Ah, the Iraq war. When people put personal accountability aside and just shotgunned anything they could think of. I remember it well.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers/Kill them all slowly and painfully.

...with Gangnam style.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Money talks.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The guy sounds like a dropkick....but at least he apologised.

He walked out of a radio interview here when asked about a past drug charge which made him look like a spoilt brat.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I thought he resembled King Jong Il.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Or a chubby Tamori

3 ( +4 / -1 )

What kind of nutcase sings about indiscriminatly killing people? I was starting to like the guy until this. An apology now just seems like it was brought on by the fact that his past lunacy now seems to be a threat to his career and bulging bank account. Apology not accepted.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Trash rapper. Done. Flush.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Now maybe he will go away. He has had more than his 15 minutes of fame.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The lyrics are such that I don't want him allowed into my country. No visa for people who "express their opinion" that Americans should be killed. Sorry but South Koreans don't have a monopoly on rejecting apologies.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

No real need to apologize, in my opinion, PSY. Most of us Americans have relatively thick skin and can take it. An inane song by a flash-in-the-pan rapper is not going to bother the majority of Americans. Sincerely, though, It's a nice gesture on your part.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Wolfpack: "What kind of nutcase sings about indiscriminatly killing people?"

There are HEAPS of songs in the American canon that sing about indiscriminately killing people. And while the song Killing an Arab, written by Robert Smith from The Cure was based on a moment from Albert Camus' The Stranger, the US has often adopted it as their theme song: first Persian Gulf War and after 9/11. This is only making news because of Psy's recent celebrity.

That being said, I never agree with such songs, and Psy ought to have thought quite a bit more before making them if he seriously wanted to be a successful 'rapper' in the future. Most, if not all, of us make dumb mistakes that can come back to bite us in the butt later, but this one is a doozy, and given Psy's very quick, very successful rocket to the top he's got a LOT further to fall down, and may do so a whole lot faster. In any case he'll lose a lot of fans.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

OssanAmerica: "Sorry but South Koreans don't have a monopoly on rejecting apologies."

You probably represent part of the reason why he made that song way back then. All you ever do is bring in attacks on South Koreans on any thread you can. If anything YOU shouldn't be allowed in your country -- you seem quite intolerant of certain other peoples, which is against the nature of the US.

"The lyrics are such that I don't want him allowed into my country."

Fortunately you don't make the decisions and never will. What probably hurts you the most is that while Psy might lose a lot of fans, most people won't care whatsoever.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

I guess he was just trying to create some street creed for his rap "music" carrier.

However, that this imbecile sympathized with the jihadis who beheaded a hapless Korean in Iraq is beyond the pale.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

WilliB: "However, that this imbecile sympathized with the jihadis who beheaded a hapless Korean in Iraq is beyond the pale."

Once again, part of the problem: if I say I like Americans and support them it doesn't mean I stand behind people like McVeigh or other murderers, including those who willingly murder innocents in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I doubt very much Psy stood behind ACTUAL murderers but the people of the nations in question in general.

Personally I think there such songs are utterly tasteless, regardless of who makes them and what they're used for (politically or otherwise), but saying he stands behind people who murdered a Korean or extremists is quite frankly embarrassing on your part.

Anyway, the more I think about it the more I think this is really only going to make the people who already loathe Psy hate him (more) for it. I just think it was a very bad move early on in his career, for which has matured from and is trying to make amends. It's interesting to watch people like Ossan, who sometimes talk about freedom of speech and how it's an inherent right and what makes certain nations great then go on to say the guy should be banned from the US for what he said way back when.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

He should decline the invitation of special Christmas concert for president Obama. but please don't say "it's Japanese fault!"

2 ( +3 / -1 )

What kind of nutcase sings about indiscriminatly killing people? I was starting to like the guy until this. An apology now just seems like it was brought on by the fact that his past lunacy now seems to be a threat to his career and bulging bank account. Apology not accepted.

He is not a nut and he is talented . He knows how to make people smile and joyful. No wonder he became the pop sensation world wide. When the US missile indiscriminately killed Afghan or Iragi civilians, it will be downgraded as friendly fire or software error or intelligence failure. No one will be accountable for loss of half human lives.

He also has a right to defend himself performing the lyrics not written by him. He is not accountable for his past performance for protesting. It is a piece of Art as Fahrenheit 9/11 directed by Michale Moore. No only foreigners but also Americans were resentful about Bush lies and exaggeration. Bush should follow PSY way for apologizing his real life massacre of their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers, sons-in-law, grand sons and grand daughters.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

smithjapan:

" Personally I think there such songs are utterly tasteless, regardless of who makes them and what they're used for (politically or otherwise), but saying he stands behind people who murdered a Korean or extremists is quite frankly embarrassing "

Islamic terrorist in Iraq (and elsewhere) have kidnapped and beheaded people on TV to shouts of "Allah Akbar", including the Korean missionary, the hapless young Japanese Shosei Koda, the American construction engineer Eugene Armstrong, and many others, for the sole reason that they were infidels, and they could get their hands on them. For this rap "artist" to turn around and blame the US for that (regardless of whatever misguided policies the US has) is simply both imbecile and insulting. And that you excuse that is embarrassing indeed.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Sometimes, America is a target for people in this part of the world; well, OK, no country in the world is perfect, but the bottom line is without our actions, South Korea would have become fully under the control of both a cruel dictatorial family and the worst of the past communist regimes in China. And without our armed forces, Japan would possibly have been at the mercy of such enemies that (still?) hold a big grudge against it. Of course, it was in our own economic interests too, but without our markets and technology, neither Japan or South Korea would have become the economic powers they are today. I have to say that despite all the nonsense of the G.W. Bush years, I'm still happy to say that I'm an American.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

A rapper who backtracks on his political message because that's convenient for selling records is no rapper at all.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

How many rappers have said racist things about white people? Who is the number one consumer of these artists? White people

Psy has the right to his opinion as we do when we criticize something in Japan because it is against our culture.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

smithinjapanDec. 09, 2012 - 12:18PM JST OssanAmerica: "Sorry but South Koreans don't have a monopoly on rejecting apologies." You probably represent part of the reason why he made that song way back then. All you ever do is bring in attacks >on South Koreans on any thread you can. If anything YOU shouldn't be allowed in your country -- you seem quite >intolerant of certain other peoples, which is against the nature of the US.

YOU obviously have no friends who have served.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Knows not to bite the hand that feeds.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Psy has the right to his opinion as we do when we criticize something in Japan because it is against our culture.

Killing children - as Psy advocates - regardless of nationality is against every culture that I know of.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I thought he resembled King Jong Il.

He does look like the late Kim Jong-Il, obese figure and all, doesn't he. They're from the same peninsula, they might even be distant relatives. Well, at least the late commie leader didn't rap about killing daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers. And he'll be long remembered unlike this flash-in-the-pan one-hit-wonder.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

damn, America don't like being told the truth ? Or has America not killed more than 1 million innocent Iraqi citizens, but hey America just doesn't seem to care... who are the real terrorists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcMk3V3LZcQ

At least some seem to understand what is being done

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Not rocket science....it made him money to talk about killing mothers and daughters, and now it makes him more money to apologize for it. If anything this story highlights the problem of some people in some countries living in a vacuum of hate. It's hard to believe there are people who really cheered his lyrics.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It's hard to believe there are people who really cheered his lyrics.

It's not hard to believe at all. Many muslim nations consider America to be "the Great Satan" and would love to see the country wiped off the face of the Earth. He was just jumping on the bandwagon with lyrics he had absolutly no qualms about recording for posterity. Apology not accepted.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

need to appreciate more the security America provides them, not just the ca$h from youtube hits!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The 34-year-old rapper says the protests were part of a “deeply emotional” reaction to the war and the death of two Korean school girls, who were killed when a U.S. military vehicle hit them as they walked alongside the road. He noted antiwar sentiment was high around the world at the time.

Guess he had a right to protest. After all, the world wouldn't be so unsafe if the American government wasn't trying to create wars in the first place.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

PSY shouldn't have apologized

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

PSY should be kicked in his ass all the way back to S Korea - kill children slowly and painfully? There is no excuse for this idiot. If you feel the need to defend what he said - you should think about how hate has taken over your view of the world.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

He did the right thing to apologize as the news has gone viral. He had no choice but to do so and realized his mistake. So he made the correct political move, and possibly save face and continue his success in the states

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Sadly this will end whatever mainstream success he would have had in america. I think alot of american's don't have it in them to put this behind them, rightfully so or not, regardless of how you view it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Who?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

cd sales must be low..

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You do not know him? I did not know him until this year too.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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