San Francisco rapper apologizes for video criticizing Mayor London Breed
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco rapper Chino Yang has found himself in the hot seat of San Francisco politics.
A few weeks ago, Yang posted a new song called "San Francisco Our Home" in which he criticized the city's policies on crime, specifically calling out Mayor London Breed.
The video has since racked up tens of thousands of views and hundreds of comments, many supporting the rapper's lyrics.
Reactions have been swift and significant. So much so that the artist put out an apology this week.
Tensions remain high and local academics say the controversy stems from an issue much deeper than just one song. But the song has also hit a nerve with London Breed's supporters.
On Thursday, NAACP San Francisco president, the Reverend Amos Brown, hosted a press conference with fellow civil rights and faith leaders calling out Yang for what he says was an inappropriate and unwarranted attack on the mayor.
"This is unfortunate. This young man erroneously hijacked an art form that evolved from the Black community and used it for divisive, devilish, destructive end," Brown said.
Yang initially defended his song in a series of social media posts but then posted an apology video claiming he was being threatened by a powerful and influential supporter of Mayor Breed.
"... Someone who has the connections to presidents, senators. All, you know, the top elites. I am simply a civilian so, for the sake of my family and my loved ones -- my close friends, I'd like to openly and publicly make an apology regarding my actions and what I said in the video. I had no idea this extremely powerful individual had so much emotional attachment to London Breed," Yang said in the video.
Brown called that a flat-out lie.
"That was dishonest. It did not represent working together," Brown said.
James Taylor, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco, says the whole controversy puts a spotlight on a deeper issue that persists in the city.
"This is part of a network of tensions that go back two or three years -- probably to the Chesa Boudin recall as well. All of the recent politics in the city, I think, come into play and this young man had no idea that, when he made these expressions of rap or art or public criticism or criticism of a public figure, that it would get such a reaction. But he had no idea what he was stepping into and, I think, what it shows the city is that there are tensions and it's going to play out I think in the mayoral election going forward," Taylor said.
We reached out to the mayor's office for comment on this issue.
They told us they do not have a direct response to the music video at this time but went on to say they take every instance where a small business owner or anyone in the city is a victim of crime very seriously.