An angry mob of XXXTentacion fans formed against Chicago rapper Vic Mensa at the 2018 BET Hip Hop Awards (airing on October 16) following his choice words for the slain Miami rapper in his cypher freestyle.

Originally brought to light by DJ Scheme, a close collaborator and friend of X’s, Vic apparently slammed the late rap star with statements like, “your favorite rapper is an abuser” and “some sh** X some sh** so I won’t live long.” Fans raged through Vic Mensa’s Twitter mentions and Instagram comments afterward, demanding answers about the verse and anti-XXXTentacion lines that Scheme exposed. Addressing the backlash in an IG video, Vic was apologetic…but not to X’s infuriated fans nor the actual statements from the freestyle.

“Recently, I did a freestyle for the BET Awards cypher addressing and condemning rappers who unabashedly abuse women and those who stand up for them, and even call them legends” he explained in the video. “I stand behind those statements.” Vic pointed out that the cypher was pre-recorded weeks prior, and he wasn’t aware that X’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, would be in attendance when the freestyle was aired in front of the Hip Hop Awards crowd. “I had no idea a grieving mother would be in the audience to honor her lost son,” he continued. “I never intended to disrespect her, and I offer my deepest condolences for her loss at the hands of gun violence.”

However, he made clear, Vic “vehemently rejects” the normalized and accepting culture of abuse against women running rampant in hip-hop. He added that he still won’t hold his tongue on the sensitive subject matter, and “doesn’t give a f**k about getting attention,” but would rather bring awareness to it and hold abusers accountable for their actions. 

The There’s A Lot Going On rapper has since clapped back at the critics, and with the help of some of his supporters who denounce domestic violence. However, they’re all going toe-to-toe with X’s devout fans, who are swinging back at Vic’s statements and digging up his past history with abuse as well.

See their respective arguments and Vic’s full address on the cypher freestyle and Ms. Bernard below.