KISS OF LIFE has issued an apology over their viral hip-hop-themed video, but it appears that netizens are not having it. The K-pop girl group is facing backlash for a controversial live-streamed video shared on their YouTube.
The group, comprised of Julie, Natty, Belle, and Haneul, celebrated Julie’s birthday with an old hip-hop-themed party. In the livestream, the members are dressed in oversized shirts reminiscent of the early 2000s style favored by hip-hop artists.
They also mimic hip-hop mannerisms and use contentious lingo that many have deemed as racist and insensitive. The group released a statement on April 5, 2025, apologizing for causing discomfort to viewers.
@PopBase shared screenshots of the apology statement on X, and @ashleim1chelle tweeted in response:
"I really hope they find a way to educate themselves BEFORE doing something like that. they were slowly gaining popularity... now all of it is in jeopardy."
Other X users were not impressed by the apology issued by KISS OF LIFE and expressed such:
“Julie is literally 25. Like, come on, you knew you just didn’t care,” @orangella__ stated.
“Y’all are too forgiving. This keeps happening because there are no real consequences,” @ada_cherry_ added.
“Being racist on a live stream in 2025 is just insane,” @oceansjonas expressed.
Fans found their statement sufficient and accepted their apology:
“omg, I'm actually kinda impressed that KISS OF LIFE owned up to their mistakes and apologized for the racial stereotype controversy; it's not easy to admit when you've messed up, but they're taking responsibility and promising to do better. I hope they really learn from this,” @SheetII_X replied.
“Meh, we’ve all made mistakes. Hopefully, they learned something,” @CardCabz added.
“In this day and age, you cannot please everybody, but the letter of apology is accepted. Lol,” @fastNcur10us tweeted.
More details on the KISS OF LIFE hip-hop themed birthday party as the group tenders apologies
Julie’s old hiphop-themed birthday party saw the group’s members in different outfits that seemingly appropriated Black and Latino cultures. The celebrant was dressed in a baggy shirt with two baseball caps playfully arranged on top of each other and chunky necklaces stacked on each other.
Belle received the most backlash for dressing in a chola-inspired outfit and calling herself Taco Belle. The group’s controversy has resulted in a significant loss of following across their social media platforms.
The group has reportedly lost over 74,000 followers on their Instagram, 8,000 subscribers on YouTube, and at least 100,000 on TikTok.
The group’s official apology statement reads:
"We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort to our viewers. The true purpose of the content was to celebrate hip-hop culture, which serves as much of the musical inspiration for KISS OF LIFE. However, we apologize for our shortcomings in recognizing the negative cultural implications that our content could be perceived to have.”
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The contentious video has been taken down from the K-pop group’s YouTube and other video-sharing sites.
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