Post Malone responds. Following backlash over a recent interview, in which he said that fans “looking for lyrics” should avoid hip-hop, the 22-year-old chart-topper releases a new video statement in attempt to clarify his stance.

At first, Malone appeared to say that he was intoxicated during the conversation. “It was a beer-tasting interview, so they put a lot of beer in my face and asked me what kind of beer tastes good to me, so you know, knowing me, I drank it,” he said. “Apparently I said that whenever you wanna feel something, don’t listen to hip-hop. It’s funny because who the fuck am I to tell you don’t listen to this and whenever you wanna feel something don’t listen to this? Or who am I to tell you that you should feel a certain way when listening to something?”

Malone went on to say that he prefers to cry to Bob Dylan. “What I was saying was, that when I want to sit down and cry, I listen to Bob Dylan and his guitar, just like everyone else,” he added. “No matter how hard you are, where you’re from, you’re gonna have a time where you sit back and reflect on your life and you listen to what you wanna listen to. For me, that’s Bob Dylan.”

However, he said he took issue with the notion that he doesn’t appreciate the genre that he participates in. “A lot of people saying that I don’t appreciate hip-hop or I’m taking advantage of hip-hop, my last hip-hop album was fuckin’ hip-hop. My next hip-hop album is fuckin’ hip-hop,” he continued. “I love hip-hop. I make hip-hop. I want to take this genre and stretch it so far that people who may not listen to it, listen to it.”

Finally, he shared his belief that a majority of rappers today aren’t saying anything meaningful. “What I was trying to say is that, a lot of people, except for a handful of artists, are saying the same shit,” he added. “They’re not saying anything super meaningful. I’m 22 years old. I have not had all of the life experience in the world to talk about the most meaningful shit. I just sing about what I have gone through, what’s going on in my life, and what I want to sing about. Never once did I say that I don’t appreciate hip-hop. Just trying to keep living and make the music that I love.”

Malone was under fire about his initial interview in Poland, where he seemed to downplay hip-hop’s emotional pull. “If you’re looking for lyrics, if you’re looking to cry, if you’re looking to think about life, don’t listen to hip-hop,” he said. “There’s great hip-hop songs where they talk about life and they spit that real shit, but right now, there’s not a lot of people talking about shit. “Whenever I want to cry, whenever I want to sit down and have a nice cry, I’ll listen to some Bob Dylan. But whenever I’m trying to have a good time and stay in a positive mood, I listen to hip-hop because it’s fun. I think hip-hop is important because it brings people together in a beautiful, happy way. Everybody’s happy.”

Shortly after he started to get criticized over the comments, Malone defiantly posted a message on Twitter. “It’s crazy that after all this time im still being questioned,” he wrote. “Suck my fucking dick i don’t have to explain shit. i do this shit because i love to do this shit.”

Malone’s “rockstar” single featuring 21 Savage has been No. 1 on the Hot 100 for six weeks. Featuring Nicki Minaj, John Mayer, Ty Dolla $ign, and Tommy Lee, the rapper-singer’s sophomore album, Beerbongs & Bentleys, is due Dec. 1.