After wrapping up day two on Saturday (July 22), headlines from Rolling Loud Miami continue to surface online, but not for the reasons you might expect. Amid a lineup that featured rap stars like Playboi Carti and Travis Scott, an unexpected name emerged in the online chatter: Sexyy Red.
However, the buzz wasn’t solely about the rapper’s performance of “Pound Town,” bringing out frequent collaborator Sukihana, or her rhinestone-encrusted bra. Her audacious entrance, leading two leashed men to the stage as though they were pets, sparked a firestorm. Many concertgoers labeled the scene “iconic,” while others had mixed reactions.
“J Balvin pulled a similar stunt and faced backlash. Why is she exempt?” asked one social media user in the comments on Rolling Loud’s Instagram. They challenged the apparent double standard among men and women in hip hop. Another commenter drew attention to racial undertones by remarking, “There’s something disturbing about Black men in chains.”
Contrastingly, not all reactions were negative. Supporters defended the performance as performance art. “It’s a show, not reality. Those guys willingly participated and should take pride in their performance,” one defender opined. Another commenter brought kink culture into the conversation by pushing back against the judgment. They added, “Ever heard of a Dominatrix?”
It’s worth noting that this isn’t Red’s first brush with controversy over her live performances or actions. Earlier this year, she and Sukihana were part of NLE Choppa‘s music video for “Slut Me Out (Remix),” in which the rapper walked them like dogs.
The video garnered significant backlash from fans who viewed the act as degrading to women. Speaking on “The Breakfast Club,” Choppa defended his actions. He told Charlamagne tha God and DJ Envy, “I’ve watched people degrade women in real life, and I feel like, with me having fun [as a] 20-year-old male… with the girls that wanted me to do it, I feel like what is the conversation really about?”