MIAMI (WSVN) - A Brooklyn-based rapper has issued a public apology after a viral video of him tossing a plastic cup into the ocean sparked backlash on social media.
Rapper Casanova could be seen on video sitting on a Yamaha personal watercraft and sipping from a red cup before he threw it into the waters of Biscayne Bay and sped away.
The video quickly spread across social media platforms where users voiced their disapproval of his actions.
“People like him are the main problem for our environment,” a user said on Twitter.
On Friday afternoon, the rapper took to Instagram to issue a public apology to not only the public but the environment.
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByIk9bMHcpr/
In the post he wrote, “My actions were not only harmful to the animals of that natural habitat; yet, disrespectful to our environment as a whole. I am an animal, and nature lover.”
He even offered to clean up a local beach.
“I would like to openly extend my service in cleaning up a beach during a future visit (with time and my schedule permitting),” he wrote. “I am placing the blame solely on myself, as I self-consciously acted without rational thought.”
The post has been viewed over 38,000 times.
Blake Porterfield, who saw the video and read the rapper’s apology, said he wonders if it is genuine.
“He just looks at the camera like it’s nothing,” Porterfield said. “Would he have even apologized if he wasn’t on video? I don’t know, probably not, but the fact that he got caught is probably what drove him to apologize, so you don’t know if it’s really genuine or not.”
Resident Hector Herrera, who has been given the nickname of Hector the Protector and Garbage Collector, runs a local tour boating business and took 7News out on Biscayne Bay to see all the waste washing up on the water.
He said the rapper’s actions disgusted him.
“It’s a shame for tourists, for us, for the future,” Herrera said. “It’s a shame people don’t appreciate this beautiful water.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they are investigating Casanova’s initial video.
7News has reached out to Casanova for further comment but have yet to hear back.
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