Kiwi rapper Scribe is standing by a provocative poem he penned to mark International Women's Day.
The 39-year-old came under intense criticism on Saturday after posting to his Instagram account what many have described as a misogynistic and negative take on what should be a positive celebration of women worldwide.
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"National Womans Day? [sic] It's hard for me to fathom celebrating something that from my perspective doesn't exist. I hear women talk. Always talking shit," the poem begins.
It then goes on to list a series of undesirable traits he sees in women, while praising men for resisting them.
"Backstabbing each other. Body shaming, blaming, judging each other? You'll never hear a dude talking like that about a brother!
"Claiming you want equality like you're a minority? To see you treated fairly would never bother me. So my apologies if you're offended but don't get all defensive. I love my sisters so that is not my intention."
Scribe doubled-down on this point of view on Sunday morning, defending himself against criticism.
"If you caught feelings from my spoken word poem then it's because you're the type of woman described in the poem," he wrote.
"To all the ladies who liked the poem, I truly salute you. You are a bearer of truth. If you think I'm misogynistic because of it, you have a long road ahead of you to finding the truth.
"I stand by my words and have no further comment. Now f**k off."
Both posts have caught considerable flak from Instagram users.
"You've taken something positive and empowering for many and twisted it into some anti-feministic post," one user replied.
"How unfortunate for you to have only conditioned yourself to see the negatives women speak and do," another said.
"I don't know what kind of women you surround yourself with, but even Missing Pieces couldn't reunite you with the point," said another.
Scribe replied to some of the comments, never backing down from his controversial perspective.
"It's a call to all women to unite and stand together and put aside the attitudes and petty ways of the past," he began, before going on the offence.
"Why would I respond to females catching feelings over a poem that's about them. That's right anyone catching feelings is because they're the ones I'm talking about. To label me mysoginistic etc is delusional.
"Internet save me? Hahaha I live in the real world. My achievements are in the real world. I pick fights in real life not online. I'm winning right now. I feel sorry for all of you sad haters.
"You've never had a voice and you never will. And I get more p***y than you have hot dinners."
Scribe has only recently been released from a two-month prison sentence followed by a stint in rehab to address an addiction to methamphetamine.
He told Newshub in January that he wants to get back to influencing others positively.
"As an artist, that's what makes me feel fulfilled and why I enjoyed being in jail," he said.
"What better place to inspire and reflect light than in the darkest place we have."
The father-of-four is currently working on new music, in which he's deeply exploring his personal struggles. He hopes for redemption and that his story might help stop others from making the same mistakes.
"I guess that's why artists are so self-torturing because it's in that uncomfortable space we create our best work and I'm the same," he says.
"I need to feel the pain; I need to experience what my audience feels to connect with them and liberate them from their situations with understanding and empathy, and to let them know they are not alone."
With this post, it seems Scribe has got at least some of the pain he was looking for.
Newshub.
