Overview

• In an Instagram Story on Wednesday, the singer denied accusations he dislikes Black women and wrote, “Black women are loved and needed.”
• He added that commenters pushing the claim “have a problem with black women,” calling the narrative slander.
• Attention on his personal life intensified after girlfriend Esmeralda Rios announced her pregnancy, and he shared an August video holding her baby bump.
• Mario is also promoting new music, including the single Nobody But Us, with Harlem model Juliette Soumah featured in the video.
• Coverage links the criticism to his past support of Tory Lanez, citing a letter he wrote during Lanez’s trial, collaborations on The Cry and Main One—later removed from streaming—and his April 2024 public praise of Lanez’s songwriting.