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Two XXL staff members have been suspended after they posted an offensive and explicit video hosted by Too $hort on the popular hip-hop site. 

Details: Too $hort Is NOT Dead!!  

Yesterday, XXL’s Editor-in-Chief, Vanessa Satten, wrote this statement about the incident on her magazine’s website:

As the Editor-in-Chief of both the magazine and the web site, I do not see all content before it posts live. As is typical at many media companies, with the rapid pace the web moves, I empower the online editors to produce and post content that goes live without my approval.

As soon as I learned about the video, I had it taken down.

As a woman, I in no way find the content of the video acceptable. To think I would ever approve anything that would harm women or endanger children is absurd. Under no terms should sexual assault be tolerated, nor do I endorse making light of it.

The staffers responsible for producing and posting this video have since been suspended. We are currently implementing changes in our posting process to ensure something like this never happens again. I am not trying to pass this off on my staff but unfortunately an awful judgment call was made.
The video in no way represents my views, XXL‘s or those of the company.

To the people who are offended by the video, I agree with you. That’s why I had it immediately taken down.

The video that is being talked about was one published last week titled “Fatherly Advice From Too Short — Lesson Three: The Birds & The Bees [Video].” In the clip, rapper Too $hort, who is known for his risqué lyrics about women, gives “fatherly advice” to teenagers about how to “turn girls out.”

In the video, the rapper says: 

“When you get to late middle school, early high school and you start feeling a certain way about the girls. I’m gonna tell you a couple tricks. A lot of the boys are going to be running around trying to get kisses from the girls. We’re going way past that. I’m taking you to the hole. Take your finger and put a little spit on it and you stick your finger in her underwear and you rub it on there and watch what happens.” 

Naturally, the reaction to this video was overwhelmingly negative, with Twitter and Facebook blasting the site for publishing the video.

After the material got such a negative reaction, XXL took down the video and both Satten and Too $hort put out a statement on XXL.com apologizing. In Too $hort’s statement the rapper said this:

“I want to apologize to anyone I may have offended with the XXL video interview I recently did. When I got on camera I was in Too $hort mode and had a lapse of judgment. I would never advise a child or young man to do these things, it’s not how I get down. Although I have made my career on dirty raps, I have worked over the years to somewhat balance the content of my music with giving back to the community. Just coming from a man who wants to see young people get ahead in life, I’m gonna do my best to help and not hurt. If you’re a young man or a kid who looks up to me, don’t get caught up in the pimp, player, gangster hip-hop personas. Just be yourself.”

Even after the video was taken down and all individuals involved either apologized or were suspended, there are still some who feel like more should be done. An online petition has been spreading around Twitter and Facebook demanding that Satten be fired. As of now, there have been almost 2,000 signatures.