End It frontman Akil Godsey has spoken out for the first time since the viral “banana man” incident at one of the band’s recent shows. The Baltimore hardcore band were playing at Lithuanian House in Toronto on June 5 when Godsey singled out a fan in the crowd who was wearing a banana costume.
In footage shared from the night, Godsey called the fan to the front and accused him of seeking attention. He then offered the band’s setlist to anyone who would “strip the banana”, after which members of the crowd removed the costume.
The fan later called out the band on Instagram, writing that he had been “an unwilling participant” and that his clothing had been removed “at the direction of a band I paid to see”. “People have been trying to dim my sparkle my entire life,” he added. “It sucks, but I’m used to it.”
Now, Godsey has addressed the backlash in a video posted to Instagram, with a caption that read: “Thanks for the racism and death threats and dissertations. It’s all been very taxing. I’m gonna go raise my child now. Peace.”
In the video, Godsey pushed back against those who said they were “disappointed” in him, saying they had misunderstood the kind of band End It are. “You’ve obviously not been listening to the band, and I don’t know what the fuck you thought was going on over here,” he said. “We’re a hardcore band. We do hardcore things.”
He also suggested that the band could end as a result of the fallout, adding: “Everyone in my life loves me very much. I'm very well taken care of. I do not need your attention or validation. I'll be just fine. Hey, if the band gotta quit, so be it. I guess I'll go to work. I'm a fully functioning adult male. I'll be just fine.”
The original incident divided the hardcore community, with some criticising the band for encouraging the crowd to remove the fan’s costume, while others argued that the fan should have expected a hostile reaction by wearing a novelty outfit to a hardcore show. The backlash also appears to have affected End It’s touring plans, with the band no longer appearing on posters for Hatebreed’s European tour with Life Of Agony.