I prefer to interpret it like this-- Agust D has removed the sample b/c he realized it is triggering for fans that are important to him.

That doesn't mean he may not still want it as part of his song, it means he's a big enough man to realize that his artistic choices
1/

are not the only important factor.

Growth can be hard and painful and embarrassing. I prefer to see this as evidence of growth.

Yes, we have had many missteps in the history of K-pop that fall within some similar parameters. But Agust D is not responsible for all of those. He's responsible only for his missteps.

He heard his African-American fans,
3/

perhaps he did the research on who JJ is and why fans reacted that way.

And then he took action.

I've seen worse responses.

4/

I'd also like to direct you (again) to this excellent thread: https://twitter.com/steph_choi/status/1266933096131129349