Aaron Carter is defending himself after he was attacked onstage by a member of his opening act for allegedly making a racist comment.

The 29-year-old singer, known for his 2000s hits such as Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) and That’s How I Beat Shaq, was performing at the Looney Bin in Illinois, when a fellow musician from the band Ill State allegedly attacked Carter.

An eyewitness said that Carter said, “Bye Felipe,” a play on the popular phrase “Bye Felicia,” as the man was being removed from the venue by security. According to the outlet, the unnamed musician, who is Hispanic, was apparently offended by the comment. He re-entered the venue and attacked Carter onstage, breaking a computer and a speaker in the process.

The younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was left “bloody” and transported to a nearby hospital. He has since taken to Twitter to explain the incident, claiming he didn’t mean for the comment to come off as racist and that authorities are investigating the attack.

“I didn’t get beat up I got a hit and pushed when I wasn’t looking and they ran out the club and I stood on the speakers waiting for them?” Carter tweeted on Saturday, adding, “Maybe he should’ve not been a fake security guard causing liability to the venue and antagonising me and my fans mid show…”

Carter, who checked out of the hospital on Saturday, continued that the comment was not meant as a racial slur.