A fraternity in UC Irvine has come under fire for being racist after they posted a video on Youtube with one of its members wearing blackface to portray Jay-Z.

Members of Lambda Theta Delta, an Asian-American fraternity, posted the two-minute homemade video in which they lip sync and dance to Justin Timberlake's Suit and Tie.

One of the frat members appear in blackface halfway through the clip to portray Jay-Z. Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup that was used to create a caricature of a black person, commonly used to portray racial stereotypes of African Americans.

Chapter president Darius Obana said the fraternity has now been referred to as a racist. "We're being referred to as a racist organization," he said.

He told KABC-TV, "In a nutshell it was pretty much just to play that role and be Jay-Z and kind of distinguish himself from the other guys in the video."

However, after the controversy that the video had stirred, the fraternity has removed the video and offered a formal apology on its Facebook page.

"Lambda Theta Delta sincerely apologizes for the extremely racist content of the 'Suit and Tie' video. The use of black face in the video is incredibly offensive as well as insensitive. This behavior is simply unacceptable and the individuals responsible for the video have already been reprimanded."

The statement also said the members of the group that made the video were ignorant of the use of blackface in America and that it was removed due to the fact that it could offended by it.

UCI Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Thomas Parham told KABC-TV: "Once that investigation is concluded, we will determine where the facts lie, what appropriate measures should be taken, and if discipline is called for."