August 15, 2025
Jackson called out the new generation of rappers that use names of victims of police brutality for clout.
Rapper Lil Yachty thought he would climb the charts with a new song he previewed on social media. Instead, he climbed on people’s nerves with a bar referencing the senseless murder of George Floyd.
The Georgia-based artist previewed a song on a streamer Plaqueboymax’s platform and drew immediate attention from social media users and former NBA star and All The Smoke podcast co-host Stephen Jackson. Yachty can be seen vibing to a song that uses the lyric, “Put my knee up on her neck, I went George Floyd,” putting a disturbing sound in viewers’ ears.
Jackson caught on and condemned the “One Night” rapper from using Floyd’s name in a song, calling it “wack” and “weak.” “You been wack, my n****, but you think you saying George Floyd’s name in a bar that’s gonna make people like your whack ass music, my n****? That sh*t weak,” he said.
He called out other rappers of the new generation of hip-hop who use the names of victims of police brutality for clout. “Y’all the only era that feel like demeaning the dead and saying that sh*t is cool, my n****. It ain’t. Don’t ever say his name, bro. Not none of y’all knew G, knew nothing about him, but y’all wanna say his name for clout…but let somebody die in your family, we gonna do a whole skit about it and see how funny it is, bro.”
Floyd was killed in May 2020 by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin after he kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd could be heard saying, “I can’t breathe.” His tragic death sparked worldwide protests and launched the Black Lives Matter movement.
Jackson, who was a close friend of the victim, often referred to him as a “twin,” was outspoken about Floyd’s death and called for all parties of the Minneapolis Police Department to be held accountable during a Nightline interview at the time.
Social media users stood with Jackson on his sentiments, with some even claiming that Yachty needs to make music like this to appeal to a White audience. “He gotta appeal to the racist white ppl now cause he knows us niggas know his music is ass,” @NiqoNguyenn wrote on X.
Another said, “Yachty might genuinely be one of the worst rappers that went mainstream ever” and questioned “how does he still have a platform…As Hip-Hop has evolved, music has gone from uplifting social change to potentially adding to the problem. However, to get back in decent graces, all it takes is accountability.
Think about Lil’ Wayne. The New Orleans Hot Boy received major pushback for a lyric in his 2013 featured verse on Future’s “Karate Chop” remix after referencing Emmett Till. In a letter to the Till family, Wayne, apologized, saying he has “always been interested in word play,” recognized his influence, and supported the record label’s decision to remove the lyric.
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