Fat Joe linked up with Benny The Butcher on a song called “Talkin’ Back” off the Griselda rapper’s The Plugs I Met 2 project on Friday (March 19), but his verse came with some controversy. The Terror Squad founder was met with backlash for using the term “Wuhan virus” to refer to coronavirus, which is considered discriminatory against people from Wuhan, China.
“Drag me in and out of court, Harvey Weinstein,” he raps. “Threw that white up in the pot, gave ’em pipe dreams/And watch it spread like the Wuhan virus/Do ’em dirty for the low like Wu-Tang ‘Sirus.”
On Sunday (March 21), Fat Joe took to Twitter to address the line by saying he recorded his verse at a time when the media was calling it something other than COVID-19.
“I’ll address the Benny verse,” he said. “I did that verse a year ago when the news was calling it the wuhan virus before they called it COVID. i support and love all my asian brothers and sisters never hate.”
Many people were disappointed with the use of “Wuhan virus,” with someone pointing out the insensitivity of his lyrics following the recent Atlanta shootings that saw six Asian women killed.
“Hey @fatjoe long time fan here,” a fan tweeted. “But given the current climate and how asians are being treated do you think you could’ve phrased this a little differently?”
Another Twitter user wrote, “Fat Joe makes a reference to the ‘Wuhan virus’ on Benny’s new album. Not helpful.”
Benny The Butcher’s sequel to The Plugs I Met is entirely produced by Harry Fraud, with other guest appearances from 2 Chainz, French Montana, Jim Jones, Chinx and Rick Hyde. It served as the follow-up to his Burden of Proof album, which was released in October 2020.
During a recent interview with HipHopDX, the Griselda powerhouse talked about the importance of respecting Hip Hop’s pioneers and architects, again emphasizing his belief rappers make their best music as they age.
“I’m a big advocate of saying this is a grown man’s game,” he told DX. “I spoke about this before. Like I said in one of my songs, as a man, you’re at your best when you’re middle age. I know the labels and everything, they chase the young guys and everything like that, maybe because they feel like they fresh talent. Or maybe they feel like the business is maybe easier to run with a 20-year-old than it is to run around with a 30-year-old.
Benny The Butcher Talks Walking Away From The Drug Game & Prison - & Living To Rap About It On 'Plugs I Met 2'
“A 30-year-old got higher expectations and expect more. But trust me, this is a man’s game and you gotta be well seasoned and you got to be good at life to be a good person and to be an icon like Chuck D is and all the other OGs.”
Listen to Fat Joe’s verse along with the whole track below.
They tripping..that line was ill but he has to do the PC thing
Why is Fat Joe pandering to whiny milenials and gen z kids ? He is a rapper, not a elected government offical. All these sensitive ass mofos need to grow some testicles. I used to date an Asian chick and made Asian jokes on a regular that she would laugh at. It wasnt racist. It was just harmless fun and she knew she was my bae.
Spanish Flu, Hong Kong Flu, Asian Flu had no complaints. Anybody who thinks Asians are being attacked because of the name someone nicknamed the virus is fucked in the head.
Add Africa virus (AIDS) to your list.
Don’t cater to the woke mob. You will be all the better for it. If they can’t cancel Em. They sure in the hell can’t cancel Joe.
Times have changed. Today, Fat Joe can’t call it the Wuhan Virus, based on where it originated. In 2015, a non-asian’s rap name was Chinx. It’s all bullshit. These nerds are controlling everyone.
Chinx is on the same album!
UK Covid-19 Variant.
South African Variant
Brazil Variant.
Yet we can’t use label of where virus came from? Double standard, can’t kowtow to China like the WHO and others have.
Things that are ok in a rap verse: describing a willingness to murder someone over a dirty look, promising a woman you see a future with her in order to receive sexual encounters before abandoning her, threatening to kill the POTUS if you don’t like him, saying f*ck the white people, glamorization of selling narcotics, admitting to drugging men in order to rob them during an act of prostitution
Things that aren’t ok in a rap verse: Wuhan Flu
It’s all literally the media stirring the pot to divide the people that’s it that’s all unfortunately the stupid sheep fall for it
I’m a Dutchman if I understand this. That’s only Dutch comfort to say Fat Joe looks like a Dutch nightingle. Man, have some Dutch courage at least and make a Dutch act if you listen to these politically correct mofos’ double Dutch.
Haha he’s been killing nogs for the last 20 plus years in his music. Now he’s contrite towards this pseudo crisis. This whole game is a joke.
That Bruce guy has south of 2,000 followers and his tweet has all of 3 likes, how in the fuck is his opinion important or newsworthy?
People are too sensitive now.
Gen z sensitive ass lol give the man a break
He literally only said it to setup a rhyme scheme with Wu Tang’s Cyrus. And it isn’t even offensive anyway. Well not to rational reasonable people.
OH STOP!
What the majority of those posting saying rap is sensitive don’t understand is there are Asians getting murdered and being targeted for violence because of Trumps inflammatory rhetoric against them. This rhyme only cosigns that and then dumb people think its cool to slander and attack.Yall was under trump for so long you starting to think division and hatred are cool.Stop being sheep.
STFU you idiots! The damn Wuhan Virus was called the Wuhan virus because thats where it started. Even if it didn’t start in Wuhan, it started somewhere in China and was released on the world purposely by the CCP. The truth isn’t insensitive, you fucks need to think about all the people that have died from this shit before you go after someone who simple stated the truth. If you’re affended, go to China and apologize idiot!
You have got to be one dumb mother fucker. How ironic, propaganda is a bitch and you are obviously too stupid to think for yourself.
I still got love for Joey Crack. I don’t see any harm here. Let’s move on to another subject.
Imagine not being able to say covid isn’t from Wuhan.
Is from Wuhan*
Typo