YG has come under fire for his song “How to Rob a Rapper,” which some have deemed to be insensitive following the recent murder of PnB Rock.
The track appears on the Compton rapper’s latest album I Got Issues, which arrived on Friday (September 30), just weeks after the Philadelphia rapper was fatally shot during a robbery in Los Angeles.
Featuring guest verses from fellow Cali MCs Mozzy and D3szn, “How to Rob a Rapper” finds YG tapping into “the mind of a muthafucking maniac” and delivering a step-by-step guide on how to stick up a Hip Hop artist.
“Peep game, I’ma teach you how to rob a rapper / Catch a n-gga lackin’, he slackin’ on IG Live / He gon’ show his whereabouts on accident, he be high / He gon’ show the jewels he wearin’ and the car that he drive,” he raps.
A video for the song was released on Monday (October 3), complete with karaoke-style lyric subtitles.
With PnB Rock’s tragic September 12 death still fresh in the memory, YG faced criticism on social media for the timing of the release of “How to Rob a Rapper.”
“In light of PnB Rock being robbed and murdered in LA, YG dropping a song called ‘How to Rob a Rapper’ is a lil too much,” one person tweeted, while another added: “I ain’t saying YG dissing Pnb Rock with his new song but the timing is terrible.”
Someone else suggested YG should remove the song from his album altogether, writing: “We live in an age where songs can be removed from albums in real time. YG’s ‘How To Rob A Rapper’ should have been taken off considering PNB Rock.”
One user held his label, Def Jam, accountable, calling their decision to release the track “extremely irresponsible.”
“In light of PnB’s tragic murder, it was extremely irresponsible of Def Jam to let this ‘How To Rob A Rapper’ track on YG’s album come out so soon,” they wrote. “And the cover art for this album is so ass lol smh. Album solid doe.”
Not everyone is outraged by the song, though. 50 Cent — who famously rapped about jacking his rap peers on his 1999 song “How to Rob” — gave YG his stamp of approval.
“Yeah this shit hard,” 50 wrote on Instagram while sharing a screenshot of the music video. “@Yg ‘How To Rob’ Check this shit out. Boom.”
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YG responded in kind in the comments section, writing back to his “I Wanna Benz” collaborator: “had to flip yo shitt gang” along with several steam face emojis.
The 4Hunnid rapper has yet to address the controversy surrounding the song, although he did pay tribute to PnB Rock following his death. “Damn gang long live PnB Rock shitt ain’t bool in da bity,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories.
YG is no stranger to detailing the dangers of street life in his music. On his 2016 Still Brazy song “Don’t Come to LA,” he issued a warning to his fellow artists about how to conduct themselves in the city where Nipsey Hussle and Pop Smoke, among others, have met their untimely demise in recent years.
“I don’t give a fuck who you n-ggas paying / Who name you saying, you ain’t good around here / ‘Cause y’all n-ggas fucking up the rep / Y’all playing with the set, it’s really war around here,” he rapped, before adding: “So when y’all n-ggas hop off your jet / You better tuck what’s on your neck and get the fuck from ’round here.”
If twitter is crying you did something right. That should be the standard going forward, if you have an idea ask yourself “Will twitter cry about this” and if the answer is no, don’t do it.
I totally agree. Fuck twitter, Instagram, Tiktok and their sensitive ass users. If you can piss them off, do it. Whats funny is 50 Cent did this concept 20 years ago with “How to Rob” before social media and everyone couldnt stop laughing. That just shows you how the young generation and socia media has destroyed the culture.
50 CENT HOW TO ROB IS COMEDIC GOLD. THIS ISN’T THAT BRO.
WHEN I HEARD THIS SONG I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT OF PNB AND POP SMOKE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS DONE IN POOR TASTE TBH.
It’s scary when our hardcore gangster rappers cant be insensitive XDDD
Heard the song last night. Great track to me. Very visual and he speaking the real!
Man people are soooo damn sensitive these days, YG probably don’t know PNB or even his friend. He prolly recorded the song awhile back before PNB got murdered. I am sure YG didn’t mean any disrespect.
Real talk? Clout folks is retarded. Seriously.
Think about it… It’s totally unacceptable and insensitive. I don’t like it at all.
Don’t even call it art. CANCEL HIM, PLEASE!!!
Your mother is canceled you crybaby biatch
Bunch of little pussy clowns these days. Fuck pnb rock and fuck pop smoke. Both were wack as fuck anyway.
I don’t care if 50 Cent approved it, ban the song and cancel the artist.
Shut up you antifa piece of sh!t, you were canceled from sleeping with women lmao
Really now, You’re cancelled? Can you only resort to uncalled for insults?
This distasteful song will inspire wannabe thugs to actually go out and do it.
The artist clearly underestimate the power of words and whatever influence he and the song may have. He actually promotes such negativity.
You can’t do such a song and then say afterwards you don’t stand by it or “it’s just a song” (or even call it art).
How would he feel if actually happened to him or his loved ones!
Ban this song already!!!
You think wanna be thugs want a song to motivate them to rob you and not your gleaming chain or watch that cost more than everyone on they block that work 9-5 earn in a month?
There’s no telling what someone can do that’s under the influence of weed or drugs.
But it’s about how to rob a Rapper, not about how to rob a wack pop singer.
It’s like doing a pro-terrorist song at the location of the twin towers in New York.
Think about it
Not at all the same. Not close.
Y’all missing the big picture. They doing it to inform current rappers what not to do and what to do, especially when moving in LA!!! Listen to the lyrics!!! They giving out game on how to move as a rapper in the hood!!! You think the viscous circle of rappers lacking on IG live is gonna end with PNB!!! When are we going to learn? He paid tribute to PNB on the wake of his death!!! The song is a message on what to expect if you are lacking!!! These 17 year old youngins with guns to play. They be quick to squeeze the trigger!!! I think it is a dangerous trend in hip hop and society as a whole. Current rappers alive should listen and take heed or accidentally become worm food!!! Enuff said!!!
I like to say things with lots of exclamations points too!!!!!!
People just find reasons to feel offended nowadays.
50 Cent had “How to rob” almost quarter of a century ago.. this guy is hella late
Society is a joke rn, enjoy the music and get a life. The internet addiction is what causes all the crazy shit not music or celebrities but society and it’s gross reliance on technology and alarmingly anti-social because of it. If you are outraged take my advice and get out of your house and put the phone down with your junkie addict a$$!
don’t come around my block with all that gold on thinking you won’t get jacked for it –
Perfect timing
It doesn’t take a lot to push some folks over the edge. A song like this might just do it.
Art imitates life and life imitates art.
So it’s only bad timing when a non citizen it’s killed. How many everyday people are affected by the same exact violence that is talked about on records. RIP to PNB but how about we just not put out this content period instead of using the passing of a celebrity as an excuse. My homie lost his daughter from a shootout as a bystander and nobody stood up and said maybe _____shouldnt have dropped that single.