Fat Joe is responding to the backlash he received for using a racially insensitive line on his verse on a new song off Benny The Butcher's new project, The Plugs I Met 2.
The new project from the Griselda rapper was released on March 19 and features the track, "Talkin' Back" with the Bronx rap veteran. On the song, Joey Crack raps the line, “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 (ODB).”
The "Wuhan Virus" reference points to the name coined by some to refer to COVID-19 due to its alleged origins in Wuhan, China. In the past, "Wuhan Virus" or "Chines Virus" have been used as alternatives to try and place blame for the pandemic on the Chinese. The bar did not go unnoticed, especially it today's current climate where Asians are being target for violent attacks. Joe has been catching heat on social media. "Lmao fat joe says 'drag me in & out of court like Harvey Weinstein' & then like a single bar later says 'watch it spread like the wuhan virus.' Should’ve seen this coming tbh," one Twitter user commented on the fiasco.
"Hey @fatjoe long time fan here. But given the current climate and how asians are being treated do you think you could've phrased this a little differently?" someone else questioned.
On Sunday March 21, Joe addressed the situation on Twitter. "I’ll adress the Benny verse," he started. "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."
The apology was not enough for one fan who refused to accept it. "I want to accept this apology but I can't," the fan replied. "@fatjoe you couldn't change the line since you recorded it or just not put it out? Do you think it was worth it to keep it and continue the hurtful narrative that asians are to blame for thousands of lives?"
Joe, who claims he has hung up his mic and retired from rap, recently launched an OnlyFans page with DJ Khaled. He released his last album, Family Ties, in December 2019.
See more tweets from people calling out Joey Crack for the lyric below.
These Tone-Deaf Hip-Hop Moments Prove Rappers Can Get Hit With Serious Backlash