Photo: Getty Images
Sexyy Red sparked debate among fans after she previewed a song she recorded to the tune of Michael Jackson's classic "Beat It." After the clip went viral, the late artist's estate decided to weigh in.
The St. Louis shared a clip of the raunchy song as a "tribute to da best," but Michael Jackson's estate says they had no idea Sexyy Red planned to sample the King of Pop's music. In a statement to The Breakfast Club's Loren LoRosa on Thursday, February 12, a spokesperson for the estate said they were "totally unaware" of Sexyy Red's track and emphasized that "the use of the music is unauthorized.”
The debate surrounding Sexyy Red's song began on Tuesday after Lil Yachty shared a clip of her recording the track in the studio. “Just eat it, just eat it," she raps. "You better not nut fast because I hate a minute man/And if that d**k is trash, I’m telling all my friends/I’ll beat your a** and we bout to throw them hands."
Sexyy Red's song sparked anger among fans and artists alike. Rapper Monie Love was furious at the thought of someone actually approving the explicit track. Meanwhile, singer Emanny from The Joe Budden Podcast took to X and shared a screenshot of his phone call with a rep from Jackson's estate.
“Not playing with y’all. We got a movie to prep for dropping April 24th,” he wrote. “It’s Cease and desist SZN for anyone playing with MJ music!”
Check out Sexyy Red's version of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" for yourself here (before it gets taken down).
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE