Hip hop artist YG is rap’s most outspoken critic of Donald Trump, according to CNN (the most trusted name in hip hop analysis).
But YG’s lyrics are now drawing the ire of a group with a little more weight than the Republican presidential candidate: the entire nation of China.
In YG’s two year old song “Meet the Flockers,” one line of lyrics has of late infuriated the Chinese people by saying it is most practical to rob Chinese neighborhoods because they don’t believe in bank accounts.
“Meet the Flockers” is a how-to for crime in the vein of “Ten Crack Commandments” and other explanatory songs about making money illegally. The “Meet the Flockers” video tutorial shows armed, masked men burgling a home.
“First, you find a house and scope it out,” the song goes. “Find a Chinese neighborhood, cause they don’t believe in bank accounts.”
It hits two chords of offensiveness. First, it advocates robbing a Chinese neighborhood because they probably have lots of cash on hand and second it gives the notion that Chinese people don’t even believe in bank accounts (because they’re communists or something?).
Outrage about the song recently exploded after Fox 11 LA did a report on “Meet the Flockers” in connection with home invasions in the U.S.
“I think it’s sickening and distasteful,” said one community leader interviewed in the piece.
According to Fox 11 LA, Chinese-American business owners across the U.S. have gone to the FBI and U.S. Attorneys’ offices to get the video taken down, but were told the First Amendment protects the video’s producers. YG himself is a former burglar who has been open about his criminal past.
Since the Fox 11 LA report, there have been scores of overseas articles written repudiating “Meet the Flockers” in the Chinese press, and also a backlash on Twitter.
Meet the flockers is a rap song that targets the #Chinese community. #BLM wants to be respected? Respect others first. pic.twitter.com/O8YcK92xOO
— Kathy The Great (@PoliticalKathy) September 25, 2016
BLACK LIVES MATTER BUT CHINESE LIVES MATTER TOO. @YG NOT A REAL RAPPER. https://t.co/7ueYXllGOB
— Edward Yan (@happylittlenerd) September 24, 2016
Need all helps to push YouTube to take down this f*king stupid video. Thx. https://t.co/omxJTOL3Bf
— Ning Wang (@ningwangsf) September 21, 2016
Hip hop songs talk about crime and robbery all the time with no public outrage. However, this song seems to have hit the sweet spot of racial stereotypes and possible incitement of crimes targeted at a specific minority.
Follow me on Twitter @William__Hicks.
