YG Draws Criticism For Reportedly Using A Vigil For Breonna Taylor As A Video Shoot

As protests against police brutality continued to take place throughout the weekend, one planned protest for Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old EMT shot to death by Louisville Metro police officers serving a warrant at her apartment, has drawn criticism for being organized under false pretenses.

Montgomery, Alabama rapper Chika, who lives in Los Angeles, has been a fixture at several of the LA-based protests over the past two weeks, even getting detained during one and documenting the experience after slipping out of her zip ties. She had words for Compton rapper YG, though, after the latter revealed that he was shooting the video for his new song “FTP” during the most recent protest in Hollywood on Sunday. “Shooting a music video while Breonna Taylor’s killers are still walking the streets is f*cking disgusting,” she wrote.

Later on the same day, Chika filmed a video for Instagram detailing her issues with the video shoot. “You don’t say on a flyer, ‘This is a vigil, bring flowers, bring candles…’ You don’t use this moment to shoot a music video… Everything that we’ve been doing march-wise has working because of the way that we showed up. The way that we know what we are fighting for, the way that we are informed. This today was not that. If you saw YG’s name on a poster and you showed up because you saw YG’s name on a poster, you’re f*cked because the lives lost was not enough to do that for you.”

Meanwhile, YG himself reacted to the backlash on his own Instagram, writing, “For anyone out there talking I don’t question your advocacy and don’t think you should question mine.” For YG, “The real story here is me and Black Lives Matter brought out 50,000 people today to peacefully protest and unite for change. I wanted to document that so when they hear this song and think we are reckless and violent they see a peaceful protest of all different people coming together for a common cause. That is history. That is breaking down these stereotypes on our people and our neighborhoods.” He also admonished his critics, “All of us protesting are on the same side here..instead of questioning each other’s activism we should be directing that energy at the cops and the government and helping to create the change we want to see. Stay focused and stop that social media judgement without knowing facts and hurting a cause we all a part of. We got a real enemy and it ain’t each other.”

Watch Chika’s video calling out YG and see his response above.

Chika is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.