Fat Joe found himself in a bit of controversy following a verse he did on Benny The Butcher’s new project, The Plugs I Met 2. On a song titled “Talkin’ Back,” the rapper said, “Track me in and out of court, Harvey Weinstein / 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.”
In the less than two days that passed since the song’s release, a number of listeners have hopped on Twitter to share their displeasures with the song. On Sunday, Fat Joe explained the verse in a tweet.
I’ll adress the Benny verse 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
— FAT JOE (@fatjoe) March 21, 2021
“I’ll adress the Benny verse 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,” he said in the post. The mention of the “Wuhan virus” is a poor and insensitive coronavirus reference, and with the song dropping amid the recent rise in anti-Asian attacks, it’s no surprise that fans were not happy with Fat Joe’s verse. The Harvey Weinstein name-drop was another reason the song faced criticism as he is currently serving a 23-year sentence on sexual assault and rape charges.
You can read his response above.
The Plugs I Met 2 is out now via Black Soprano Family. Get it here.