Lil Yachty is under fire over a song with a George Floyd lyric that Stephen Jackson, Floyd’s childhood friend, slammed as disrespectful.
Lil Yachty is facing intense criticism after dropping an eyebrow-raising lyric about George Floyd during Plaqueboymax’s livestream on Thursday (August 14).
In the snippet, Yachty raps, “Put my knee up on her neck, I went George Floyd,” a line that almost immediately set social media ablaze with criticism.
Lil Yachty showcasing a new song on Plaqueboymax’s stream with they CRAZIEST bar ever 💀
“Put my knee up on her neck I went George Floyd..” pic.twitter.com/LDVP7e3IKa
— korza ✗ (@korzawyd) August 14, 2025
Many called it tasteless and flat-out disrespectful, given the tragedy of Floyd’s death in 2020.
One person who wasn’t about to let it slide was former NBA player and podcaster Stephen Jackson, a childhood friend of George Floyd.
Jackson tore into Yachty online, saying, “Lil Yachty, bro. You been wack, my n####. But you think you saying George Floyd name, and trying to use his name in a bar, that’s gonna make people like your wack-ass music, my n####? That s### weak.”
He went on to call out what he sees as a broader trend in rap: “Y’all the only era that feel like demeaning the dead and saying that s### is cool. It ain’t.”
Jackson didn’t stop there. He warned Yachty to never speak Floyd’s name again, stressing that none of these rappers actually knew him.
“Y’all wanna say his name for clout,” he added. “That’s some weak-ass s###, Yachty. Let somebody die in your family, we gonna do a whole skit about it. And see how funny it is. Cut that s### out.”
Stephen Jackson calls Lil Yachty’s music trash after he used George Floyd’s name in a bar on PlaqueBoyMax’s In The Booth stream👀 pic.twitter.com/VdLxL6w8OC
— The Voice Of Content✰ (@sheedclips) August 15, 2025
Social media users echoed Jackson’s anger, calling Yachty “corny” and “lame” for crossing the line.
The lyrical rappers killing it right now so the sassy mumblers are struggling for relevancy.
The music is ass , Yachty been lame….
Let that man George Floyd RIP… pic.twitter.com/U7zVVNZijN
— 19keys (@19keys_) August 15, 2025
lil yachty corny. and these stupid ass n##### played this on a big platform and them people who have been making fun of george floyd are gonna be foaming at the mouth even more now.
black people let this be another lesson that it be your own people. facism comes in any form. pic.twitter.com/ckXXKiQ833
— tay is patience (@plainpotatotay) August 14, 2025
Knowing how obsessed racists are with George Floyd, why tf would you use him as a punchline as a black man? Get “Lil Boat” the f### outta here
— Reece (@DefaultReece) August 14, 2025
George Floyd’s death — caused by former officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes during an arrest — became a defining moment in the fight against police brutality.
His last words, “I can’t breathe,” fueled worldwide protests.
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