October 04, 2022
YG has come under fire for his song “How to Rob a Rapper,” which some have deemed to be insensitive following the recent murder of PnB Rock.
The track appears on the Compton rapper’s latest album I Got Issues, which arrived on Friday (September 30), just weeks after the Philadelphia rapper was fatally shot during a robbery in Los Angeles.
Featuring guest verses from fellow Cali MCs Mozzy and D3szn, “How to Rob a Rapper” finds YG tapping into “the mind of a muthafucking maniac” and delivering a step-by-step guide on how to stick up a Hip Hop artist.
“Peep game, I’ma teach you how to rob a rapper / Catch a n-gga lackin’, he slackin’ on IG Live / He gon’ show his whereabouts on accident, he be high / He gon’ show the jewels he wearin’ and the car that he drive,” he raps.
A video for the song was released on Monday (October 3), complete with karaoke-style lyric subtitles.
With PnB Rock’s tragic September 12 death still fresh in the memory, YG faced criticism on social media for the timing of the release of “How to Rob a Rapper.”
“In light of PnB Rock being robbed and murdered in LA, YG dropping a song called ‘How to Rob a Rapper’ is a lil too much,” one person tweeted, while another added: “I ain’t saying YG dissing Pnb Rock with his new song but the timing is terrible.”
Someone else suggested YG should remove the song from his album altogether, writing: “We live in an age where songs can be removed from albums in real time. YG’s ‘How To Rob A Rapper’ should have been taken off considering PNB Rock.”
In light of PnB Rock being robbed and murdered in LA, YG dropping a song called “How to Rob a Rapper” is a lil too much.
— Riq. (@_tjflorence) October 3, 2022
I ain't saying YG dissing Pnb Rock with his new song but the timing is terrible
— Ben Dover (@50shadezoftae) October 4, 2022
We live in an age where songs can be removed from albums in real time. YG's "How To Rob A Rapper" should have been taken off considering PNB Rock
— 42. From New York (@fromoldharlem) October 1, 2022
In light of PnB’s tragic murder, it was extremely irresponsible of Def Jam to let this “How To Rob A Rapper” track on YG’s album come out so soon
And the cover art for this album is so ass lol smh.
Album solid doe.
— WHUTUPDOE (@WHUTUPDOE) October 1, 2022