Michael Jackson Estate Was ‘Unaware’ of Sexyy Red’s ‘Beat It’ Flip: ‘Use of the Music Is Unauthorized’
Footage of Sexyy Red's explicit "Just Eat It" version went viral and drew backlash earlier this week.
Michael Jackson performs on stage during is "HIStory" world tour concert at Ericsson Stadium Nov. 10, 1996 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Michael Jackson’s estate has slammed Sexyy Red’s explicit flip of the King of Pop’s classic “Beat It” after footage of the St. Louis rapper’s “Just Eat It” version went viral on social media earlier this week.
“We were totally unaware of this,” a spokesman for the Michael Jackson Estate tells Billboard in a statement on Thursday (Feb. 12). “The use of the music is unauthorized.”
Billboard has reached out to Sexyy Red’s reps for comment.
Essentially, Sexyy shouldn’t be expecting any sort of clearance for her “Just Eat It” edition from MJ’s estate for the track to receive an official release on DSPs.
The viral craze began when Lil Yachty posted the clip of Sexyy rapping along to her version of Michael Jackson’s anthem while in the studio on Tuesday (Feb. 10) to his backup Instagram page.
The footage quickly spread across social media and drew vehement backlash from MJ fans after Yachty seemingly joked in his caption that Sexyy’s spicy remix was set to appear on the Michael biopic soundtrack in April.
“Just eat it, just eat it/ You better not nut fast because I hate a minute man/ And if that d—k is trash, I’m telling all my friends/ I’ll beat your a— and we bout to throw them hands,” she raps on her risque version.
Sexyy posted a separate clip of her rapping along to “Just Eat It” on her Instagram on Wednesday (Feb. 11), while leaning into the controversy. “Leaked footage from da Michael Jackson movie HOOCHIE TRIBUTE TO DA BEST LLMJ,” she wrote.
Rap pioneer Monie Love chimed in to condemn Sexyy for her MJ sample flip, calling the move “beyond disrespectful.” “Whoever cleared the ‘Beat It’ sample for Sexyy Red, I hope they know they not seeing heaven,” she wrote on X. “Playing with MJ name and discography like that is beyond disrespectful!”
Sexyy Red has proven to be a fan of Michael Jackson in the past. The 27-year-old brought out MJ impersonator Rico Hampton to perform “Billie Jean” for the crowd at her hometown show in St. Louis in November.
“Beat It” arrived as part of Michael Jackson’s Thriller classic in 1982, and the Quincy Jones-produced anthem went on to top the Billboard Hot 100.
