The estate of Michael Jackson has hit back at US rapper Sexyy Red following an explicit rework of the King of Pop’s 1982 anthem, “Beat It,” per music-news.com.
The controversy erupted after a clip of the St Louis artist performing her version, titled “Just Eat It,” went viral this week. The estate has moved quickly to distance itself from the track, which features graphic lyrical changes to the Grammy-winning classic.
“We were totally unaware of this,” a spokesperson for the Estate told Billboard on Thursday. “The use of the music is unauthorised.”
The firestorm began when Lil Yachty shared footage of Red in the recording studio. Yachty further stoked the flames by joking that the “spicy” remix would appear on the soundtrack for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.
Red later leaned into the backlash, posting the clip to her own Instagram with the caption: “Leaked footage from da Michael Jackson movie hoochie tribute to da best LLMJ.”
The rework has been met with fierce criticism from industry veterans and fans alike. Rap pioneer Monie Love led the condemnation on X (formerly Twitter), describing the flip as “beyond disrespectful.”
“Whoever cleared the Beat It sample for Sexyy Red, I hope they know they not seeing heaven,” Love wrote. “Playing with MJ’s name and discography like that is beyond disrespectful!”
“Beat It,” produced by Quincy Jones for the record-breaking Thriller album, remains one of the most protected catalogues in music history. Given the estate’s firm stance on copyright, the future of Red’s viral flip remains uncertain.
•Featured image: Sexy Red/Chris Allmeid Image
