Meek Mill Fans Outraged Over Kobe Bryant ‘Chopper’ Line in New Song

Meek Mill is facing backlash after a snippet of an unreleased song appeared to reference the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight others. The controversy was sparked Wednesday when a clip from the rapper’s track with Lil Baby leaked online. That song, according to Uproxx, reportedly includes references to the January 2020 helicopter crash with lyrics like, “And if I ever lack, I’m going out with my choppa. It’ll be another Kobe.”

Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed on Jan. 26, 2020 when the helicopter carrying them to a Mamba Sports Academy basketball game crashed into a Calabasas hillside. The crash killed all nine passengers aboard the flight, including Gianna’s teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, their parents John and Keri Altobelli and Sarah Chester, and girl’s basketball coach Christina Mauser as well as the pilot Ara Zobayan. In the wake of the crash, several memorials were held, and Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, took to Instagram in January to tragically mark the one-year anniversary of the crash.

For many, the lyrics in Mill’s song were insensitive and disrespectful. As soon as the snippet made its way online, the rapper’s name began trending as users reacted to the clip. Keep scrolling to see what they had to say.

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According to AllHipHop, some of the tweets contained the leaked audio have since been removed due to copyright holder complaints. It is unclear if the rumored Meek Mill-Lil Baby collaboration will ever be released. The outlet notes that amid the backlash, it is possible the lyric mentioning Bryant could be removed.

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Mill eventually seemed to respond to the backlash. In a tweet Thursday morning, he seemed to defend himself when writing, “somebody promo a narrative and y’all follow it… y’all internet antics cannot stop me ….s– like zombie land or something! Lol.”

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He went on to write a second tweet. That tweet read, “They paying to influence y’all now … its almost like mind control ‘wake up.’”

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The rapper’s statements only seemed to further upset fans. In response, one person wrote, “In my opinion it was disrespectful and distasteful. A lot of people died in that accident and a lot of people are still torn up. Some people just don’t understand that it’s inappropriate.”

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Another person said, “Bro, Even if you’re right, the response should be different.” That person encouraged the rapper to “Just say: I’m sorry if the lyrics caused harm or triggered anyone because it wasn’t intended to do so. It was a vulnerable & real line that happened in the moment. I will try to be more cautious going forward. Thanks.”

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The leaked snippet came just days after Mill engaged in a parking lot altercation with Tekashi 69 after a Miami club event. It also followed the rapper’s blasting of Wack 100. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Mill referenced the artist manager’s 2019 comments about late Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle.

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At this time, Mill has not further responded to the controversy. Page Six has reached out to the rapper for comment but has not yet received a response.