Michael Jackson’s estate has strongly condemned rapper Sexyy Red’s explicit rendition of the King of Pop’s iconic song “Beat It,” which she titled “Just Eat It.” The controversy erupted after footage of Sexyy Red performing her version went viral across social media platforms. A spokesperson for the Michael Jackson Estate confirmed to Billboard that they were entirely unaware of the rendition and stressed that the use of the music was completely unauthorized.

This unauthorized use means that Sexyy Red should not expect to receive any official clearance from MJ’s estate for “Just Eat It” to be released on digital streaming platforms (DSPs). The viral spread began when Lil Yachty posted a clip of Sexyy Red rapping her version in the studio on his backup Instagram page. The footage quickly garnered significant attention and drew a strong backlash from Michael Jackson fans, especially after Yachty seemingly made a joke in his caption suggesting Sexyy Red’s remix would appear on the upcoming Michael biopic soundtrack in April.

The explicit lyrics of Sexyy Red’s version include lines such as “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.” Sexyy Red herself leaned into the controversy, posting a separate clip of her rapping “Just Eat It” on her Instagram, humorously captioning it, “Leaked footage from da Michael Jackson movie HOOCHIE TRIBUTE TO DA BEST LLMJ.”

The rap community also weighed in, with pioneer Monie Love publicly condemning Sexyy Red’s sample flip. Love described the move as “beyond disrespectful,” stating on X, “Whoever cleared the ‘Beat It’ sample for Sexyy Red, I hope they know they not seeing heaven. Playing with MJ name and discography like that is beyond disrespectful!” Despite the current controversy, Sexyy Red has previously shown admiration for Michael Jackson, notably bringing an MJ impersonator, Rico Hampton, to perform “Billie Jean” at her hometown show in St. Louis in November. Michael Jackson’s original “Beat It” was released as part of his seminal 1982 album, Thriller, and the Quincy Jones-produced anthem went on to achieve immense success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart.