Getty Images Kobe Bryant
Rapper Meek Mill is under fire on social media after a Kobe Bryant-inspired lyric from a soon-to-be-released track leaked.
The line from Meek Mill is the definition of “too soon,” regardless of the intentions behind mentioning the late Los Angeles Lakers legend.
Bryant passed just over a year ago in a tragic helicopter accident, which also took the life of his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and six others who were headed to his Mamba Sports Academy. The incident stunned not only the Lakers organization and the NBA, but the world.
The line from Meek Mill is both disrespectful and insensitive, with no payoff or cleverness behind it.
This b—- I’m f—in’ always tell me that she love but she ain’t ever showed me.
Yeah, and if I ever lack, I’m goin’ out with my chopper, it be another Kobe.
The criticism came swiftly for Meek Mill after the snippet hit the internet.
“I don’t know when I’ll be ready to hear a song that references Kobe, but I know it ain’t now and I know that line Meek Mill just dropped ain’t it,” Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweeted. “Let that man RIP a little longer and the next man who wants to try, work a little harder to ensure that your bar isn’t so disrespectful.
I don’t know when I’ll be ready to hear a song that references Kobe, but I know it ain’t now & I know that line Meek Mill just dropped ain’t it. Let that man RIP a little longer & the next man who wants to try, work a little harder to ensure that your bar isn’t so disrespectful.
Even Undisputed host Shannon Shape weighed in with a “WTF Meek” tweet.
WTF Meek.
Not everyone was upset over the lyric, including former NBAer turned TNT analyst Kenny Smith.
“I’m a Meek Mill fan. I know that he’s a huge basketball fan, huge Kobe fan. Whatever he says, I’m always going to give Meek a pass,” Smith told a TMZ cameraman. “I always give Meek the benefit of the doubt. He has a track record that speaks pretty long and pretty positive in the past year.”
Meek Mill Responds to Kobe Bryant Criticism
Meek Mill’s response to the situation on social media did not help his cause, saying people were “mind-controlled” into the criticism.
somebody promo a narrative and y’all follow it…. y’all internet antics cannot stop me ….shit like zombie land or something! Lol
“Somebody promo a narrative and y’all follow it. Y’all internet antics cannot stop me. S— like zombie land or something!” he wrote, following it up with another tweet.
They paying to influence y’all now … its almost like mind control “wake up” 🙃
“They paying to influence y’all now. [It’s] almost like mind control ‘wake up.'”
He did try to do some damage control, posting a photo of a hat on Instagram that had “RIP Kobe & Gigi” on it.
Meek Mill is from Philadelphia — the hometown of the Bryant — and mourned with the rest of the world when the Lakers legend passed.
“Kobe this can’t be real,” he wrote on Twitter.
😢😢😢😢😢 Kobe this cant be real!!!
Lakers Still Reeling From Kobe Bryant’s Death
The Lakers won the NBA championship last season, guided by the energy that they were doing it for Bryant and a Lakers nation that was grieving.
“It was more so, ‘Let’s do it for him,’” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said. “That’s what we ended up doing all of last year. Even when we play now, there’s still in the back of our minds that we’re playing for Kobe, his family and to help the city of LA. It brought a ton of joy to our city when we won because that entire year, it was heavy hearts about the tragedy.”
Lakers superstar LeBron James revealed recently to USA Today that he still has a hard time dealing with the death of Bryant, someone who was a friend and mentor to him.
“I try not to put myself back in that headspace,” Lakers forward LeBron James said. “It was just too dark not only for myself, but for our organization and everyone that is involved in it.”
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