Performance restrictions aren't something most rappers expect to encounter years after releasing a hit. For YG, however, one record continues following him everywhere he goes. "FDT," his politically charged collaboration with Nipsey Hussle, remains controversial enough that some promoters still prohibit him from performing it, even as fans continue asking for a sequel nearly a decade after it first became a protest anthem.
"FDT" arrived during Donald Trump's first presidential campaign, when debates surrounding immigration, policing, race, and national identity dominated politics. The record quickly escaped the boundaries of Hip Hop, becoming a fixture at demonstrations across the country while drawing scrutiny from the Secret Service because of its explicit message aimed at a major-party presidential candidate. A defiant West Coast single eventually became one of the decade's defining protest songs.
Read More: YG & Nipsey Hussle's "FDT" Remains A Major Anthem For A Lot Of Americans Today
Moving On After The "FDT" Craze
Speaking with Big Boy, YG admitted that people still ask whether he'll record another installment, as immigration raids and other political issues once again dominate the headlines. Despite understanding why listeners want another anthem, he made it clear he has no interest in revisiting that chapter. "A lot of people be asking me that like, 'Bro, is you going to do part two?'" YG replied. "I'm like, 'Listen, man. I got a lot of street sh*t going on. I got a lot of other sh*t going on. I don't want no smoke with them people.'"
That caution comes from experience. "I still be going through that," YG explained. "When I'm doing certain shows they be like, 'We want him, but he can't do 'FDT.''" He also recalled a college booking around 2017, when his team warned him that the restriction had been written directly into his contract. "My team was like, 'Yeah, bro, just to let you know it's in the contract you can't do 'F*ck Donald Trump.' If you do 'F*ck Donald Trump,' they ain't got to pay you.'"
Letters from the Secret Service are enough to press pause. Check out YG with Big Boy below.
