Mariah Carey Has the Perfect Clapback to a Rapper Who Sampled ‘Shake It Off’: ‘Respond to My Lawyers’
Mariah Carey has responded to a recent sampling of her hit song “Shake It Off” in true Mimi fashion, leaving many wondering if she’s being serious or just kidding around.
On Friday (May 7), RNB Radar CEO Tommy Banks tweeted a snippet of Baltimore rapper YTK’s new track “Let It Off,” which samples Carey’s 2005 hit “Shake It Off” that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Mariah Carey has 24 hours to respond,” Banks captioned the minute-long clip, where YTK is seen wearing a ski mask and flashing a pistol.
RNB Radar’s tweet caught the attention of Carey less than 24 hours later, who seemingly threatened that YTK needs to clear the sample of her song. “How about y’all have 24 hours to respond to my lawyers,” the superstar singer captioned a GIF of her 2018 song “GTFO” on Saturday (May 8).
A quick look through RNB Radar’s tweets, however, reveals that the back-and-forth may be a playful joke — and that Questlove is involved in helping clear the sample.
“Hey I want to reiterate that Mariah was joking, please stop saying rude s— to her,” RNB Radar wrote alongside a screenshot of what appears to be a DM with Questlove about clearing the sample. “She told that same joke to Quest Love hours before she responded to the tweet and put us in contact with the people who can help us clear it! so it’s not a problem on her end.”
Questlove also chimed in on social media, recalling a similar situation over a decade ago when Erykah Badu needed to a clear a Wings sample with Paul McCartney for her song “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long.”
“I’m DYIN. I helped w the Mariah sample cause 11 years ago we were in the same situation in which Erykah has 24 hours to clear ‘Gone Baby Don’t Be Long’ w Paul McCartney & Lenny Kravitz saw the tweet & hit up Stella to hit her pops & the song was saved!” The Roots drummer tweeted, adding the hashtag #PayItForward.
Whatever the case, RNB Radar’s attempt to create a viral sensation with YTK’s “Let It Off” has worked like a charm. “In 24 hours: I was able to get YTK 5 million impressions Almost 1 million views 100’s of celebrities retweeting it and Mariah herself responded,” Banks tweeted.
Carey, meanwhile, is having a blast watching it all unfold behind the scenes, evidenced by her playful reaction to a fan tweet. “What I love about Mariah Carey is I have no idea she’s either teasing or she’s serious here,” the fan wrote. MiMi replied: “I don’t know and neither do you!”
See Carey’s original response below.