LSU women’s hoops star removes rap video with controversial 9/11 lyric

LSU women’s basketball player Flau’jae Johnson took down a rap video she released Tuesday after she received criticism for a lyric referencing 9/11.

The song was a cover of Latto’s ‘Put It On Da Floor’ and shouted out Tigers newcomer Hailey Van Lith as Johnson declared that the team is aiming to win back-to-back championships.

But many ears perked up at the lyric, ‘In this 911, blowing smoke just like them towers’ where she connects a Porsche 911 sportscar to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 when nearly 3,000 people died.

‘We spoke with Flau’jae this evening, and while she never intended to offend or upset anyone with her lyrics, she expressed sincere remorse for any possibility of a misunderstanding and immediately took the video down,’ LSU said. ‘We will learn and grow from this experience together.’

Johnson, 19, has not made a statement publicly after taking her post down.

The freshman guard averaged 11 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 36 appearances this past season as LSU won its first national championship. Johnson’s music was played by deejays across the Tigers’ March Madness run.

Johnson signed a distribution deal with Jay Z’s Roc Nation label in 2020. She has been rapping since middle school and made her announcement she was committing to LSU via a rap video featuring Southern rap legend Lil Boosie. Johnson also appeared on ‘America’s Got Talent’ in 2018 when she was 14 years old. She got a golden buzzer from the judges for her heartfelt performance and returned to the show this year as part of an All-Star season.

Her father, Jason Johnson, was a local rap hero who went by the name of Camouflage. He was shot and killed five months before she was born.