Former NBA player and activist Stephen Jackson says rapper Lil Yachty personally called him to apologize after a lyric referencing George Floyd sparked backlash earlier this week. The controversy erupted on August 13 during a live stream hosted by content creator PlaqueBoyMax. In the broadcast, a song featuring Lil Yachty rapping, “Put my knee up on her neck, I went George Floyd,” played as he and others in the room danced. The line drew immediate condemnation for invoking the manner of Floyd’s death in a sexual context.

George Floyd was killed in May 2020 by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes as Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe. His death, along with the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, ignited worldwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality. Jackson, a native of Port Arthur, Texas, was a close friend of Floyd’s and became one of the most visible voices calling for justice in the aftermath.

On August 14, Jackson posted a scathing response on social media, a message he later deleted. In it, he called Lil Yachty a “sambo” and accused him of exploiting Floyd’s name for attention. “You think you saying George Floyd name, and trying to use his name in a bar, that’s gonna make people like your wack-a*s music? That sh*t weak,” Jackson said in the video. “Y’all the only era that feel like demeaning the dead and saying that shit is cool… Don’t ever say his name, bro. None of y’all knew G… But y’all wanna say his name for clout. That’s some weak-ass shit.”

Jackson continued by drawing a personal comparison: “Let somebody die in your family, we gonna do a whole skit about it and see how funny it is. Cut that sh*t out.”

But within hours, Jackson’s tone shifted after speaking directly with the rapper. In two separate videos, one on his Instagram story and another on his main page, Jackson revealed Lil Yachty had reached out to apologize. Jackson said he believed the 26-year-old artist understood why the lyric caused outrage and had expressed remorse.

“I took my post down about Lil Yachty cause I’m emotional about George,” Jackson explained. “I told him it don’t make no sense to do a public apology. He understood, and he understands the outrage. He’s a smart young man, he’s winning for a reason… he made a mistake, he apologized, we moved on from it.” In his follow-up remarks, Jackson also called for more thoughtfulness in public discourse: “Let’s bring some integrity back into everything we say. I won’t be doing no interviews about it, it’s over with.”

Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, also addressed the lyric in comments to TMZ. He urged artists and the public to be mindful when speaking about his brother’s name, calling it a “very sensitive topic” and noting that the pain of his death “still hurts.”

As of publication, representatives for Lil Yachty have not issued a statement.