The hip-hop world was rocked late Tuesday when veteran rapper and podcaster Gillie Da Kid delivered a chilling, measured response to NBA YoungBoy after the latter crossed an unforgivable line in a 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓮𝓭 song snippet, mocking the death of Gillie’s 25-year-old son, YNG Cheese.
In an unprecedented escalation of an already volatile feud, NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, unleashed a torrent of disses aimed at Future, Offset, and the entire Atlanta rap scene. But it was his decision to reference the 2023 murder of Gillie’s son, Devin “YNG Cheese” Spady, that ignited a firestorm, drawing immediate backlash from fans and peers alike.
Gillie, 40, did not respond with a diss track or a threat. Instead, he went live on social media, calm and collected, and delivered a response that many are calling a masterclass in emotional control and street credibility.
“You can’t make me feel some type of way mentioning my son. I don’t. That don’t hurt. I already come to grips with what happened, bro,” Gillie said, staring into the camera. “That’s why I’m laughing, cuz I’m like… you still on the rocks and [expletive]. I’m not threatened.”
The moment was a stark contrast to the aggressive, bombastic energy that has defined NBA YoungBoy’s recent social media outbursts. Gillie, a founding member of the Major Figgas and co-host of the wildly popular “Million Dollars Worth of Game” podcast, did not even raise his voice.
He continued, “We don’t say what we were going to do on the internet. That’s kid [expletive]. If you was going to do something, you would have done it. Rappers make rap music, man. That’s all it is. It ain’t nothing.”
The response is even more devastating in light of history. In 2023, just months after his son’s death, Gillie sat down with NBA YoungBoy for an emotional podcast interview. YoungBoy, then 23, offered words of comfort as Gillie openly wept, describing the agony of preparing his son’s body for burial.
“I struggle every day,” Gillie said in that episode. “My son was a year older than you. So I struggle every day. When I wake up, that’s the first thing I think about.”
Now, the same artist who once consoled a grieving father has turned that very grief into a weaponized bar. The 𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓮𝓭 snippet, which surfaced on X and other platforms, includes a line where YoungBoy raps about once considering killing Gillie, followed by a mockery of Gillie for not retaliating after his son was killed.
“That’s not a punchline. That’s somebody’s real child,” said one industry insider who asked not to be named. “Gilly showed this man compassion, and this is how he repays him? It’s beyond disrespectful. It’s sociopathic.”
The fallout was immediate. Fans flooded social media with clips of Gillie’s response, praising his composure. “Gillie just taught every rapper how to handle a disrespectful diss. No crying, no threatening. Just facts,” wrote one user. Another added, “NBA YoungBoy is officially done. He brought up a dead child. There’s no coming back from that.”
To understand the gravity of the moment, one must revisit the timeline of YoungBoy’s recent behavior. It began with a barrage of disses aimed at Future, timed with the release of Future’s latest album. YoungBoy then targeted Offset, Doughboy, and even seemed to take a subtle shot at Lil Baby. He apologized during an Offset live stream, then immediately recanted, declaring he was done apologizing.
“End of the day. No, on some G [expletive] I got to stop that getting emotional [expletive] cuz I really let some utter [expletive] ass [expletive] hurt me,” YoungBoy said during the live, before pivoting to threats. “I ain’t responding to [expletive] no more. Tell them [expletive] all them [expletive] ass.”
Doughboy responded with a fiery rebuttal, questioning YoungBoy’s courage to step outside his home country. But YoungBoy’s decision to drag Gillie’s son into the fray elevated the conflict from rap beef to a personal vendetta.
Gillie’s response was deliberately unbothered. He referenced a line from the late Chicago rapper FBG Duck, saying, “I don’t respond to [expletive] with Von. Go get your gun.” He then delivered the punchline that has been shared thousands of times: “You’re younger than my youngest child, man. Sometimes you take too much of that [expletive].”
The line is a brutal reminder of the age and experience gap between the two. Gillie, a seasoned veteran of the rap game and a respected figure in Philadelphia’s hip-hop community, has been in the industry for over two decades. YoungBoy, 24, has built a career on volatility and raw emotion, but this move may have cost him more than he realizes.
Sponsors and collaborators are reportedly distancing themselves. Multiple sources confirm that at least two upcoming YoungBoy features have been placed on hold as labels evaluate the backlash. The incident also threatens to reignite tensions between Baton Rouge and Philadelphia, two cities with a history of rap-related violence.
Gillie’s son, YNG Cheese, was a rising rapper in his own right, known for his freestyles and his close relationship with his father. He was shot and killed in Philadelphia in October 2023. Gillie has been open about the trauma, describing how he washed and dressed his son’s body for the funeral. The idea that anyone, let alone someone who once sat across from him and comforted him, would use that pain as a lyrical weapon is almost incomprehensible.
“I already come to grips with what happened,” Gillie repeated on the live. “That don’t hurt. You think you going? That don’t make sense, bro.”
Observers note that Gillie’s refusal to engage in a back-and-forth on social media is a strategic move. By denying YoungBoy the emotional reaction he craves, Gillie effectively neuters the diss. “If you were going to do something, you would have done it,” Gillie said, implying that real consequences are not announced online.
The hip-hop community is now watching to see if YoungBoy responds further, and whether any physical repercussions will follow. For now, Gillie has made it clear he is not playing the game on YoungBoy’s terms.
“I’m an old school [expletive], man,” Gillie said. “We don’t say what we was going to do on the internet. That’s kid stuff.”
As the story continues to develop, one thing is certain: NBA YoungBoy has crossed a line that many fans consider unforgivable. The question is whether his career can survive the fallout of mocking a murdered son and the father who loved him.
