"FDT" (also known by its uncensored full title "Fuck Donald Trump") is a

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for protest and social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. ...

by American rapper YG featuring American rapper

Nipsey Hussle Ermias Joseph Asghedom (born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom; August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-20 ...

, and is the second single from YG's second studio album ''

Still Brazy ''Still Brazy'' is the second studio album by American rapper YG. It was made available for streaming on June 14, 2016, by Apple Music. Later, it was released physically for the digital download purchases on June 17, 2016, by 4Hunnid Records, ...

''. The song is a criticism of the policies of the Republican candidate in the

2016 US presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, who would eventually win the 2016 presidential election.

Recording

According to the rappers, the track was recorded in about an hour, and was inspired by Hussle's positive experience of working with Mexican immigrants to the US. It begins with soundbites from several black protesters who were ejected from a Trump rally in

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, ...

. In April 2016, the

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

shut down a video shoot for the song being filmed on the corner of

Crenshaw Boulevard Crenshaw Boulevard is a north–south thoroughfare that runs through Crenshaw and other neighborhoods along a route in the west-central part of Los Angeles, California, United States. The street extends between Wilshire Boulevard in Mid-W ...

and 71st Street in

South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown. It is de ...

following a tip-off. There were no arrests, and a police spokesman later said there was no evidence of violence. Footage from the police raid was included in the final video. According to YG, the

US Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security, Department of Homeland Security tasked with con ...

attempted to halt the album's release because of the lyrical content of this song, but were unsuccessful, though a portion of the track was "blanked" before release. YG considered dropping the track from the album, worrying it would not be released, but was persuaded by producer Steve-O Carless to keep it. The track as released has gaps where controversial lines were removed. The track contains a sample of "Somethin' To Ride To (Fonky Expedition)" by

The Conscious Daughters The Conscious Daughters (TCD) were an United States, American female hip hop music, hip hop duo from Oakland, California, Oakland, California, consisting of Carla "CMG" Green and Karryl "Special One" Smith. The duo signed in 1993 to Paris (rapp ...

Reception

The track became increasingly popular throughout 2016. YG called his summer tour to promote ''Still Brazy'' the "Fuck Donald Trump Tour" and the song was remixed by

G-Eazy Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), better known by his stage name G-Eazy, is an American rapper. Based in Oakland, California, he began his career in 2006 and released two independent studio albums before signing with RCA Records to releas ...

and

Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper. A native of Seattle, Washington, he started his career in 2000 as an independent artist rele ...

, featuring new verses criticizing Trump's comments on banning Muslims from the US. Following the election, which saw Trump become

president-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Un ...

, YG performed the song as the closing number in his set at the 2016

Camp Flog Gnaw Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival (formerly known as the OFWGKTA Carnival or Odd Future carnival) is an annual American music festival and carnival created by Tyler, the Creator and has been held annually since its inception in the fall of 2012, except from ...

Carnival to a positive reception. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' described "FDT" as, "the most prophetic, wrathful and unifying protest song of 2016." In early 2019, YG announced he planned to record another Trump-related

diss song A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...

as a follow-up. In October 2020, a 44-year-old Texas man was filmed punching an anti-Trump protester who was playing the "FDT" song outside of a convenience store in Denton, Texas. The man who threw the punch was arrested. On November 7, 2020, the song topped the

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

charts after

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

defeated Trump in the

2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...

FDT Pt. 2

On August 16, 2016, YG released FDT Pt. 2, a sequel to FDT featuring G Eazy and

Charts

Certifications

References