| "Flatline" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song byB.o.B | |
| from the albumE.A.R.T.H. (Educational Avatar Reality Training Habitat) | |
| Released | January 26, 2016 (2016-01-26) |
| Recorded | 2016 |
| Genre | Political hip hop |
| Length | 3:29 |
| Label | No Genre |
| Songwriters | Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. |
| Producer | B.o.B |
"Flatline" is a song by American rapperB.o.B, initially released onSoundCloud in January 2016. It is adiss track aimed at physicistNeil DeGrasse Tyson, whom he had gotten into an argument with onTwitter, over B.o.B's stated belief thatthe Earth is flat. In addition to dissing Tyson and expressing belief in a flat Earth, the song's lyrics also include otherconspiracy theories, includingHolocaust denial, "mirror lizards", and the belief thatFreemasons are indoctrinating young people. The lyrics to the song refer to science as acult.[1][2][3][4]
The song was panned by critics and music industry commentators for its support ofconspiracy theories and itsanti-Semitism.Vulture music critic Nate Jones commented, "It's called 'Flatline,' which is both a reference to the horizon of the Earth and also a fitting description of B.o.B's career."[5]Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of theAnti-Defamation League, issued a statement saying that B.o.B's "lyrics are irresponsible and could potentially promote anti-Semitic beliefs, especially in those people who might already be infected by such notions."[6]
Following criticism, B.o.B removed the song from his SoundCloud account, but it survives on YouTube and other sites where it was reposted.[7] In April 2016, B.o.B included the song on amixtape titledE.A.R.T.H. (Educational Avatar Reality Training Habitat), but the song lyrics had been rewritten as titled as pt. 2.[8][9]
In response to B.o.B's Twitter arguments with Neil deGrasse Tyson, the latter's nephew, an amateur rapper using the stage name Ellect, released a dis track of his own titled "Flat to Fact" which echoes several of his uncle's talking points and features Tyson himself providing spoken word interjections.[5]
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