Rapper JUSTHIS is once again under fire for seemingly taking aim at AKMU’s Lee Chan-hyuk.
During a Sept. 9 YouTube livestream of HIPHOPPLAYA Radio, JUSTHIS performed Lee’s “Panorama” as a mash-up over the instrumental of The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears.” Viewers quickly noted the matched key and BPM and the use of The Weeknd’s backing track, reading it as a pointed nod to long-running chatter that Lee’s solo work echoes The Weeknd’s sound.
Adding fuel, JUSTHIS appeared to be wearing a hoodie from a The Weeknd-streetwear collaboration during the broadcast.
Online reactions were split. Many argued that a shared vibe doesn’t equal plagiarism and cautioned that, while Lee has previously cited The Weeknd as an influence on his first full-length project, framing it as outright copying could mislead the public.
This isn’t their first brush-up. In August, JUSTHIS flipped Lee’s 2022 lyric “Hip-hop isn’t cool” during a cypher, with one bar widely heard as calling Lee a bargain-bin Weeknd―stirring fresh controversy.
Critics also questioned whether dredging up old remarks amounts to clout-chasing, saying it only inflames secondary spats over personal matters, including military service.
Addressing the uproar on the Danny Cho YouTube channel on Sept. 5, JUSTHIS said, “I won’t explain everything with words. I’ll put it in the music,” adding, “We live in an era of big hatred. I care about what’s inside the music; you care about what’s outside.”
Lee Chan-hyuk has not commented as of press time.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)