Jack White and Charley Crockett Are Beefing

Update: Charley Crockett has responded to Jack White’s “Rappin Duke”-inspired post, calling White “Mr. Suzy Cream Puff” and “big hoss,” then clarifying that when he accused the guitarist of never talking about politics, he meant his “public statements back when it was on the line in 2003.” Later, Crockett adds, “Lemme guess, you got Che Guevara and Malcolm X on your shelf, maybe even Fred Hampton, but at the end of the day you get in the Lamborghini and put your kids in private school.”

It’s been a long six weeks for Charley Crockett. In July, the country singer-songwriter booted Twin Temple, a self-described Satanic doo-wop duo, as openers on his Age of the Ram tour. The band claimed it was “due to their Satanic imagery.” Crockett later elaborated, “I thought they were like Black Sabbath, but they ain’t. Not today, Satan.”

Ever since, Jack White has taken Twin Temple under his wing, starting with an invitation to open his Los Angeles concert. That set off a chain reaction of national attention that landed the duo their late-night TV debut. The fanfare eventually died down until yesterday afternoon (August 18), when Crockett took to social media to “clear this up right quick.”

After claiming Twin Temple made up the “Satanic imagery” reason for their dismissal “and dragged me by a rope real good,” Crockett used his since-deleted Instagram post to take aim at other artists. He called out the musicians who were “showering me with praise” for years only to “kick me in the dick” after this situation arose. Then Crockett turned his attention towards White, writing, “[H]e used it to sell tickets too and I lost a lot of respect for him. I wonder why he wasn’t so outspoken back when he was in the White Stripes 20 something years ago. They purposely avoided political issues. Maybe he was worried about losing audience back when it was all on the line and he needed all the help he could get.”

White has been political onstage and off for decades, but it doesn’t seem that claim from Crockett struck a nerve. What did, however, is the country artist’s insistence on trying to start a fight. White logged onto Instagram to share a long response that’s primarily the lyrics to the 1984 rap song “Rappin Duke” by Shawn Brown:

I never said nothing about this young buck before but since he’s trying to drag me into this here rodeo again, here's my official response to Cowboy Charley’s accusations:

So you think you're bad, with your rapWell I’ll tell ya pilgrim I started the crapWhen you were in diapers and wetting the sheetsI was at the Ponderosa rapping to the beat

Da haahh, da haahhDa ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh

Sure I rustled some cattle and tended the sheepBut my main concern was rapping to the beatI don’t bother nobody I'm a real nice guy, kindalaid back like a, dead fly

Da haahh, da haahhDa ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh

I’m talkin, here and nowLater for the cattle and rustlin the cowIf I had a chance to do a repeatYou can bet your sweet dippy I’d be rappin to the beat

Da haahh, da haahhDa ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh

Que pasa amigos? Not a *pasa* I seeTwo hundred punks well what ya gonna do?I got two six shooters that'll see me throughThat’s, twelve dead…and a hundred and eighty-eight pallbearers

Da haahh, da haahhDa ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh

What I do on your grave won’t pass for flowers either

Now Kurtis Blow, Run-D.M.C.You haven’t heard of rap, til ya heard it from meI’m the baddest rapper in historyAnd there’ll be no more, after me

Da haahh, da haahhDa ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh

Meanwhile, back at the ranchSanta Barbera that isSwimmin pools, and movie starsWell the first thing ya know ol’ Ron’s the PresidentThe kinfolk said, “Ron move away from there”Said, “In The White House is where you wanna be”So he loaded up the Lincoln and he moved to D.C.

Washington, that isPoliticians taking a sipForeign dignitaries taking a tripHigh tax and plenty Cadillacs

Da haahh, da haahhDa ha-hahh ha-hahh haahh

Now ya see me in my movies, doin my thingBut deep in my heart, I’ve wanted to sing“Wayyyy dowwwn, upon the swannnny riverrrrrr

Farrrr, farrr awayyyTitwillow, titwillow, titwillow”I don’t think, that’s your styleBut I’ll tell ya pilgrim, I’m versatileAretha Franklin, Aretha FranklinAretha Franklin let me rock ya let me rock ya Aretha FranklinLet me rock ya Aretha Franklin that’s all I wanna doAretha Franklinnnnnn

In the midst of this, all three artists have been on the road, with Crockett supporting his June album, Age of the Ram, and White bringing July’s Frozen Charlotte to sold-out venues through the end of this year. Twin Temple are releasing a new album this year, too; Doomed Lovers arrives October 9 via, fittingly, Pentagrammaton.