‘I’m pissed about this sh…’: Rapper Michael Irvin’s son defends ‘bully’ after dad reveals he grew up in gated community

NFL legend Michael Irvin threw a flag over the move when he realized his son was attempting to boost his street cred.

The American Football Hall of Fame inductee publicly criticized his son Elijah Irvin, who goes by the rapper name Tuta Tarantino, during an October 2023 episode of “Undisputed.” Irvin made it clear that his son didn’t come from the tough streets but grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth.

“I have a son. He raps. His rap name is Tut Tarantino,” Irvin said. “If you ever listen to one of his raps, I’m like, ‘Oh my God. Where did that come from, son?’ You grew up in a gated community your whole life. But he raps my life. But he raps my life because he romanticizes and fantasizes about the old ‘thug life,’ ‘ghetto life,’ and all that. When we were working to get away from that, we’ve somehow gotten to a place where we’re going back to that.”

The conversation about Irvin’s son began as a part of an extended conversation about Ja Morant’s harmful behavior and the people the young NBA star surrounded himself with.

“Not everybody is meant to go where you go,” Irvin said in the episode.

For the primary time, Irvin’s son, Tut Tarantino, spoke out about his father’s words on ESPN.

Here Tarantino sat down with “On the ground with responsibilities”podcast airing June 22, in which he shares his thoughts on his father’s comments.

“I’ll tell you about some crazy sh— that no one knows about,” he begins. “I’m in prison, I’m in a halfway house when this happens… I’m locked up. I’m locked up, some sh— called ISF. You do a program so you can go back on probation.”

Tarantino explained the six-month rehabilitation program that landed him in a Texas prison on probation. He explained that he was on the phone with the mother of his children when she played him a recording of his father speaking on ESPN.

“So I’m on the phone and I’m listening to this sh— and… my adrenaline started pumping,” Tarantino recalled. “I’m shaking a little bit, but I’m like, ‘Man, this sh— is crazy!’”

He continued, “At first I was a little hot. I was a little mad at that s—. But then I saw that what my Pops was saying wasn’t what people were running with.”

Tarantino revealed that when he calmed down, he understood his father’s true message. He explained, “What I took away from that was that he was talking about our generation… there are a lot more people who are moving the way they thought they had to move when they were younger to get from where they were.”

“There’s a hell of a lot of people who almost do this shit for fun… but I’m independent,” Tarantino continued. “I’m 25 years old. Whether he mentioned my name in that situation or not, I don’t feel like he was calling me a liar or anything. He was just like… like, ‘My son’s a rapper. Why does my son say the things he says and come from the place he comes from.’”

Tarantino’s statements sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with some accusing him of avoiding responding.

“That’s a good way to avoid the question,” someone commented under the Instagram video.

“The brother said absolutely nothing,” one other person wrote.

“Boy can you stop!!! Most of us would give the world to be in your shoes and you’re making an idiot of yourself,” the social media user noted.

“It’s good that Michael doesn’t want his child to end up in such a life,” someone said. he reacted on X, shortly after Irvin first spoke out about his son.

“Wow. Get them into family therapy ASAP,” one other person said. he said.

Tut Tarantino continues to pursue his dreams of constructing a reputation for himself in hip-hop. On July 13, the 25-year-old performed at his father’s restaurant, Playmakers88, in Dallas together with his father in attendance. The former Dallas Cowboy also has three other children, Michael Irvin II, who played tight end for Florida Atlantic, Myesha Beyonca Irvin and Chelsea Irvin.