Kesha’s Mom Admits She Wrote the Dahmer Lyric in “Cannibal" and Apologizes on TikTok
Content warning: This article contains references of murder and sexual assault some may find upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.
After DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story dropped on Netflix earlier this month, a slew of controversy has come along with it. Not only has the true crime show been criticized by fans for "romanticizing" the notorious serial killer, but the family of one of Dahmer's victims spoke out against Netflix for capitalizing on her trauma. Public figures beyond the show are also being called out for referencing Dahmer in their work, including Eminem, Katy Perry, and Kesha. Each of these artists name-dropped him in their hit songs from the 2010s.
Kesha dropped her song, "Cannibal," in 2010, which calls back to Dahmer's terrifying crimes with lyrics like "Be too sweet and you'll be a goner. Yep, I'll pull a Jeffrey Dahmer." The artist's mom, songwriter Pebe Sebert, took to TikTok to claim responsibility for that particular lyric and provide some context from back when the song was written over a decade ago.
"That was my line that I wrote in "Cannibal." At the time, Kesha and the other writer were too young to even know who Jeffrey Dahmer was," Sebert explained. She went on to share that she used a rhyming program called Master Writer, which suggested "Jeffrey Dahmer" as a phrase to rhyme with the word "goner." "I'm sorry for anyone who has lost a family member in this tragedy — we certainly never meant to hurt anybody," she apologized. Kesha recently performed "Cannibal" live for Hulu's Huluween Dragstravaganza and cut out the lyric about Jeffrey Dahmer.
Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" was released a few years later in 2013 and features rapper Juicy J. In his verse, he raps "She's a beast, I call her karma. She'll eat your heart out like Jeffrey Dahmer."
Rapper Eminem also referenced Dahmer in not one, but three of his songs. In 2013's "Brainless," he raps "Cause I'd probably be Dahmer." Dahmer name drops can also be heard on his 2009 songs "Must Be The Ganja" and "Bagpipes From Bagdad."
Fans of the musicians on Twitter are holding the artists accountable for referencing Dahmer, who killed 17 Asian, Latino, and Black men between 1978 and 1991. One specifically called out Katy, who "allowed" such "vile" lyrics romanticizing Dahmer to be featured on her track, which climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 2014.
"Why isn’t anyone calling out Katy Perry for allowing such a vile & terrible lyric to be included in one of her hit songs? Jeffrey was a notorious serial killer & Katy CHOSE to romanticize his criminal & inhumane actions. I actually feel sick to my stomach. She NEEDS to apologize," the fan wrote before admitting that it's "traumatizing" to know that the song went No. 1 in a separate tweet.
"I didn’t know how creepy Kesha’s 'Cannibal' song was till I read the lyrics! Damn it’s nasty. Tbh I didn’t know how creepy for singers to sing about Jeffrey Dahmer till I watched the show. Like why and how?!" another fan wrote.
Others came to the singers' defense, especially Kesha, who publicly faced a legal battle with her former producer, Dr. Luke, after accusing him of sexual assault in 2017. "The fact that more people are upset over Kesha referencing Jeffrey Dahmer on 'Cannibal' (which was produced by Dr. Luke) than her discography still being controlled by Dr. Luke is performative when it comes to [sexual violence]," someone said.
The female singers are seemingly facing more backlash than Eminem, despite him referencing Dahmer on multiple occasions. At this time, each artist has yet to publicly address the controversy.
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