Lil Mosey's Chicago Ban Explained — Controversial Rapper's Fate Has Been Revealed

Over the course of his young career, Lil Mosey has been involved in a fair share of controversy. The artist was accused of rape in 2023, but according to the BBC, Lil Mosey was acquitted by a jury at Lewis County Superior Court. However, the performer found himself stuck in yet another mystery in the summer of 2025.

Several social media posts indicated that Lil Mosey had been banned from the city of Chicago. Despite the meteoric rise of the early years of his career, the videos state that the rapper is no longer allowed to set foot into one of the biggest cities in the country.

Is Lil Mosey really banned from Chicago? Here's what we know about the connection between the Windy City and the rapper behind "Flu Game."

No, Lil Mosey isn't legally or physically banned from the city of Chicago. The recent videos posted on social media, such as the one from YouTube Shorts user @Rap5x, state that the rapper is banned from the city as an amusing critique of his work. It all comes down to a song that the public found to be funny.

"Krabby Step" features several elements from the SpongeBob SquarePants television series in its lyrics, causing rap fans to not take the theme seriously.

The characters from SpongeBob SquarePants who are referenced in the lyrics of "Krabby Step" are Patrick, Sandy Cheeks, Mrs. Puff, and Gary. It's evident from the way in which Lil Mosey talks about this world that he is a major fan of the Nickelodeon smash hit. Considering how young the rapper is, the animated series might have played a crucial part in his childhood.

Beyond the colorful characters that appear in the series, several elements from SpongeBob SquarePants prove that Lil Mosey deeply cares about Stephen Hillenburg's creation. The Krabby Patties, Bikini Bottom, and the Flying Dutchman are all things a viewer would only know if they actually sat down to watch the show.

More than two decades after it premiered on Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants continues to be relevant to pop culture.

It's unclear what the connection is between "Krabby Steps" and the idea of the rapper being banned from Chicago. It's possible that one video made the claim and others followed suit, resulting in a sort of meme.

The city has been crucial to the history of hip-hop and rap, dating back to the prime of the Maxwell Street blues, according to National Public Radio. So some made the connection that song was too ridiculous for Chicago audiences.

Beyond what can be said about "Krabby Steps," Chicago actually enjoys Lil Mosey's music. Through his social media accounts, the artist let the entire world know that he had performed in front of 22,000 people when he made his way to the Windy City in 2022.

In due time, Chicago might be able to forgive Lil Mosey for his transgressions against rap, hip hop, and one of the most culturally rich cities in the United States.