An online petition calling for a rap song to be banned for encouraging crimes against a “specific ethnic group” will receive an official response from the White House after it was signed by more than 100,000 people.

Meet The Flockers by California-born rapper YG, whose real name is Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, has been criticised over its lyrics which protesters say offers advice for thieves on how to rob Chinese families.

The track – which was released in 2014 – opens with the lines: “First, you find a house and scope it out. Find a Chinese neighbourhood, cause they don’t believe in bank accounts.”

It is believed the furore surrounding the song reignited recently after the attempted robbery of a Chinese woman in the US who shot and killed one of three armed suspects in September.

The petition was posted on the White House petition website, which promises an official response within 60 days to any submission which passes 100,000 signatures.

Launched by a user known only as YC, the petition asks for the song to be banned because it “encourages violence and crimes to a specific ethnic group”, adding “as one of this group in North America, I feel seriously offended and threatened. Please ban the song from public media”.

The petition also calls for an investigation into the “legal responsibilities” of the writer.

Protests have also been held in major US cities where YG performs, including in New York on Monday evening as the rapper performed in the Irving Plaza.

YG has been contacted for comment through his record label, Def Jam.