Legendary MC Yasiin Bey does not think that Drake’s music is “real” hip-hop.
Appearing in an interview on “The Cutting Room Floor” with host Omondi, when asked if he considers Drake’s music hip-hop, Bey, who’s one half of the iconic Black Star, did not mince words about
“Drake is pop to me,” the Brooklyn native said. “In the sense, like, if I was in Target in Houston and I heard a Drake song… It feels like a lot of his music is compatible with shopping.”
“Or, you know, shopping with an edge in certain instances,” he added.
He categorized Drake’s music as “likable” before laughing.
“So many products! So many SKUs, look at all these SKUs. Oh, so many products! I love this mall! Look at this place. I mean, look at this place! They have everything! Everything’s here… Oh, this is great. It’s the new Drake, you hear it? It’s great,” he laughed.
The “Umi Says” rapper also gave his opinion on the future of hip-hop and the music industry at large.
“What happens when this thing collapses? What happens when the columns start buckling? Are we not in some early stage of that at this present hour? Are we seeing, like, the collapse of the empire?” Bey argued. “Buying and selling — where’s the message that I can use? You know, what’s in it for your audience apart from, like, banging the pom-poms?”
Never one to let any apparent towards his way go unnoticed, Drizzy took his Instagram stories to share his thoughts about Bey’s assessment of his music.
Using an old clip of Method Man, Drake captioned the post: “What umi say again? Lemme shine my light king don’t change up now?”
During the video clip, the Wu-Tang Clan MC and actor gave his definition of what he believes is the true meaning of hip-hop.
“Hip Hop is a culture. It’s a way of life, the way you dress, the way you talk, the way you walk,” Method Man explained. “It’s the breakdancing, rhymes, stage show, DJ, mixing and scratching, the wordplay. That’s Hip Hop.”
