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Ahead of his highly anticipated appearance at the Roots Picnic and upcoming 30th anniversary concert at Yankee Stadium, Jay-Z sat down for an interview with GQ.
Jay-Z Weighs in On Drake, Kendrick Feud
Among the topics that were addressed during HOV’s
one-on-one was his thoughts on Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s 2024 rap feud. And while HOV called battling the “last pillar” of hip-hop, he wasn’t a fan of how “negative” their feud became.
“We love the excitement, and I love the sparring, but in this day and age, there’s so much negative stuff that comes with it that you almost wish it didn’t happen,” He said.
The 2024 feud between the two rappers drew a line in the sand. You had to be either Team Kendrick or Team Drake. No playing Switzerland. But Jay-Z believes that type of energy can stunt the growth of hip-hop.
“Now, people who like Kendrick hate Drake, no matter what he makes. It’s like an attack on his character. I don’t know if I love that,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s helpful to our growth where the fallout lands, especially on social media.
He also noted that in the digital age, the negativity that can stew from rap feuds on social media often goes “too far.”
“It’s too far. It’s bringing people’s kids into it. I don’t like that. I sound like the old guy wagging his finger, but I think we can achieve the same thing, as far as sparring with music, with collaborations more so than breaking the whole thing apart,” he said. “It could have stood it before because there was no social media. You had the battle, and it was fun, and then you moved on. Right now, I don’t know if it could stand it with the technology that we have.”
