A$AP Rocky weighed in on Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s explosive 2024 rap battle, calling the feud between the two musicians “healthy” for hip-hop culture.
“It was healthy for hip-hop,” the Grammy-nominated rapper and “Highest 2 Lowest” actor shared in an interview with Elle magazine, published Tuesday.
“The battle was between Kendrick and Drake, not Drake and everybody else who might have said something at that time,” Rocky continued, referring to the slew of rap voices who chimed in on the beef at the time. “And that’s mainly why I fell back.”
Drake and Kendrick’s battle took media by storm during summer 2024, when the pair hit the airways, and one another, with a series of back-t0-back disses. It ended with Lamar’s “Not Like Us” track, which has since earned the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist five more Grammys.
Rocky is one of the many figures in hip-hop to applaud the rap
battle — a fundamental and foundational element of hip-hop culture that showcases a rapper’s creativity, stamina and lyrical muscle — as “healthy” for the music genre.
But while Rocky praised the lyrical jabs, he shared that he wasn’t a fan of Drake taking it to the courtroom.
Back in January, Drake filed a lawsuit against record label Universal Music Group, claiming in his original suit that the music corporation knowingly released, promoted and monetized a song containing allegations that were both false and dangerous, most notably Lamar calling Drake a “certified pedophile.”
“I just hate the way it’s turning out with [Drake] suing and all that. What part of the game is that? What type of s–t is that?” Rocky said, referring to the understanding that rap battles can often come with low blows and/or unfounded claims about the other artist. “That’s none of my business, I guess.”
In May, UMG filed a motion to dismiss Drake’s amended defamation lawsuit against the music corporation over its release and promotion of Lamar’s Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us.”
