Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Y’all know I love dunking on Drake. I do it as often as I can. It brings me joy. As I have said before, there are many Drake songs I like, but when millennials start talking about whether he’s a great rapper, or he’s the best rapper, that’s when I lose it. He is, in fact, not a good rapper — he flows like a slam poet, not an MC, and his lyrics tend to be basic. But, sadly, I cannot in good conscience join the latest Drake pile-on. It kills me to miss it, but in my heart, I know this time, the Drake dissing has gone too far. I’m looking at you, Mos Def.
Yasiin Bey, aka the Mighty Mos Def, is someone I have known and respected for a long time. He’s one of the best MCs of his generation. He’s someone who keeps the spirit of hip-hop alive. He was recently on a podcast called “The Cutting Room Floor” where the host Omondi asked, “Is Drake hip-hop?” Bey said, no, Drake is pop.
The second part of that answer is unquestionably true. Drake is pop. He’s a multiplatinum seller who tours in arenas. Many of his fans are not fans of the genre he comes from. That’s a pop artist. Fine. But Mos also said Drake is not hip-hop. I have immense respect for Bey; he’s a brilliant person, but on this point he is wrong.
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