Kendrick Lamar is a hip-hop legend, although he is by no means exempt from criticism. His recent BET Awards win, for example, is one many fans feel like he did not deserve, as he hasn't dropped since 2024's GNX. But some negative conversations about K.Dot, like a history of comments from folks like Lupe Fiasco, have fans debating if these are genuine or just products of emotions like jealousy.
Lupe hopped on KoalaTea Reacts' livestream on YouTube on Saturday (June 27) to debate with the content creator about how Koala is always talking about him. When Koala compared that dynamic to Fiasco speaking on Lamar, the Chicago rapper said he isn't talking about Kendrick, as he wasn't present during the livestream. But the two continued to debate, which led to more conversation about the Compton lyricist.
In a clip caught by mumu1626364656 on Twitter, Lupe Fiasco acknowledged how many fans today just want to hear him talk about Kendrick Lamar given his past comments about him. "This is beyond your control," he told Koala, and Lupe feels like it's beyond his own control at this point. "They're not going to give a f**k about anything else that we said."
Lupe Fiasco's Kendrick Lamar Comments
"I find it crazy that you can't even say that you think that you are a better rapper than Kendrick Lamar," Fiasco expressed. He tried to make his main point over the years concerning K.Dot clear: Lupe thinks Kendrick is a better artist, album-maker, song-maker, has a better team, and better production... But "when it comes down to lyricism, when it comes down to these lyrics and bar for bar for bar, no. Everything else? For sure," Lupe remarked.
StanademiksTV on Twitter shared another clip of the conversation with KoalaTea Reacts in which Fiasco says there are "hundreds" of unsigned rappers that are better lyricists than Kendrick.
Fans Debate
Lupe Fiasco's "critical" comments about Kendrick Lamar are mostly just a competitive and earnest defense of Lupe's lyrical abilities in comparison to Kendrick. It's as much of a media-led endeavor as it is on Lupe's own behalf, as folks keep asking about it, bringing it up, and trying to get him in more hot water. They claim he might be jealous of Lamar's success and the praise he receives, but it seems like his issue is more with the overzealous defenses of Kendrick in lyricism conversations more than anything.
Some folks want to see a battle, and we'll see if that ever happens. But for the most part, as fans continue to debate this topic, it's more of a self-eating snake than Fiasco actively instigating for the sake of hating. At the end of the day, it's all about the bars for him.
