Right at the height of Migos’ fame following the viral success (partially thanks to Donald Glover) of their song “Bad And Boujee,” the group found themselves in the worst kind of controversy in 2017. Upon hearing news from a reporter that fellow Atlanta native iLoveMakonnen had come out as gay, they seemed to respond negatively (or at best, with mixed feelings) to the news. Although they quickly apologized, the damage was done. Makonnen finally chose to respond in a lengthy interview with The Fader, and he doesn’t hold back.
From the start, it’s clear iLoveMakonnen is not looking to start shit with Migos. However, he’s also extremely candid, so some of his remarks may come off as aggressive. First, he immediately dispels ideas that just because the two artists are from Atlanta they must be close friends, saying, “So you see Metro getting groceries in the morning and 21’s just catching a goddamn cappuccino? Like, nah. Everybody’s living they own damn lives in this big ass place.” His relationships with many artists are just business and music, nothing more.
Asked specifically about Migos quick apology, he says, “I thought it was ‘my friend Makonnen teaching me how to whip it’,” referencing Migos’ lyrics on a track they did together. “But you see how friends do in interview,” Makonnen continues. “With friends like these, who needs enemies. And now you gotta come back with some sorry ass excuse. Nah. That’s only cause you got the #1 record and you didn’t wanna fuck it up.”
Despite the strong feelings, Makonnen doesn’t want to leave any lasting damage, calling the whole thing a “misunderstanding.” He does say no one has reached out to him personally about the incident. More hilariously, he observes that, “Versace is the gayest nigga. They ain’t got issues with him, why they got issues with me?”
Read the whole thing here, and check out our cover story on the “Drink More Water” emcee for more of his unbridled realness.
