Common Takes Drake's Side In Yasiin Bey Beef

BYLavender AlexandriaPublished on January 25, 20245.3K Views

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 24: Common visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on January 24, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

He defended Drake's status as more of a rap artist than a pop artist.

Earlier this year a pretty unpredictable beef emerged. Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def was asked a somewhat loaded question about Drake during an appearance on a podcast. But his answer didn't necessarily sit right with people. He claimed that the music Drake makes is closer to pop than actual rap. He justified the claim by saying that it's the kind of music you hear while shopping. The comments weren't exactly hateful towards Drake, but they still rubbed a lot of his fans and even some other rappers the wrong way.

NLE Choppa was one of the first high-profile rappers to come to Drake's defense. That was before Drizzy himself responded, first with a clip from an old Method Man interview discussing rap being about the culture. He doubled down on his response a few days later when he took to his Instagram story to call Bey a "crackhead." Bey caught even more flack later when he performed during a Paris Fashion Week show. Clips of his performance, which predominately featured him singing instead of rapping, were widely criticized online. Now Common is weighing in on the beef and taking Drake's side. Check out the full interview where he discussed the beef below.

Common Stands Up For Drake

When discussing Drake's genre, Common referenced back to the rapper's early days. “To me, I think Drake comes from Hip Hop. When I first heard him rhyming, I was like, ‘Yo, this dude rhyming.’ And if he goes out and makes songs that are popular, then that’s what it is. He’s still an MC," he explains.

“The dude is an incredible songwriter, he’s an incredible artist. You can’t touch that many people, for as long a time as he’s been doing. This man has touched different aspects of culture and been able to continue to do it. You gotta have some respect and know that this dude is a very talented artist” Common concluded. What do you think of Common's defense of Drake? Do you think his music is closer to pop than rap? Let us know in the comment section below.

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About The Author

Lavender Alexandria

Lavender Alexandria is a music and culture journalist based in Los Angeles, California. She’s covered dozens of musical genres and styles from the most mainstream to the most experimental and underground on her blog and accompanying YouTube channel that looks at music, pop culture, and Billboard charts since 2017: Lav’s Music Corner. Lavender has produced editorial and listicle content both in written and video form over the past far years and has also interviewed up-and-coming artists like Censored Dialogue. Her experiences covering culture have taken her from Hyperpop parties in LA to underground rap shows in Atlanta, to DIY punk shows in Charlotte. Lavender has also written for iHeartRadio, covering some of the biggest artists in Hip Hop such as Ice Spice, Drake, Doja Cat and Cardi B. She also has bylines with ScreenRant and continues to write for Ringtone magazine. Lavender is a lifelong Charlotte Hornets fan and her favorite rap artists include Clipping, Little Simz, Earl Sweatshirt, and Kendrick Lamar.