A$AP Rocky Commends Kendrick Lamar & Drake For Their Battle, But Not Entirely

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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ASAP Rocky Commends Kendrick Lamar Drake Battle
Feb 2, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Kendrick Lamar, Winner of Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, and Song of the Year for ‘Not Like Us’ at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Dan MacMedan-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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A$AP Rocky spoke to DJ Akademiks about whether or not Kendrick Lamar and Drake, who Rocky's beefing with, crossed a line in their battle.

A$AP Rocky had a lot to talk about during his new interview with DJ Akademiks, whether it was his thoughts on Playboi Carti and Kanye West or, most explosively, his beef with Drake. Among other sub-topics in this category, he reflected on the Kendrick Lamar and Drizzy battle with some praises and criticisms... Take a wild guess as to who got the brunt of the latter.

As caught by Kurrco on Twitter, the commentator asked the Harlem creative whether or not he was "rooting" for the Compton lyricist during the battle. "It wasn't rooting, it was just, like, that n***a was going crazy," he answered. "He did his thing. I think it was good sportsmanship. I feel like Drake and Dot put on a good battle for the culture, man. What happened after that, that's kind of crazy. Like, all the suing and s**t."

Rocky was referring to Drake's defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us," which he's currently appealing the dismissal of. Still, his praise of sportsmanship went both ways. "Personally, them n***as showed good sportsmanship."

Akademiks then brought up New York's roots in battle culture ("I watched that s**t heavily," Rocky remarked). He asked if there's a line where folks go too far in battle rap, and the father of three thinks there's no boundary once you cross over into disrespect.

"I think once you cross the line and it's an engagement of a battle, gloves is off," he expressed. "Who am I to judge how far the next n***a should go talking about the next n***a? It's back to that gossipy s**t. Let them n***as talk about what they gon' talk about. Get your s**t off."

A$AP Rocky's Role In Kendrick Lamar & Drake Beef

For those unaware, A$AP Rocky's recent Drake disses are not the only ones he's launched at him. He was on Future and Metro Boomin's WE STILL DON'T TRUST YOU album in 2024, dissing Drizzy on "Show Of Hands." This was before the Kendrick Lamar battle began in full force, but after the floodgates opened with "Like That."

However, A$AP Rocky regrets this Drake diss for how he brought up Adonis' mother Sophie Brussaux, whom Rocky was allegedly with before the 6ix God. Despite a lot of bad blood here between the "F**kin' Problems" collaborators, there's still respect on all sides for the competitive aspect of it.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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