Lana Del Rey Discusses Kanye West Bar In "The Greatest"

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Lana Del Rey's lyric sparked a ton of speculation on whether she was team Kanye or nah.

Kanye West has always been a polarizing figure in the public eye but nobody really expected him to be buddies with Donald Trump. In 2016, the rapper was spotted at the Trump Tower in NYC where he was seen having a meeting with Trump. While many scratched their heads, the rapper went into full MAGA mode just before the release of his last project ye. He's vowed to stay away from politics but the damage was already done.

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Associates and peers began to distance themselves from Ye during that period, especially after his comments about slavery. Many of them were outspoken too. Lana Del Rey recently addressed Kanye's blonde phase on her song, "The Greatest" where she said that "LA is in flames‚ it's getting hot/ Kanye West is blond and gone." She hasn't necessarily elaborated on the lyric since but in a recent interview with the New York Times, she shared a bit of context.

"Here's the thing: I don't want to elicit a response," she said. "You never feel better for having written something like that. But Kanye just means so much to us. And by the way, I'm grateful to be in a country where everyone can have their own political views. I'm really not more of a liberal than I am a Republican—I'm in the middle. But it was more like the mood and the vibe around, Yo, this man is the greatest! Really? The greatest? It hurt me. Did I have to say anything? No. But it's more just a line that represents a lot of things."

Peep the song below.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.