Key Takeaways
- 21 Savage revealed he advised Drake not to respond to Kendrick Lamar’s diss tracks, calling the battle unwinnable.
- He argued that public perception was already against Drake, no matter the lyrical skill or streaming numbers.
- 21 Savage released his new album, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS?, featuring Drake and others on Friday (Dec. 12).
21 Savage is standing firm behind Drake, even after the rapper’s explosive rap beef with Kendrick Lamar shook up Hip Hop. The Compton native and 6 God’s feud dominated headlines for weeks, with many declaring Lamar’s supercharged hit “Not Like Us” the final blow.
On the Dec. 11 episode of the “Perspektives with Bank” podcast, 21 spoke about the rap battle and pushed back on the idea that Drake lost. The “Rich Flex” rapper said he warned Drake not to engage in the lyrical back-and-forth. “He’s still the No. 1 streamed n**ga this year,” he began. “I feel like he took an internet hit, but then it be like, damn, did you take an internet hit? ‘Cause streaming, you gotta go on the internet to stream.”
Moreover, he revealed, “I told that n**ga not to do all that s**t anyway. Told that n**ga leave that s**t alone, but then godd**n, he felt like he was being challenged lyrically, so he wanted to respond.” Even more, 21 explained to Drake, “‘You finna go into a battle that you can’t win, like there’s no way you can win.’ No matter what, bro, certain situations, even if you win, you still don’t win… People say, like, ‘Oh, Kendrick won.’ Kendrick a good a** rapper… Some of his songs was hard, but Drake, Godd**n, I like Drake songs, too, you feel what I’m saying. But I feel like the only difference is when you’re at the top, when you the No. 1 n**ga, where does winning put you? You can’t go like No. 1.1. So how the f**k could you win anyway?”
In the end, he agreed that ego and a love for the sport were factors in Drake’s decision to respond to Lamar. “Drake really love this s**t. Kendrick really love to rap… The internet just be ready to tear a n**ga down… How can you win a battle when n**gas want you to lose it? ...It's rigged. Even if Drake won, he would’ve been the bad guy for winning,” said 21.
21 Savage loads new album WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? with hard-hitting features
The Atlanta-based hitmaker dropped the new project on Friday (Dec. 12). The 14-track LP boasts a star-studded list of guest appearances from the likes of Lil Baby, Metro Boomin, GloRilla, Drake and his rumored girlfriend, Latto, to name a few. The album marks his first major release this year, arriving just one year after american dream.
Whether or not Drake should have responded to Kendrick, 21 Savage made his stance clear: Some battles aren’t worth the cost.