Oy vey. We may be three weeks into a new year, but it looks like hip-hop fans are dead set on arguing about the same ol’ bullsh*t. Over the weekend, a clip of Yasiin Bey offering some… regressive takes about Drake surfaced online and the discourse rapidly spiraled into a very tired but seemingly immortal debate about whether or not Drake counts as hip-hop. Bey, who said “Me, you, everybody, we are hip-hop,” on “Fear Not Of Man,” the literal intro of his pivotal debut Black On Both Sides, called Drake “pop,” sparking the whole debate anew, like a Hollywood producer deciding Dracula needs another remake.
Well, Drake — who, it must be said, was a huge fan of backpack rappers like Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) at the outset of his career — addressed the comments with about as poignant a response as one could under the circumstances. Instead of throwing a shot at his one-time hero, he showed just how in tune he is with hip-hop culture, quoting two titans of the culture: Method Man and Bey himself. On his Instagram Story, Drake reposted a clip of Method Man defining hip-hop as such in an old interview:
“Hip-hop is a culture. It’s a way of life, the way you dress, the way you talk, the way you walk. It’s the breakdancing, rhymes, stage show, DJ, mixing and scratching, the wordplay. That’s hip-hop.”
Drake also wondered, “What umi say again?” referencing Bey’s Black On Both Sides hit “Umi Says.” “Lemme shine my light king don’t change up now.”
For what it’s worth, Bey’s comments seem to stem from a common complaint about materialism in rap music that goes back to… well… the ’80s. However, the philosophical schism reached a boiling point in the mid-’90s, leading to the so-called “backpack rap” movement and the emergence of Mos Def and similar acts like Talib Kweli, the Spitkickers crew, and labels like Rawkus, Def Jux, and Rhymesayers gaining prominence among rap heads dissatisfied with the “jiggy” disposition being embraced by hitmakers like Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Nas (who, let me remind you, are now all touted as about the “realest hip-hop” you can get).
Whether it’s just old head sour grapes or a legitimate concern about the direction of mainstream rap music (which… come on, man, you been banging that drum for 25 years), let’s all just hope this goes away quickly because there is absolutely no reason to still be pretending liking Yasiin Bey and Drake both is mutually exclusive in 2024.