Drake Responds To Yasiin Bey’s Criticism

Author Autumn Hawkins

January 16th 5:29 PM

Drake is firing back at Yasiin Bey for his criticism on whether he is a hip-hop artist. Bey (who was formerly known as Mos Def) was interviewed recently on what he thinks of Drizzy as an artist and how he would classify his music.

“Drake is pop to me,” he told host Recho Omondi the host of The Cutting Room Floor on an episode that was released on Wednesday (Jan. 10). “In the sense like, if I was in Target in Houston and I heard a Drake song, it feels like a lot of his music is compatible with shopping. Or shopping with an edge, in certain instances.”

He did, however, not 100% bash Drake, saying that the Toronto rapper’s music is “likable.”

Drake Responds To Yasiin Bey’s Comments

Bey’s diss however did get a response from Drake which the rapper posted on his Instagram Story.

“What umi say again? Lemme shine my light king don’t change up now,” Drake wrote referencing Bey’s song “Umi Says.”

Drake wrote his clapback over a video of Method Man talking about hip-hop.

“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,” the Wu-Tang rapper says in the video.

Bey is not the only one who has come for Drake’s music over the years. Joe Budden called out Drake for saying he needed to make more mature music back in October.

“[Drake is] rapping for the children,” Budden said on his podcast. “I had to look up how old this n—- was when I finished listening to the album … You gonna be 37 years old. Get the f— away from some of these younger n—–, and stop f—ing these 25-year-olds. … Why are you still f—ing the 25-year-olds? You’re a 37-year-old billionaire.”

He then compared Drake to J. Cole, who changed what he rapped about as he grew. “Cole used to rap about kid s— … And then he started to grow up. And then the rapping sounded like an adult rapping. I want to hear adult Drake rapping for adult people. That’s my issue with him today.”

Drake: All Of His No. 1 Hits, Ranked

• 14. "Toosie Slide" - Drake (2020)

  “Toosie Slide” was Drake’s attempt at creating a viral dance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The song has easy dance movements that he raps throughout the song: “Right foot up, left foot slide/Left foot up, right foot slide.” “Tootsie Slide” was a chart-topper for one week.

• 13. "What's Next" by Drake (2021)

  Drake gave us Scary Hours 2 to hold us over before he decided to release Certified Lover Boy in 2021. On “What’s Next” the rapper is propelling forward on and anticipating what’s next. “What’s Next” stayed at No. 1 for one week.

• 12. "Slime You Out" Drake feat. SZA (2023)

  We finally got a collab between Drake and SZA after all this time. The song is the lead single to Drake’s For All The Dogs which is his eighth studio album. In the song, Drake speaks on the childish ways of a woman he’s seeing after she tries to replace him with someone new. “Slime You Out” was No. 1 for one week.

• 11. "Way 2 Sexy" by Drake feat. Future & Young Thug (2021)

  Drake called trap kings Future and Young Thug for “Way 2 Sexy.” The song is on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy , which dropped in 2021. “Way 2 Sexy” samples Right Said Fred’s 1992 hit “I’m Too Sexy.” The rappers boast about their good looks in the song and the music video shows off the rapper’s comical side. Future scored his first No. 1 with the record, and it was Young Thug’s third leader. “Way 2 Sexy” was a chart leader for one week.

• 10. "First Person Shooter" by Drake feat. J. Cole (2023)

  “They act like two legends cannot coexist,” Cole raps on “Middle Child.” Here, they prove they can coexist on “First Person Shooter.” The North Carolina rapper takes over a majority of the rapping on the track, but Drake matches Coles’ energy from the jump. The pair make a great duo and this marks their third collaboration. “First Person Shooter” was the 13th– accounted for — No. 1 hit of the Toronto rapper which matched Michael Jackson. This was also Cole’s first career chart leader. The record stayed atop the chart for one week.

• 9. "Jimmy Cooks" by Drake feat. 21 Savage (2022)

  Most fans found Honestly, Nevermind as a letdown as they expected the surprise drop to be rap-heavy. The album was more experimental as the Toronto rapper sang and rapped on house music beats. “Jimmy Cooks” was the saving grace for many on the project as it brought back “Drake the rapper.” The record is also the only one on the album that has a feature which Drake graciously gave to 21 Savage. “Jimmy Cooks” stayed No. 1 for one week.

• 8. "SICKO MODE" Travis Scott ft. Drake** (2019)

  While “SICKO MODE” doesn’t count towards Drake’s career No. 1’s, it still is a phenomenal track. Billboard explained that SICKO MODE didn’t count because Drake was not “properly credited” on the song. The record is found on Scott’s 2021 album Astroworld. It was nominated for “Best Rap Song,” and “Best Rap Performance.” “SICKO MODE” was Scott’s first No. 1 song.

• 7. "In My Feelings" by Drake (2016)

  In 2016, Drake had everyone in their feelings. You could not go around without someone singing,”Kiki, do you love me?” over the infectious beat created by Cleveland producer TrapMoneyBenny, New Orleans producer BlaqNmilD, and Drizzy’s longtime producer 40. “In My Feelings” stayed at No. 1 on the chart for ten weeks.

• 6. "Nice for What" by Drake (2018)

  “Nice For What” is found on Drake’s Scorpion and was the album’s second promotional single. Unlike most of the songs on this list, “Nice For What” is sample heavy but still Drake makes it his own. The song samples Lauryn Hill’s song “Ex-Factor” (1998) which itself samples Wu-Tang Clan’s “Can It Be All So Simple” (1993), “Drag Rap” by the Showboys (1986), “Get Your Roll On” by Big Tymers (2000). You can also hear Big Freida on the track. “Nice For What” was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. It stayed for eight weeks at No. 1 on the chart.

• 5. "What's My Name?" by Rihanna feat. Drake (2011)

  While the duo didn’t work out romantically, Rihanna and Drake definitely know how to make a hit together. “What’s My Name?” is from Rihanna’s album Forever which was released in 2011. In the song, the two sing/rap about their love interests, and in the music video they are each other’s. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. It stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. “What’s My Name?” is also Drake’s first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

• 4. "Wait for U" by Future feat. Drake & Tems (2022)

  The song uses a sample of Tems’ “Higher” but Future gave the Nigerian songstress a feature credit to highlight her contribution to the song. The song won Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Rap Song. “Wait For U” stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week.

• 3. "God's Plan" by Drake (2018)

  “God’s Plan” is about Drake giving back but also recognizing that not everyone has good intentions. The song plays into Drake’s doubts about people who try to get close to him in order to benefit off of his success. As for the charitable efforts he displays in the music video, the Toronto rapper also replicated the act in real life. According to Genius, the music video’s budget was $996,631.90, and they took that money and donated to schools and several charities. “God’s Plan” won Best Rap Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards and was nominated for Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year. The song stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 11 weeks.

• 2. "Work" by Rihanna feat. Drake (2016)

  Drake and Rihanna owned 2016’s summer with “Work.” In the song, Rihanna sings about wanting a relationship and Drake is only interested in a “friends-with-benefits” package. The two also had a memorable steamy performance at the 2016 BRIT Awards. It was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record Of The Year. The song stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks.

• 1. "One Dance" by Drake feat. Wizkid & Kyla (2016)

  As we previously mentioned, 2016 was one of Drake’s most popular years. He was tapped into his afrobeats and dancehall vibe with “One Dance” where he grabbed Wizkid and Kyla for the assist. “One Dance” was Drake’s first No. 1 single on the Billboard charts. The song stayed atop the chart for 10 weeks.

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Author Autumn Hawkins

Category:

• Music
• WiLD Music News
• WLLD

Tags:

Drake,Mos Def