Common came to the defense of Drake following Yasiin Bey’s remarks labeling the Toronto native a “pop” musician.
Speaking on HOT 97’s “Ebro in the Morning” on Wednesday (Jan. 24), Common expressed his views on the evolution of Hip Hop and Drake’s role in it. He stated, “I wrote a song called ‘I Used to Love H.E.R.,’ and that joint was really speaking to when it started becoming real corporate and losing the purity of it. I think now, artists can be artists. Some people, if their intention is to just be a pop artist, then so be it.”
He further emphasized, “To me, I think Drake comes from Hip Hop. When I first heard him rhyming, I was like, ‘Yo, this dude rhyming.’ And if he goes out and makes songs that are popular, then that’s what it is. He’s still an MC. The dude is an incredible songwriter. He’s an incredible artist. You can’t touch that many people for as long a time as he’s been doing…. This man has touched different aspects of culture and [has] been able to continue to do it. You gotta have some respect and know that this dude is a very talented artist.”
Peep the clip below.
Common also showed respect for Bey during the interview. “Yasiin is a genius, man,” he said. “I’ve been around that dude and watched him as an actor, as an artist, and listened to a lot of his raps, and he is very high level when it comes to poetic rap — not even just poetic rap, but I’m saying he has poetry within his rap. He can style on anything. He can do a lot.”
Bey’s original comments about Drake were made during an interview with “The Cutting Room Floor,” where he described “Hotline Bling” hitmaker’s music as “pop” and “compatible with shopping.” The self-proclaimed 6 God responded indirectly by posting a video of Method Man discussing the essence of Hip Hop and referring to the Brooklyn MC as a “Bohemian Bucket.”
It’s also worth noting that Common had beef with Drake back in the day. In 2011, he appeared to take jabs at the Grammy winner on “Sweet.” Subsequently, The Weeknd and Birdman came to the defense of the OVO founder.