On his Wednesday (Feb. 7) night stream, Kai Cenat addressed Joe Budden’s criticism of him and other content creators following the 66th annual Grammy Awards.
“This what we have here is a case of old n**ga syndrome, my n**ga. Listen to me. I’m a 22-year-old young adult who likes to sit in his room and naturally, like everybody else, react to music and things like that,” he emphasized in a clip shared online. “You say it don’t come off as hating, but you always bringing me up, bro. Relax, my n**ga. Stop.”
Cenat also acknowledged his respect for the older generation but criticized their reluctance to let newer voices shine, particularly when expressing their preferences in rap. He continued, “If I wanna voice my opinion, I’ma voice my opinion. One hundred percent, bro. And that’s some people’s problem. Y’all don’t ever let the young n**gas flourish. [If] the young n**gas think UTOPIA is fire, let the young n**gas think UTOPIA is fire.”
The New York native’s remarks were a direct response to the former musician’s comments on “The Joe Budden Podcast.” There, he chastised Cenat and other streamers for their reactions to Killer Mike’s three Grammy wins. Notably, the Atlanta rapper won Best Rap Album over Travis Scott, Metro Boomin, and Nas, as well as Drake and 21 Savage joint effort Her Loss.
Budden argued that younger commentators like Cenat should refrain from dominating discussions in spaces where industry veterans are being recognized. “Shut your a** up,” he exclaimed. “Y’all lil’ streaming n**gas don’t always run s**t. Shut the f**k up! We don’t care about none of that little streaming, moshpit, marked car whatever you n**gas is doing over there.”
Adin Ross also issued a response to the “Pump It Up” artist’s statement. During a broadcast, he said, “Yo, Joe Budden, let’s have a race. Who hits $100 million in our bank accounts? If you want to do a side bet, we can… I’m going to be the first motherf**ker that has $100 million in my industry. Let’s see where you’re at… I know all you old heads only care about money and s**t.”
Both Cenat and Ross are seemingly becoming dominant forces in Hip Hop. The former previously had familiar faces like Offset, Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice, and NLE Choppa on his streams.