At the 2024 Forbes Under 30 Summit in Cincinnati on Monday (Sept. 23), Metro Boomin discussed the current state of feuds within Hip Hop. While chatting with panel host Matt Craig, he called today’s beefs “kind of weird,” considering how stan culture plays into it. The beatmaker also mentioned that he still has “love and respect” for his past collaborators — possibly including Drake.

“I feel like competition is great for the game. Hip Hop has always been more of a competitive genre,” Metro shared. “There’s a lot of ego involved, so you’re supposed to feel like you’re the best. Everybody — from the highest to the lowest guy — you’re supposed to at least feel like you’re the best. When two of the top dogs in the game both feel like [they’re] the best, it’s like, ‘OK, now we gotta have a showdown.’”

“I feel like more of today, it’s more like stan culture. It makes it kind of weird. Back in the day, JAY-Z and Nas went at it, but I was a fan of both of them, and most people were. It’s not like, ‘I hate this side,’” the HEROES & VILLAINS creator continued.

Circling back to his “diplomatic” role as a producer, especially when it comes to tracks like “Like That,” which featured Kendrick Lamar’s Drake-directed verse, Metro said, “It’s just entertainment at the end of the day. I have love and respect for all my collaborators, and I just want to see everybody do their best and continue to push this forward. We’re all here to deposit and uplift this genre.”

Metro’s remarks didn’t directly address the feud, likely given the context of the event, but it’s evident he still has some appreciation for Drake as an artist. The two exchanged shots on social media late in 2023, followed by the producer debuting “BBL Drizzy” and the OVO label head’s “Metro, shut your h** a** up and make some drums, n**ga” line on “Push Ups.”