Drake may have taken an L in his rap battle with Kendrick Lamar last year, but he’s clearly still a fan favorite across the globe.
On Monday (Jan. 6), Vybz Kartel weighed in on the high-profile exchange during a conversation with Billboard, though he admittedly isn’t a “fan of Kendrick.” The dancehall mainstay explained, “I don’t even listen to Kendrick, so I wouldn’t know. What does he rap? I saw it on the internet, but no disrespect to the dude.”
“I hear him, but I don’t listen to him,” Kartel continued before noting that Drake is “more in tune with Jamaica and the culture.” He added, “Drake is a better and bigger artist.”
Kartel may have some bias, considering Drake cited the Kingston native as one of his “biggest influences” in a 2016 interview with Nardwuar. It’s also worth mentioning that the Canadian star’s fourth studio album, Views, pulled plenty of inspiration from dancehall, particularly across records like “9,” the massively successful “Controlla,” and “Too Good” with Rihanna.
As for Drake’s beef with Lamar, things haven’t exactly been in his favor since the Grammy-nominated “Not Like Us” debuted. As Rap-Up previously reported, the “God’s Plan” creator filed two pre-action petitions against Universal Music Group (UMG) for allegedly inflating the song’s streams, colluding with Spotify, and many other accusations.
Kartel was released from prison after serving 13 years due to the overturning of a murder conviction in August 2024. To mark the occasion, he headlined a New Year’s Eve concert at Freedom Street in Kingston, Jamaica with the support of special guests like Popcaan, Spice and more. Not to mention, celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Busta Rhymes, DJ Khaled and Cardi B joined fans in welcoming him home on social media.
Speaking of which, Kartel said that he and the “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker have something in the works. “I love Cardi! We got a song coming out next year. We are actually in the process of writing it,” the Kingston Story artist revealed. “Even if I have to walk, I’m performing that song in New York!”