Drake Responds To Yasiin Bey’s ‘Pop Music’ Criticism

Drake wasn’t rocking with Yasiin Bey’s recent critique of his music. 

On Jan. 16, the Toronto rapper took to his Instagram Story with a little message for the hip-hop titan after he caught wind of the latter’s interview on The Cutting Room Floor. During his candid sitdown with the show’s host Recho Omondi, Bey —  formerly known as Mos Def — claimed that the 6 God made “pop music” suitable for “shopping.”

That comment didn’t sit too well with Drake. 

On Wednesday, the “First Person Shooter” artist took to his Instagram Story with a video of Method Man describing the essence of hip-hop and how different artists embody the spirit of the genre. The star, 37, captioned the video with a shady message that read “What Umi say again? Lemme shine my light king, don’t change up now.” The OVO Sound CEO was making a petty jab at Bey’s hit song “Umi Says” which appeared on the hip-hop star’s debut album Black on Both Sides in 1999. 

 Bey hasn’t responded to Drake’s comment as of yet. 

Published Jan. 10 to Patreon, The Cutting Room Floor’s Omondi spoke with Bey about the state of hip-hop, and when Drake’s name came up, the ‘90s rap legend had a lot to say.

At one point during the interview, Omondi asked if the Toronto-bred rapper’s music was real hip-hop, and with a little hesitation, Bey, 50, gave a searing critique of the Grammy Award winner’s catalog.

“Drake is pop to me,” Bey began. “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, you know, shopping with an edge in certain instances.”

Bey confessed that the father of one’s music was “likable” but he followed up the compliment with a shady comment.

“So many products! So many SKUS! Look at all these SKUs! I love this mall. Look at this place! I mean, look at this place!” he said as Omondi laughed. “They have everything! Everything’s here. Oh, this is great. This is the new Drake, you hear it? It’s great.”

Before moving to a different topic, Bey added, “What happens when this thing collapses? What happens when the columns start buckling? Are we not in some early stage of that at this present hour? Are we seeing the collapse of an empire?”

Take a look at the full clip below. Do you think Yasiin Bey was hating or is he spitting facts?

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