Yasiin Bey Says Drake Is Talented But Wants More Substance From Him

When Yasiin Bey said in a recent interview that Drake is pop and not Hip Hop, a lot of Drake's fans highly disagreed.

How can that be? Some asked, when he's one of the biggest, most successful rappers on Earth.

Those who sided with Bey explained that Drake is a pop artist because his music is safe and pulls from pop sounds, which makes it easy for his songs to be digested by a  non-Hip Hop audience.

Bey decided to clarify his comments Monday, January 29, on Instagram Live and said he tried reaching out to the OVO artist.

Mos Def talking about his Drake comments pic.twitter.com/f1y5ku1oZY

— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) January 30, 2024

"Drake, if you’d like to speak to me directly, you can at any point," said Bey. "I reached out to [Dave] Chappelle, actually reached out to you. I DM’d you. You are a very talented MC but for me, I require more of myself and others than just talent or charm or charisma, particularly in times of urgent crisis."

"And what I would like to see in terms of creators or creative people in the world, as it relates to our culture, is for people to connect with us beyond the jukebox or the dance floor," he added. "A fair-weather friend can hardly be called a friend at all. The people who party with you, that’s cool. But will they show up for you when you’re at the triage?"

Drake seemed offended by Bey's comments, so there's a good chance he'll ignore his request to communicate. Only time will tell.