Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz has been a respected figure in Southern rap for years. Although he’s from the same state as the mogul superstar Lil Wayne, Boosie Badazz has never been a mainstream artist. However, irrespective of his underground status, the skilled performer has always been a proud representative of the South and is never afraid to voice his opinions.
The Baton-Rouge rapper (often referred to as Boosie) is a regular on VLADTV and, akin to Lord Jamar, is a sought-after source for controversial hot takes and commentary with regard to the hip-hop scene presently. In late 2022, the rapper made one of many appearances on the channel. During the interview, the topic of conversation turned to rappers of generations past. Speaking on them, Boosie expressed his opinions about their relevancy and potential insignificance.
Speaking to Boosie, the media outlet’s host and creator, DJ Vlad, gave his take that (in hip-hop) if you are anywhere near the age of 50, you will be hard-pressed to stay current. Boosie responded by questioning how hip-hop defines the true meaning of current.
Looking to Jay-Z, the host explained to Boosie, “I think that Jay-Z is the only one at his age who can drop new music and everyone stops and listens, up there with the Lil Baby’s and the Kendrick [Lamars].” However, Boosie did not agree with this statement at all and adamantly refuted it proclaiming, “Jay-Z’s not relevant this day for music!”
After repeating his rebuttal, the Louisiana rapper continued, “Now if you’re gonna say Jay-Z relevant and Nas ain’t relevant then no. Just like when I go to these clubs in Atlanta, these 25 to 35 clubs I’m not hearing Nas and I’m not hearing Jay-Z. It’s not one or the other. I’m outside, I be everywhere and it’s not one or the other.”
Boosie explained to the DJ that the culture only pays attention to Jay-Z because of his business acumen and his work outside of music. Whether that be his NFL deal or his previous ownership of TIDAL, people only look to Jay-Z when he’s got a new business venture. Elaborating on how the culture looks at Jay-Z Boosie explained, “Jay-Z is respected by these people for being that boss that he is. When Jay-Z flash across than screen it’s something with a billion dollars, $500 billion, $200 billion when them young n*ggas see him. It ain’t his songs flashes across no f*ckin’ social media! It’s his hustle! That n*gga got hustle!”
Atlanta rapper 21 Savage expressed similar sentiments last year with regard to Nas on social media when he explained, “I don’t feel like he’s relevant. “I just feel like he got a loyal fan base. He still makes good music.” Savage continued to clarify that he meant no disrespect to Nas and understands the impact that he had. However, he doesn’t believe that currently, Nas is someone that people look to for music. You can view the Boosie Badazz interview in the video below.
