The rapper Common called an “incredible artist” despite their beef
Common has experienced several feuds throughout his career but has always been mature enough to move past any issues before things got nasty. One of his most notable beefs came in the early 2010s when he and Drake had a war of words.
The two artists dissed each other on ‘Sweet’ from The Dreamer/The Believer and Rick Ross’ ‘Stay Schemin’. Common believed Drake took subliminal shots at him after he dated his ex-girlfriend, tennis star Serena Williams.
“I felt like Drake was sending me a couple of shots, subliminals,” he said on Drink Champs with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. “I don’t know what motivated him to send me some shots but I think what for sure had me, if I’m just being real, like you know, we mess with one of the same girls.
“You know wars happen over women. That’s just what it is. I ain’t going to get at you if you with somebody I was with. But if you start throwing me a couple little, you know, you trying to throw some jabs, then I’m like, ‘Come on, man, OK.’”
Their beef quickly ended at the Grammy Awards in 2012 after Drake’s dad, Dennis Graham, told him to end their clash. The Toronto rapper also admitted he was done with the whole thing.
“I eventually saw Drake face to face,” Common explained. “It was at a point where I was like, ‘Wassup?’ And we had little words. And then his father was there and was like, ‘Y’all need to squash this.’ And I was like, ‘Man, this an elder talking to me. This this man’s father. Let me chill out.’
“And then Drake just was like, ‘I ain’t on this.’ So we just squashed it. I was like, ‘Listen, if we face to face, then aight, I’m done with it. Even if it was some subliminal disses, I said what I had to say. Right now, we saying we squashing it. We good.’”
Over a decade later, Common defended Drake when Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) called him a “pop” artist and said he makes “shopping” music. “I wrote a song called ‘I Used to Love HER.’ and that joint was really speaking to when it started becoming real corporate and losing the purity of it,” he told Hot 97. “I think now, artists can be artists. Some people, if their intention is to just be a pop artist, then so be it.
“To me, I think Drake comes from hip-hop. When I first heard him rhyming, I was like, ‘Yo, this dude rhyming.’ And if he goes out and makes songs that are popular, then that’s what it is. He’s still an MC. The dude is an incredible songwriter, he’s an incredible artist. You can’t touch that many people, for as long a time as he’s been doing.”
He added, “This man has touched different aspects of culture and been able to continue to do it. You gotta have some respect and know that this dude is a very talented artist.”