The rapper Mos Def said makes “shopping” music: “He is pop to me”
Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) is among the most influential rappers. In the late ’90s, he produced classic albums such as Black on Both Sides and Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. As an esteemed MC, his opinions hold a lot of weight. So when he took shots at a popular rapper by describing their songs as “shopping music,” it caused a stir.
During an interview once, the Brooklyn rapper shared his thoughts about Drake, claiming his music isn’t hip-hop but rather something played while people are doing their weekly shopping.
“Drake is pop to me,” he stated on The Cutting Room Floor. “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 shopping with an edge, in certain instances.”
Mos then spoke to the Toronto artist directly during an Instagram Live session. “Drake, if you’d like to speak to me directly, you can at any point,” he said. “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. 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 responded to Mos Def by sharing an old interview clip of Method Man explaining what hip-hop is to him. “Hip-hop is a culture,” the Wu-Tang Clan member says in the video. “It’s a way of life, the way you dress, the way you talk, the way you walk. It’s the breakdancing, rhymes, stage show, DJ, mixing and scratching, the wordplay. That’s hip-hop.”
He added in the caption, “What umi say again? Lemme shine my light king don’t change up now,” referencing Mos Def’s song ‘UMI Says’. Shortly after that, Drake dissed Mos by commenting “Bohemian Bucket” (Toronto slang for “crackhead”) on a video about his alleged drug-fueled marriage. Despite beefing in the past, Mos collaborator Common came to Drizzy’s defence.
“I think now, artists can be artists. Some people, if their intention is to just be a pop artist, then so be it,” he said. “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. 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.”