Big Daddy Kane Blames Drake's Fans For Ruining Hip-Hop Battles

BYElias Andrews4.6K Views
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2023 One Music Festival
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 28: Big Daddy Kane performs onstage during One MusicFest at Piedmont Park on October 28, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic)
Not a take we saw coming.

Big Daddy Kane has a bulletproof pedigree. He's one of the most influential and emulated rappers of all time. His battle with MC Shan was legendary, and he helped form the Juice Crew. Kane knows the genre better than most people walking the planet, so when he has an opinion, it carries plenty of weight. The rapper recently went on The Art of Dialogue to discuss the current state of rap music, and he made it very clear that he is not a fan of Drake's fans.

Big Daddy Kane was asked if he'd been keeping up with Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar, and he said he lost interest. He didn't lay the blame at the feet of either rapper, but their fanbases. In particular, he was put off by the way Drake's fans fact-checked Lamar's bars. "It's not a competitive thing about who spit the better bars it's a thing about fact checking to see if this person told the truth," Kane noted. "If the line is dope and he dissed you, it's dope man. It's that simple. He bodied you with what he said."

Big Daddy Kane Was Initially On Drake's Side

The veteran rapper noted the differences between when he battled versus the current state of rap battles. Firstly, he admitted to lying about his competitors, as he felt it was all fair game. "In my days of battling people I said stuff that wasn't true," he noted. Secondly, he clarified that he didn't blame either rapper. "Enjoy the music for what it is," he explained. "If that's the way the younger generation looks at battles, good for them. It's not about Kendrick or Drake. Their comments and their views, they make it unenjoyable for me."

Kane thought both rappers delivered musically. He praised Drake's "Family Matters" for "saying some sh*t" about Lamar. Then, the fact-checking and ghostwriting allegations soured him on it. "I'll go back and listen to Bizzy Bee and Kool Moe Dee," he quipped. "You can have this sh*t."

The most interesting part about Kane's stance on Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar is that his favorite "Big Three" rapper stepped away from the battle. He told The Art of Dialogue that J. Cole is the best rapper of his generation. "I think he is," Kane asserted. "Like he's my personal favorite."

About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.
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