Rapper Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) is clarifying the remarks he made about Drake not being hip-hop.
“First of all, I don’t hate anyone. My opinion is mine. It’s legal in all states, as far as I’m aware. It was not an opportunity to try to slander him, or to clown on him. I have reached out to him, I have no responses yet. I’m not keen to talk about people or to them through a screen, I prefer to talk to people directly. But I will say this. The young man is very talented, he’s been able to be very successful with that talent, and I have no issue with his success or anything that he’s been able to achieve as a result of his talent,” he said in the clip.
Drizzy took exception to his remarks earlier this month and trolled him online. Drake fans called Bey a hater but he says he has nothing but love for the Canadian rapper.
“I do feel that some of the criticism that he’s received in the past has been mean-spirited or unfair. So I don’t want to participate in that. I’ve never had no issue with you personally,” he said. “I don’t know you well enough to have any sort of issue with you in that regard. Nonetheless, it’s not sacrilegious to have a critique or opinion of a public figure, particularly one of that magnitude in current, modern culture.”
Watch the full 25 minute video above.
