Common coming to the defense of Drake is something I did not expect to see in 2024, especially since the two had a very public beef more than a decade ago in 2012.
But it seems that certain subjects can bring people together.
During an interview on “The Cutting Room Floor” earlier this month, Hip-Hop great Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) was asked if he viewed Drake as “hip-hop.” Bey said that the “6 God” is more “pop” and makes music he would expect to hear while shopping in Target.
Watch the full clip below:
To no surprise, this led to a widespread debate all across social media, as some agreed with the “Black On Both Sides” emcee while others strongly disagreed with him.
Common is, by far, the most shocking person to come to the defense of the “For All The Dogs” rapper.
During an appearance on Hot 97’s “Ebro in the Morning,” Common said, “I wrote a song called ‘I Used to Love H.E.R.,’ and that joint was really speaking to when it started becoming real corporate and losing the purity of it. 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.”
Ultimately, that’s the correct answer. Say whatever you want about Drake’s music — whether you like it or not, he unequivocally makes Hip-Hop music. How can you listen to “For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition” and not agree?
Can it be formulaic? Yes. Can it be lazy at times? Yes. Is it always great music? No. That doesn’t make it any less Hip-Hop.
Common didn’t shade Bey, telling the Hot 97 crew, “Yasiin is a genius man. I’ve been around that dude and watched him as an actor, as an artist, and listened to a lot of his raps and he is very high level when it comes to poetic rap — not even just poetic rap, but I’m saying he has poetry within his rap. He can style on anything. He can do a lot.”
It’s cool to see Common coming to the defense of Drake considering the two were entrenched in a lyrical beef in 2011 and 2012. There were multiple shots thrown by each MC. Remember “Sweet,” the third single from his ninth album, “The Dream/The Believer?” That was a diss toward Drizzy.
Remember Drake’s legendary verse on “Stay Schemin?” Nearly half of those bars were aimed toward the Chicago emcee.
Even during a 2019 interview, Common admitted, “When we had that beef, that beef was for real for me. It was real for him.”
The fact that Common has grown past it enough to come to the defense of his rival is something you have to respect.