Joe Budden weighs in on Kendrick Lamar's critique of Drake as a 'colonizer' in hip-hop

"Even if that’s not your intent, you gotta know how that comes off," Budden says on the BagFuel podcast.


Pop Culture & Art July 03, 2024
Courtesy: AFP

Joe Budden recently shared his thoughts on Kendrick Lamar's pointed critique of Drake, referring to the Toronto rapper as a "colonizer" in hip-hop. 

Budden's comments came during an appearance on the BagFuel podcast, where he delved into the merits of Lamar's argument without outright agreeing with it.

On his viral diss track "Not Like Us," Lamar raps: "You run to Atlanta when you need a few dollars / No, you not a colleague, you a f*ckin' colonizer." 

Budden elaborated on Lamar's perspective, saying, “Culture is where Kendrick was shifting his conversation: how do you dress? Who’s your barber? Are you a good dad? Can you dance? Your slaps? What’s your hood? Did you have a nickname growing up? Sh*t like that is what Kendrick was leaning into,” he said. "Those people, I believe, created hip-hop."

Budden also took issue with Drake's recent actions, such as buying 2Pac’s iconic ring and wearing Cam’ron’s pink fur coat while performing with Dipset at The Apollo. 

Lamar had referenced the ring during his performance at The Pop Out - Ken & Friends in Los Angeles last month. 

“Even if that’s not your intent, you gotta know how that comes off,” Budden commented. “I’ve never been around Drake and Kendrick, but to hear Kendrick say, ‘You run to Atlanta when you need a check balance…’ It’s like, ‘Oh, you noticed that too.’ ‘Cause I noticed that. I get what you’re trying to say. And you’re probably the only person that could say it, and it be effective and impactful.”

As Kendrick Lamar continues to work on releasing a music video for "Not Like Us," 

Joe Budden's breakdown of the situation adds another layer of insight into the ongoing debate within the hip-hop community.

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