Veteran sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has weighed in on the escalating tension between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, advising the Canadian rapper to settle the feud through music rather than legal battles.
Speaking on his podcast according to American entertainment platform AllHipHop, The Stephen A. Smith Show, the outspoken analyst addressed reports that Drake was unhappy with recent comments Smith made about the rapper’s response to Lamar’s latest diss track.
“I understand that Drake’s a bit sensitive in these times,” Smith said. “He’s in his feelings.”
Smith clarified his position, emphasizing that his remarks were not meant to disparage Drake but to encourage him to channel his emotions into his music.
“To Drake, the artist extraordinaire, I did not say or echo a single negative thing about you. What I said was fact,” Smith explained, referencing the rumoured diss track by Lamar, Not Like Us.
“Hip-Hop Isn’t About Lawyers”
The sports personality urged Drake to handle the feud in the spirit of Hip-Hop tradition. “What I’m saying is, you don’t go the lawyer route in Hip-Hop over something like this. You take it to the studio. You take it to the streets. That’s all I said,” Smith insisted.
Stephen A Smith just destroyed the fuck out of Drakes sensitive ass pic.twitter.com/wPzO2Xk8FG
— ry (@RyanNice) December 5, 2024
He expressed confidence in Drake’s ability to respond creatively. “I didn’t say you can’t answer Kendrick Lamar. I said, ‘You better figure out a way to do so,’ meaning you have the capability, I think, to pull it off.”
“Not a Good Look for Hip-Hop”
Smith warned that pursuing legal action against Lamar would undermine Drake’s standing in the Hip-Hop community. “If you’re gonna rely on lawyers, then it’s not a good look because that ain’t what Hip-Hop is,” he said. “Come back with yours, or you say, ‘Damn, he got me.’”
The conflict between Drake and Lamar has sparked widespread debate among fans, with many echoing Smith’s sentiment that Hip-Hop disputes should remain within the confines of the genre.
While Smith maintained that he holds “nothing but respect” for Drake, he reiterated his call for the artist to respond musically. “That’s all. Take it to the booth, not the courtroom.”
This latest development adds another layer to the ongoing rivalry between two of Hip-Hop’s most prominent figures, leaving fans eagerly awaiting the next move in the saga.
