Lil Yachty has offered a decidedly measured take on Drake and Kendrick Lamar's undeniably historic back-and-forth.
In a recently surfaced podcast clip seemingly taken from a not-yet-released episode of A Safe Place, Yachty, whose extensive collaborative history with the 6 God is well-documented, pointed out that Kendrick "clearly had a lot more animosity" throughout the beef.
"Because Drake dropped great records," Yachty said. "Also, let’s be fair, Drake was deemed a loser in this battle before it started. Because people don’t like him and haven’t and he’s won for a very long time and he’s sat at the top of the throne. Honestly and respectfully, I think he still sits at the top of the throne. I think that even if opinionated masses would say that Kendrick won, I don’t think that people are gonna stop listening to Drake."
While Yachty further noted that there are indeed “no rules” in a rap battle of this magnitude, he feels that this particular beef felt like the “most officiated beef” he’s seen. Still, he doesn’t believe his friend and frequent collaborator lost.
"I said to Drake, I told him, I don’t feel like you won or lost," he explained. "Rappers have lost, and then lost everything. … I don’t think that this has happened to Drake. I think that Drake will still be in everyone’s Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year, at the top. I think he can still drop hits and it will still control the summer. I think that Kendrick made very smart moves and I don’t think Drake would disagree."
In another clip from the same unreleased (as of this writing, at least) discussion, Yachty gave his assessment of how both Drake and Kendrick were forced to take different angles when it came to their respective disses’ lyrical content. Both artists, he said, are "at the top of their game" and have been for some time. As for the specifics leveled back and forth, Yachty was also quick to point out that there’s "no proof" of either side’s claims.
"They didn’t have much on each either," he said. "So they found, one was pedophilia and then one was an abuser, a woman abuser. And they just both kind of poked at 'em. Extreme accusations, absolutely, which there’s no proof to either one. But it’s beef, right?"
Overall, Yachty added, this as "a really good battle," and represents something that will "never, ever, ever" be seen again. From Yachty’s perspective, however, the beef is over, with Kendrick’s "Not Like Us" (currently the No. 1 song in the country) standing as the "pivotal moment" from the back-and-forth.
"That song is the one that’ll live and I hope that one day in the near future these two guys can come laugh about it," he said. "When they’re old and gray and extremely dirt-rich, both billionaires, they can come and laugh about it and move forward."
Yachty had time to react to a disgruntled fan who was calling him out for being "absolutely shameless" about loyalty.
In tweets responding to the person, Yachty told them to stop trying to spin the narrative.
"u making shit what it’s not, everybody and they mama kno what side I’m on. U fans be over doin shit. I didn’t go into any specifics of the songs. Stop tryna spin narrative."
He continued, "Suck a dick nerd, it wasn’t my beef to speak in..fuck u want me to do? Jump on a feature? I said I felt like nobody won. The whole thing was stupid to begin with. When I support him I’m dick riding, when I dont say shit I switched up. This internet shit is so lame . Can’t win."
Last weekend, Drake, whose "The Heart Part 6" stands as the final entry in the Kendrick saga, teased that he was moving into a new frame of mind. Specifically, he told fans they could expect some presumably imminent "summer vibes."
