Kanye’s Kendrick Lamar Hatred Is Not Surprising..

What’s poppin y’all,

Kanye West hating on Kendrick Lamar is not something I ever expected to see. What's even funnier is that Kanye didn’t even make an appearance on Playboi Carti’s album, despite how much he’s supported Carti in the past. He was a major part of Off The Grid, and that Donda-era cosign really helped elevate Carti to another level. I’m not saying Carti wouldn’t have made it without Ye—he was already heavily anticipated—but the boost from Kanye was undeniable.

Now, Kanye just tweeted, “I don’t like Kendrick Lamar’s music. He raps very good, but I didn’t need to hear him on Carti’s album.” And a lot of people seem to agree, likely because of the ongoing Drake vs. Kendrick situation. But if Ye really felt this way, why was he trying to insert himself into the Like That remix with “Yo Dot, I got you”? And let’s not forget—back in 2015, he was praising Kendrick, saying he was inspired by his album and appreciated the message in his music.

This just feels like Ye being a full-blown hater now. To be fair, Ye has never really embraced ultra-lyrical rappers. He’s always tried to distance himself from the “backpack rapper” label, even though early on, he was heavily associated with guys like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, and maybe even Lupe Fiasco. Years later, he tried to brush that aside.

But what makes this even more confusing is that one of Ye’s best tracks on The Life of Pablo featured Kendrick. So why the sudden animosity?

Honestly, I think this is Kanye lashing out because he wishes he could have done to Drake what Kendrick just did. I saw a tweet saying that, and I couldn’t agree more. But I also think Kanye just doesn’t like not being in the conversation as one of the top three or four rappers right now. And while that might sound like a bad thing, it’s also what keeps him competitive. If there’s one thing we know about Ye, it’s that his need to compete—his drive to prove he’s still the greatest—keeps him producing some of his best work, even well into his 40s.

• HY

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