21 Savage has revealed he advised Drake to steer clear of the infamous rap battle with Kendrick Lamar, warning the Toronto rapper that “there’s no way you can win” in such a confrontation.
Speaking on the Perspektives with Bank podcast (as per Rolling Stone), 21 Savage disclosed he told Drake “not to do all that shit” and to “leave that shit alone” as the feud began escalating earlier this year. He explained that despite his counsel, Drake felt compelled to respond after being challenged lyrically, particularly following Kendrick’s verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s “Like That”.
21 Savage recalled a specific conversation with his collaborator, where he warned Drake about entering a battle that couldn’t be won. “You finna go into a battle that you can’t win. There’s no way you can win,” he told Drake, explaining his reasoning behind this stark assessment.
The rapper elaborated on situations where “even if you win, you still don’t win,” pointing to Drake’s position at the pinnacle of the industry. “When you’re at the top… where does winning put you? You can’t go Number One-Point-One. So how the fuck could you win, anyway?” 21 Savage questioned.
While Kendrick emerged as the widely perceived victor of the feud, largely due to the massive success of “Not Like Us”, 21 Savage maintained a diplomatic stance on the outcome. When asked directly whether Drake “took a hit” during the feud, Savage disagreed, noting that Drake remains amongst the most-streamed artists globally.
However, 21 Savage did acknowledge that Drake experienced what he termed an “internet hit,” though he questioned the significance of online perception versus actual streaming numbers. “I feel like he took an internet hit. But then it be like: Damn, did you take an internet hit? Because streaming, you gotta go on the internet to stream,” he observed.
The comments come as 21 Savage released his fourth studio album, What Happened to the Streets?, on December 12th. The project, which follows last year’s American Dream, features collaborations with several prominent artists including Latto, GloRilla, G Herbo, Lil Baby, and Drake himself.
