Everything You Need to Know About Drake and Yasiin Bey’s Beef
It looks like the beef between Drake and Yasiin Bey is continuing to heat up. The jabs are happening and now it's apparent that Drizzy hasn't always been Bey's biggest fan. While The Boy has added more fuel to the fire under the artist formerly known as Mos Def, here is how the two MCs got to this point.
Drake Asks "the Head of Mos Def Fan Club" Not to Review His Poetry Book
On June 28, 2023, Complex invited accredited poets to read and review Drizzy and Kenza Samir's poetry book Titles Ruin Everything, which the rapper released as part of his rollout to announce his latest album, For All the Dogs. Various poets such as Hanif Abdurraquib gave their opinions on the book while reviewing it.
"It’s kind of just a book of puns," Abdurraquib said. "Silly lil' jokes."
However, it was Complex's conversation with Bun B, in which the writer of the article said, "He’ll never be as good as Mos Def," to the UGK member. The writer's dig at the 6 God seemed to bother Drake. "Is Drake trying to make the same music as Mos Def?" Bun B asked, to which Complex agreed he wasn't. After the story was published, Drake slid into Complex's DM's on Instagram to comment on this comparison.
"Can you do an article now where the baddest Instagram girls in the world review my poetry book, not the head of the Mos Def fan club... Thanks," Drake wrote with a laughing emoji. Complex proceeded to do just that.
Mos Def Calls Drake's Music "Pop" That Is "Compatible With Shopping"
During an interview with The Cutting Room Floor podcast that premiered on Jan. 10, Yasiin Bey referred to Drake as "pop" when asked whether he considered the 6 God's music hip-hop.
"Drake is pop to me," Bey stated after some hesitation. "In the sense like, if I was in Target in Houston and I heard a Drake song, it feels like a lot of his music is compatible with shopping. Or shopping with an edge, in certain instances."
Bey then went on to lightly clown Drizzy's music, but did admit the music was "likable." Fans were split by the comparison on social media.
"Mos Def basic said Drake makes elevator music," one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I wanna see if Drake is wise enough to ignore this. Because I know he knows that he should... The end was so shady [three loudly crying emojis]."
Another person added: "[Mos Def. [goat emoji] HipHop by essence is underground cult culture. Its just a different MC cloth that Drake would never be cut or fully respected from & that's ok. Hes a billionaire and one of the greatest song writers ever. Yes he makes alot of POP(ular) music!"
Drake Uses Yasiin Bey's Own Lyrics to Respond to "Pop" Criticism
On Jan. 15, Drake responded to Yasiin Bey's criticism. The Boy shared a clip of an old Method Man interview to his Instagram Story, in which the Wu-Tang Clan legend spoke candidly about hip-hop's diversification.
"Hip-hop is a culture," Method Man says. "It's a way of life. The way you dress, the way you talk, the way you walk. Breakdancing, rhymes, stage show..."
Drake then called out Yasiin Bey directly by writing under the clip: "What Umi say again? Let me shine my light king don't change up now."
The dig was about the 1999 Mos Def song "Umi Says," on which the Brooklyn, N.Y. rapper spits: "My Umi said shine your light on the world/Shine your light for the world to see."
Drake Calls Yasiin Bey a "Bohemian Bucket"
While Yasiin Bey didn't respond to Drake's initial dig, the OVO Sound leader added fuel to the fire on Jan. 18 when he commented "Bohemian Bucket" on an Instagram post from user @fridayrickeydred and @trappherajohn. The post features a screenshot from Yasiin Bey's Cutting Room Floor interview that is being narrated by a man who goes by Friday Rickey Dred on Instagram.
"Story time 📕 Why #drake & Toronto Mans who know don’t rate #mosdef like that!!! #toronto #storytime … Did you know this story??? #commentgangstrong💪🏾," he wrote as the caption for the post.
The man told a lengthy story about a time Mos Def came to Toronto for a festival back in 2005. Dred alleged that he spoke with Bey after his performance backstage, and the rapper asked if he could have some of the weed he was smoking. Dred proceeded to say that he learned later that weekend that Bey met a woman in the city and eloped with her. The two were married after reportedly knowing each other for just three days. Dred went on to say these allegations are why Canadian artists like Drake believe they can so openly clown Yasiin Bey because they consider him a simp.
It's worth noting that BET reported a similar rumored story, claiming the rapper fell in love with a dancer named Alana Wyatt-Smith and married her three days after meeting her. The couple reportedly separated two months later, but the divorce was never finalized at the time.
Wyatt then spoke about the fleeting relationship in her 2008 book, Breaking the Code of Silence, including that they were married on Aug. 17, 2005.
"He had asked me if I would attend a MuchMusic performance featuring Kanye West," Wyatt-Smith wrote at the time. "Now, that was a little awkward because a year prior I had met Kanye in Vegas and we had a moment! NOT SEXUAL! I REPEAT, KANYE WEST and I NEVER have had sexual relations. Much to my surprise, Mos introduced me as his wife."
She continued, "There were stories that we may have been on drugs when we got married...it was true honest love at first sight; although it took me a while to get to know him, and I think it was more in his heart than it was in mine. I kind of went along with it."
Regardless, Drake seemed to agree with parts of Dred's assessments on Yasiin, writing "Bohemian Bucket" in the Instagram comments.
According to Urban Dictionary, "bucket" is Canadian slang for "junkie" or "crackhead."
Here's hoping these two rappers resolve things soon.
