Mos Def slams Drake’s music as shopping mall music

Bee Delores
Mos Def and Drake in a side-by-side photo

Hip-hop legend Mos Def appeared on a podcast and slammed Drake’s music.

Mos Def, most known for his iconic debut album Black on Both Sides, has certainly earned the right to share comments on the state of hip-hop music these days.

From political topics to social justice, the rapper has always been outspoken, and nothing is off-limits.

In a recent conversation online, the performer relayed his thoughts about one of today’s biggest music makers, and diehard fans probably won’t be happy.

Drake and J Cole play chess in front of a teal wall
Drake and J. Cole perform in ‘First Person Shooter’ video

The hip-hop legend called out Drake’s music as “likable” enough

During an episode of The Cutting Room Floor podcast, music icon Mos Def was asked whether he considers Drake to be a hip-hop artist or not. He then offered up an honest, direct answer.

“Drake is pop to me,” he began. “In the sense that, 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 you know, it’s shopping with an edge in certain instances.”

“It’s likable,” he continued before mimicking a shopper entering a shiny shopping mall. “So many products! So many SKUs! Look at all these SKUs! Oh, so many products. I love this mall … Oh, this is great. This is the new Drake, you hear it?”

Many in the comments section seemed to agree. “Fully agree on his take and everything else he’s not saying,” wrote one Instagram user.

“I’ve never heard it explained soooooo perfectly,” added another.

A third user compared the comments to “calling Justin Timberlake an RnB Goat” as “wild to RnB fans,” they posted. “That’s how it sounds to some rappers when people say Drake is a rap Goat.”

In the podcast episode, Mos Def also spoke about making art, “consumer packaged good,” and 1970s R&B music.

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About The Author

Bee has been working in the digital media space for a decade. Their work can be found in American Songwriter, Billboard, and Grammy.com. In addition to music writing, they can be found penning editorials about their favorite spooky movies. You can contact them at bee.delores@dexerto.com