'You Almost Wish It Didn't Happen'

While Jay-Z appreciated the spectacle of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, he ultimately thinks everything that came with it, especially the fan involvement, was “too much.”

In Frazier Tharpe’s extensive GQ cover story, Hov was asked about the beef, which he suggested was the biggest rap rivalry since he clashed with Nas in the ‘90s. “We love the excitement and I love the sparring, but in this day and age there’s so much negative stuff that comes with it that you almost wish it didn’t happen,” said Jay, adding that the apparent allegiances fans have with the artists has become an issue.

“Now, people that like Kendrick hate Drake, no matter what he makes,” he explained. “It’s like an attack on his character. I don’t know if I love that. I don’t know if it’s helpful to our growth where the fallout lands, especially on social media. … It’s too far. It’s bringing people’s kids in it. I don’t like that.”

Hov admitted that he comes across sounding “like the old guy wagging his finger,” but he thinks that the same level of excitement could be achieved through collaborations. “It could stand it before because there was no social media,” he added. “You had the battle and it was fun and then you moved on. Right now, I don’t know if it could stand it with the technology that we have.”

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Hov said that the reactions on social media take up “so much oxygen,” making rap beefs more than just sparring. “It’s like trying to tear down people’s lives. I don’t know if it’s worth it at this point,” he explained. “I love the idea that we got so much music in such a short period of time. Just everything around it was like, ‘Man, this is taking us a couple steps back.’ We’ve just grown so much that—I guess I’m going to say it—I don’t know if battling needs to be part of the culture anymore. We grew from breakdancing. We love graffiti. Before, the MC’s job was to bring attention to the DJ…. I want to hear what the rapper is saying.”

Jay also said that he believes there’s a “heavy right-wing agenda” to silence Black voices. “And the culture is happily playing along in the name of this insane thirst of Stan culture to have something on the other side,” he added. “We are in a strange time. I’m curious as to how this plays out!”

Despite his feelings on the beef, Jay maintained that he wasn’t picking sides when he chose K Dot to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show last year.

“I chose the guy that was having a monster year,” he said. “I think it was the right choice. What do I care about them two guys battling? What’s that got to do with me? Have at it. They drag everybody in it, like everyone’s part of this conspiracy to undermine Drake, I guess. But, it’s like, what the fuck? I’m f**kingJay-Z! All due respect to him. I’m f**kingHov. Respectfully. It doesn’t make any sense. It couldn’t be that these guys just don’t like each other. I think this has been brewing, just like me and Nas was brewing.”

Jay added that he regrets beefing with Nas because he considers himself a fan. “He’s a really nice guy,” he said. “I realize it’s a bit hypocritical because of how many battles I’ve been in, and given the nature of ‘Super Ugly.’ It takes growth to arrive at this place, because I’ve done the bull s**t too!”

‘You Almost Wish It Didn’t Happen’

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