American rapper and singer Mos Def recently commented on Drake’s music, comparing it to the pop genre. He appeared on the Patreon-exclusive interview with The Cutting Room Floor podcast that premiered on Wednesday, January 10, 2024.

Mos Def talks about Drake. (Images via Instagram/@yasiinbey & @champagnepapi)

The host Recho Omondi asked the 50-year-old about the Toronto rap superstar’s music and the current state of hip-hop, as per XXL. He replied:

“Drake is pop to me. 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.”

Fan agrees with Mos. (Images via Reddit/r/hiphopheads)
Netizens seemed to find some logic in Def’s words, while Drake’s fans were not too pleased with his criticism.

Mos Def criticizes Drake’s work as ‘pop’, saying it reminds him of music compatible with shopping

Yasiin Bey, professionally known as Mos Def, was born on December 11, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He began his hip-hop career in 1994, joining his siblings in the rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics. His discography consists of four solo albums, two compilation albums, and several singles, going by the names Da Bush Babees and De La Soul, as per Vogue.

Mos Def appeared for an interview with The Cutting Room Floor podcast on Wednesday, January 10. He shared his thoughts on one of the culture’s current leading voices, Drake or Drizzy. The host Recho Omondi asked him:

“Is Drake hip-hop?”

Mos Def was hesitant to answer at first, saying “Why are you doing this to me?” but eventually replied that he thinks Drizzy’s work is pop and suited for music one would hear while shopping. As per Hip Hop Dx, both he and Omondi had fun joking around about the idea of music that is an ideal backdrop for a mall.

“So many products! So many SKUS! Look at all these SKUs! I love this mall. Look at this place! I mean, look at this place! They have everything! Everything’s here. Oh, this is great. This is the new Drake, you hear it? It’s great,” Def said.

While Mos Def went on to say that Drake’s music is “likable,” he wondered what kind of music would the world be listening to during the “collapse of an empire,” as per Complex.

Netizens gave their opinions on Bey’s words, some agreeing with the rapper that Drizzy’s music seemed more pop. However, many fans criticized Def for allegedly insulting Drizzy.

Mos Def also spoke about the artists he outright admires in the podcast. The rapper announced that he would be performing a setlist comprising only MF DOOM covers at a one-night-only concert in France next week, as per XXL.

On January 18, Mos Def, the Black Star MC will put on an exclusive show at the La Cigale theatre in Paris dedicated to the late MF DOOM. An Instagram post announcing the show read:

“Yasiin Bey always showed admiration to the rhymes of who’s been called Viktor Vaughan, The Villain, King Gheedorah or simply DOOM. He will perform some of his favorite tracks from the Masked One.”

Drake has been on a break from music since announcing he was taking time out to deal with some health issues in October 2023. The artist announced his hiatus after dropping his latest album For All The Dogs.

As per Rolling Stone, the rapper began his It’s All A Blu tour on July 5, 2023, in Chicago. The show is scheduled to conclude on March 27, 2024, in Birmingham, Alabama.