Questlove Says 'Hip-Hop Is Dead' Following Drake & Kendrick Lamar Beef
By Tony M. Centeno
May 9, 2024
Hip-Hop is dead, according to Questlove.
The Roots drummer sent rap fans into a frenzy on Tuesday, May 7, after he shared his thoughts about Drake and Kendrick Lamar's high-profile feud. In a post he shared to his Instagram timeline, Quest said their back-and-forth was "wrestling match levels mudslinging" with no regard for the women and children involved. He also called out the hypocrisy of fans who wanted to see blood throughout the melee but will be quick to make "RIP" posts if things get worse.
"Nobody won the war. This wasn't about skill," Questlove began.
"This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary — women & children (& actual facts) be damned," he continued. "Same audience wanting blood will soon put up ‘rip’ posts like they weren’t part of the problem. Hip Hop truly is dead.”
Questlove may have turned off his comments on Instagram, but it didn't stop numerous rap fans from sounding off about his statement. Some people agreed that the "mudslinging" between both artists did go too far. The Breakfast Club's Charlamagne The God didn't like seeing all the unverified allegations flying around without any evidence to back it all up.
“I don’t like seeing these brothers Me Too-ing each other over a rap feud," he said earlier this week. "To me, that’s corny. If you’re going to call somebody a pedophile, if you’re going to call someone a woman beater, you got to have some real proof."
However, some fans also disagreed with Questlove about the death of Hip-Hop. They criticized him for saying Drake and Kendrick's beef killed the rap game when he was in the audience for other major battles in the past like JAY-Z vs. Nas, 50 Cent vs. Kanye West, and others. Fans also maintained that Hip-Hop is still alive, especially within the underground scene.
See more reactions to Questlove's thoughts below.
Questlove is a hypocrite. When Jay Z did “Takeover” on MTV Unplugged, who was the band? Who was on the drums? Who did the backup vocals? Who changed takeover beat to shook ones live? When Jay Z got to the Nas diss part, who changed the beat to NY State Of Mind? You scared? Get a…
— Doggie Diamonds (@DoggieDiamonds) May 9, 2024
First off, QuestLove is a legend
— Skoob 🇵🇦🇯🇲 (@TheKidSkoob) May 8, 2024
That said, he couldn’t be more off base for his take
Not only was this battle good for the culture, it completely restored it by bringing bars, skill & competition back to the forefront.
We’ve been drowning in disposable music for far too long.
I’m sorry @questlove you my man 100 grand but I was outside for this and you were right there. pic.twitter.com/0527qVZTD5
— Tommie (@tommiedotjpg) May 8, 2024
Ask questlove was hip hop dead when he added Sexyy Red to his stupid festival?
— FACTUAL OPINIONS OF DRED (Habitual Line Stepper) (@FACTUALOPINION0) May 8, 2024
I say this with nothing but love and respect for Questlove but
— Drop 30 (@Dropz305) May 8, 2024
What the Fuck are you talking about bro???
We just witnessed what May be looked back upon as the greatest week ever in hip hop. Beef has always been like this. Remember “My 44 makes sure all yall kids don’t grow” ? https://t.co/nzXOR8UfPp