Common Says Drake ‘Comes From Hip-Hop’ Following Yasiin Bey’s ‘Shopping’ Music Comments

It seems Common doesn’t exactly agree with Yasiin Bey’s take on Drake.

The 51-year-old rapper stopped by Ebro in the Morning, where the topic of Bey’s comments on Drizzy making pop music came up—and the Chicago native was honest about his views on contemporary hip-hop and consumerism in rap.

“I wrote a song called ‘Used to Love Her’ and that joint was really speaking to that to a certain degree,” Common said at around the 24:25 minute mark. “At that time, when [hip-hop] started becoming real corporate, losing the purity of it.”

“I think now, artists can be artists,” he continued. “Some people in life, their intention is to just be the pop artist then so be it. To me, I think Drake comes from hip-hop. When I first heard him rhyming, I was like, ‘Yo, this dude rhyming.’ And if he goes out and makes songs that are popular, that’s what it is.”

Common went on to call Drizzy an “incredible songwriter” and an “incredible artist.”

“It’s pop artists that they have a hit and it’s gone and you forget, ‘Oh, who was that?’ But I mean, this man has touched different aspects of culture and been able to continue to do it so you gotta have some respect and know that yo, this dude is a very talented artist.”

Common and Bey have frequently collaborated, most notably on the Black Star song, “Respiration”—so Common is definitely privy to Mos Def’s ingenuity. Common also isn’t surprised by Bey’s remarks about Drake.

“Yasiin is a genius,” Common explained. “I’ve been around that dude and I’ve watched him as an actor, as an artist—and I listen to a lot of his raps and … he’s very high-level when it comes to poetic rap. … Just can style on anything, he can do a lot, man.”

He pointed out, “Yasiin is not gonna hold his tongue. He’s a warrior … and like you said, he [commented on Drake] with his personality, all that charisma”—seemingly a nod to Bey saying Drake’s music is “compatible with shopping” and him chuckling while saying, “So many products! So many SKUS!”