Drake Fans & Critics Debate If He’s A Pop Or Hip-Hop Artist After Mos Def Says His Music “Is Compatible With Shopping At Target”

Mos Def, Drake

Drake Fans & Critics Debate If He’s A Pop Or Hip-Hop Artist After Mos Def Says His Music “Is Compatible With Shopping At Target”

Rap star Drake is at the center of a heated online discussion.

Following his artistry being critiqued by hip-hop icon Mos Def, both supporters and naysayers of the Canada native have chimed in to share their thoughts.

Drake

The subject of the conversation is whether or not Aubrey ‘Drake‘ Graham is considered a pop or hip-hop artist. Debates about the topic began following an interview Mos Def, aka Yasiin Bey, 50, appeared in, where he stated:

“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… It’s likable.”

Yasiin Bey(Mos Def) says Drake’s music is pop and is compatible with shopping at Target.

(? The Cutting Room Floor) pic.twitter.com/RBQtk77bg7

— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) January 13, 2024

After letting out a giggle and seemingly reflecting on his comment, he added:

“What happens when this thing collapses?…What happens when the columns start buckling? Are we not in some early stage of that, at this present hour? Are we seeing the collapse of the empire? Buying and selling, where’s the message that I can use? What’s in it for your audience apart from banging the pom-poms?

Mos Def

It seems that Mos Def’s comment may have been in response to a previous DM from Drake. While seemingly responding to a prior critique of his music, the 37-year-old wrote:

“Can you do an article now where the baddest Instagram girls in the world review my poetry book not the head of Mos Def fan club…thanks”

While it doesn’t appear that the OVO records founder has responded to Mos Def’s most recent remarks about his music at this time, his fans didn’t hesitate to come to his defense. Many Drake supporters have since been pushing back at the notion he isn’t a hip-hop artist by sharing their favorites of his projects. One user shared a snippet of his song “Say What’s Real” from his 2009 mixtape “So Far Gone”, writing:

“You guys say Drake isnt a rapper and cant rap but yet never listened to “Say What’s Real”. You guys just go with these narratives. They hate on Drake because he sings and makes R&B records. Dont hate cause he adapted to the culture and stayed on top for so long. 3 min of RAP”

You guys say Drake isnt a rapper and cant rap but yet never listened to “Say What’s Real”. You guys just go with these narratives. They hate on Drake because he sings and makes R&B records. Dont hate cause he adapted to the culture and stayed on top for so long. 3 min of RAP pic.twitter.com/s4wWYOqyFI

— All Gen Hip Hop (@AllGenHipHop) January 14, 2024

While another user shared the cover art from Drake’s 2015 mixtape “If You’re Reading This Its Too Late”, adding:

“if you believe Drake is a pop artist just listen to this album and you’ll realize what you believe is you being delusional”

However, this wasn’t a general consensus across the board. While many others did join arguing in favor of the Grammy award winner being hip-hop, many others seemed to agree with Mos Def’s stance. The conversation especially got a bit intense as social media users began to compare the two musician’s careers and personal lives.