In a revealing new interview, 21 Savage has disclosed that he cautioned Drake against getting embroiled in one of the most talked-about rap rivalries of recent memory: his feud with Kendrick Lamar. Speaking candidly on the Perspektives With Bank podcast, the Atlanta rapper offered insight into private conversations he had with Drake as tensions were beginning to simmer.
According to 21 Savage, his advice was unequivocal. He reportedly urged Drake to “leave that alone,” warning that entering the dispute would be a battle with no true victor. “You finna go into a battle that you can’t win,” Savage recounted telling Drake. “There’s no way you can win.”
Savage expanded on his reasoning with a broader reflection on success and cultural perception. In his view, Drake’s dominance in popular music rendered any potential “victory” hollow. “When you’re already at the top,” he observed, “where does winning put you? You can’t go Number One-Point-One.” Even if Drake had been judged the lyrical victor, Savage suggested, the rewards would have been largely symbolic rather than tangible.
Despite his misgivings, Savage acknowledged that both artists delivered strong material during the dispute, which quickly became a viral cultural moment. Yet, the feud’s ramifications extended far beyond music. In October, Drake filed an appeal seeking to revive his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s incendiary track Not Like Us. A federal judge had previously dismissed the case, ruling that the song’s most controversial allegations—including calling Drake a “certified paedophile”—were legally protected opinions within artistic expression.
Nevertheless, the ruling seemed only to amplify Lamar’s reach. Not Like Us swiftly re-entered major charts and saw a significant spike in streaming numbers, highlighting Lamar’s continued cultural momentum. The legal dispute originally arose last year when Drake’s company, Frozen Moments LLC, accused UMG and Spotify of artificially inflating the track’s streaming figures. UMG responded by framing the lawsuit as the reaction of an artist unwilling to accept defeat in a rap battle. Drake’s legal team countered, arguing that millions of listeners interpreted Lamar’s lyrics as statements of fact rather than artistic hyperbole. The controversy reached a global peak when Lamar performed the track during the historic Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, later confirmed as the most-watched halftime performance ever.
Key Moments in the Drake–Lamar Feud
| Date / Period | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Early feud | 21 Savage warns Drake privately | Advises against engagement |
| Feud peak | Exchange of diss tracks | Viral cultural moment |
| October | Drake appeals defamation dismissal | Legal escalation |
| Post-ruling | Not Like Us re-enters charts | Renewed commercial success |
| February | Lamar headlines Super Bowl LIX | Feud reaches global audience |
As the dust continues to settle, 21 Savage’s reflections offer a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of rap’s most intense modern rivalries, underscoring that sometimes the cost of participating may outweigh any conceivable reward.
If you want, I can also create a version that emphasises the legal and streaming dynamics in more detail, making it a “deep-dive” analysis suitable for music industry readers. This would push the word count even higher and add context around revenue and chart impact. Would you like me to do that?