JAY-Z Weighs In On Kendrick Lamar & Drake's Beef: 'Don’t Know If I Love It'

JAY-Z has weighed in with some controversial takes on Drake and Kendrick Lamar's notorious rap beef.

During his rare sit-down interview that GQ released on Tuesday, March 24, the Roc Nation founder was asked about his role curating the Super Bowl Halftime Show for the NFL and his thoughts on Kendrick Lamar's headlining set in 2025. Hov tipped his hat to Lamar for performing songs from his surprise album GNX for the first time in front of such a large audience and said he "had high respect for him already." When asked about his thoughts on K.Dot and Drizzy's feud, Hov said he doesn't "know if battling needs to be part of the culture anymore."

"We love the excitement and I love the sparring, but in this day and age there’s so much negative stuff that comes with [battling] that you almost wish it didn’t happen," he explained. "Now, people that like Kendrick hate Drake, no matter what he makes. It’s like an attack on his character. I don’t know if I love that. I don’t know if it’s helpful to our growth where the fallout lands, especially on social media."

JAY-Z's sentiment on the subject is shocking to fans who grew up with a front-row seat to his infamous beef with artists like Nas, LL COOL J, and others. The "Takeover" rapper believes rap beefs go too far nowadays, especially when families with kids are dragged into the drama. He emphasized how easy it was to move on from a rap beef before the social media age. Hov doesn't think it's worth facing off on wax anymore, especially when spectators are focused on fanning the flames online and tearing the opponent's life down.

"Just everything around it was like, 'Man, this is taking us a couple steps back,'" he explained. "We’ve just grown so much that—I guess I’m going to say it—I don’t know if battling needs to be part of the culture anymore. We grew from breakdancing. We love graffiti. Before, the MC’s job was to bring attention to the DJ…. I want to hear what the rapper is saying. Now the last pillar is battling, and these are all the things that come with it. I hate that I have this point of view on it. I do. Because I know what it sounds like. It’s just how I feel about it."

“I realize it’s a bit hypocritical because of how many battles I’ve been in, and given the nature of ‘Super Ugly,'" Hov added. "It takes growth to arrive at this place, because I’ve done the bulls**t too!”

While he may not have liked how Kendrick Lamar and Drake's battle played out, JAY-Z still appreciates how much music fans received within such a short time. One song that still stands out among the litany of diss tracks is "Not Like Us." The Grammy Award-winning song did record numbers on the charts and dominated the summer. Despite rumors spread by trolls, the glorified diss track wasn't the key reason why Hov chose Lamar to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2025.

"I chose the guy that was having a monster year," he explained. "I think it was the right choice. What do I care about them two guys battling? What’s that got to do with me? Have at it. They drag everybody in it, like everyone’s part of this conspiracy to undermine Drake, I guess. But, it’s like, what the fuck? I’m fucking Jay-Z! [Laughs.] All due respect to him. I’m fucking Hov. Respectfully. It doesn’t make any sense."

Watch the entire interview below.