Kanye West has boldly claimed that he is the only man that can beat Kendrick Lamar in a rap battle.
Speaking to Justin Laboy for a lengthy interview on his podcast The Download, Ye argued that while most rappers would be (and, in some cases, have been) swept aside by the Compton kingpin, he possesses a special quality that would make him a formidable opponent in the ring.
AD LOADING...
“If you rap against Kendrick, you will lose. This man does this. You know on Street Fighter, you get like a Chun-Li, you get a certain kick, and no matter what, you can’t beat that thing.
“Joe Budden said, ‘Never rap against Kendrick Lamar.’ If you rap against Kendrick Lamar, it’s a difficult task, but perhaps there’s something — I’m a psycho genius so it could be…”
Laboy then interjected: “There you have it: do not rap against Kendrick Lamar,” to which Kanye added: “Unless you’re a psycho genius like me.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Yeezy shared his thoughts on Kendrick’s high-profile feud with Drake that erupted last year.
Revealing his reaction to K.Dot’s victory, he said with a laugh: “[I was like], ‘Man, you killed my nemesis! Where’s the movies if it ain’t no Drake?’
AD LOADING...
“Or at least he took him down for a little bit. You know in superhero films where one of characters, like Wolverine or something, just goes away for a couple films?”
Despite Drake’s bruising defeat, as well as his own turbulent relationship with the Canadian superstar, Ye still backed him to make a comeback.
Asked if Kendrick “killed” Drizzy, the G.O.O.D. Music founder answered: “Yeah, for now. You can’t ever count out Steph Curry. That man might get 200 points in one song.”
Kanye himself briefly entered the battle last April by taking shots at Drake on a remix of Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick’s hit single “Like That.”
AD LOADING...
“Where’s Lucian? Serve your master, n-gga / You caught a little bag for your masters, didn’t ya? / Lifetime deal, I feel bad for n-ggas / Y’all so outta sight, outta mind / I can’t even think of a Drake line / Play J. Cole, get the pussy dry,” he rapped, also dissing Drizzy’s “First Person Shooter” sidekick J. Cole.
In addition to praising his pedigree as a battle rapper, Kanye appeared delighted that his “No More Parties in L.A.” collaborator cleaned up at this year’s Grammy Awards.
AD LOADING...
Following the ceremony on Sunday (February 2), he posted a picture on Instagram of Kendrick holding his five trophies along with the caption: “Gemini season [goat emoji].”
