<p id=”par-1_47″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/drake/?swcfpc=1″>Drake</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/jay-z/?swcfpc=1″>Jay-Z</a> have had a competitive relationship for years. While Drake has spoken admiringly about Jay-Z’s music, he has also criticized the other rapper. In 2014, Drake complained about a growing trend in the rap community. He pointed to Jay-Z as one of the worst offenders.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-drake-once-said-something-jay-z-did-was-corny”>Drake once said something Jay-Z did was ‘corny’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_29″>In 2014, Drake complained about the connection between rap music and the art world. Jay-Z, for example, shouted out a number of artists in his 2013 song “Picasso Baby.”</p>
<p id=”par-3_39″>“It’s like Hov can’t drop bars these days without at least four art references!” he told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drake-high-times-at-the-yolo-estate-72518/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a>. “I would love to collect at some point, but I think the whole rap/art world thing is getting kind of corny.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Drake-Jay-Z-2-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Jay-Z and Drake are on a stage together. Jay-Z wears sunglasses and holds a microphone. Drake bends towards the microphone.” class=”wp-image-3765368″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Jay-Z and Drake | Kevin Mazur/WireImage</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_41″>Still, he praised one of Jay-Z’s songs in the same interview. He said he felt “physically sick” when he heard a song he wished he could have thought of, which happened when he heard “N***** in Paris” for the first time. </p>
<p id=”par-5_32″>“I was like, ‘How did I not think of that?’ – ‘Ball so hard, that s*** cray!’ It was real rap s***, but it felt melodic; all the cadences felt so good.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-he-was-angry-about-his-comments-about-another-rapper-in-the-interview”>He was angry about his comments about another rapper in the interview</h2>
<p id=”par-6_23″>In the same interview, Drake said he wasn’t thrilled about <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/1-song-kanye-wests-yeezus-almost-david-lynch-music-video.html/”>Kanye West’s album <em>Yeezus</em></a>. He didn’t think it was West at his best.</p>
<p id=”par-7_25″>“There were some real questionable bars on there,” he said. “Like that ‘Swaghili’ line? Come on, man. Even Fabolous wouldn’t say some s*** like that.” </p>
<p id=”par-8_10″>Still, he said West was a major influence on him.</p>
<p id=”par-9_14″>“Kanye’s the reason I’m here,” he said. “ I love everything about that guy.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_21″>Afterward, Drake jumped onto social media to defend himself. He felt frustrated that his comments about <em>Yeezus</em> appeared in the story.</p>
<p id=”par-11_30″>“I’m <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/drake-swore-magazine-interviews-2014-after-publication-published-record-comments-about-kanye-west.html/”>done doing interviews for magazines</a>,” he wrote in a <a href=”https://twitter.com/drake/status/433971541622001664?s=61&t=fgTz36vOWMv1zYWI_RC5_w” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>tweet</a>. “I just want to give my music to the people. That’s the only way my message gets across accurately.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-drake-once-expressed-frustration-that-jay-z-got-a-grammy-instead-of-him”>Drake once expressed frustration that Jay-Z got a Grammy instead of him</h2>
<p id=”par-12_25″>Several years before his comments about Jay-Z, Drake said he’d <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/drake-felt-alienated-grammys.html/”>given up on the Grammys</a> because he lost to him for Best Rap Solo Performance.</p>
<p id=”par-13_29″>“I’ve always been fascinated with the Grammys, so I don’t mean disrespect when I say this, but I’ve kind of given up on them,” he told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/drake-the-billboard-qa-465181/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard</a> in 2011.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jay-Z-4-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Jay-Z wears a black suit and holds a Grammy.” class=”wp-image-3765370″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Jay-Z | VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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Jay-Z Admitted He’s Lost ‘a Couple Albums’ Worth of Great Material’ Because of a Writing Method He ‘Wouldn’t Advise’ </a>
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<p id=”par-14_13″>While he thought Jay-Z’s song was good, Drake thought he deserved the award.</p>
<p id=”par-15_79″>“But the one that really got to me was when I lost to ‘D.O.A.’ for ‘Best I Ever Had,’” he said. “That one to me was, like, really? Not to say that Jay-Z isn’t the most incredible rapper and that ‘D.O.A.’ wasn’t a good song. I just felt like they had an option to give me a Grammy for a mixtape, and they just didn’t do it [laughs]. Because it goes against the grain of everything that is traditional.”</p>