"I haven’t listened to any of the songs” — Lupe Fiasco says he hasn't heard Not Like Us or Family Matters as he denies hating Kendrick Lamar

Lupe Fiasco has recently been receiving backlash from Kendrick Lamar's fans because of his past comments. During an X Space chat, he shed light on who he thinks can take on the role of gatekeeper to hip-hop culture, and several netizens believed he was taking aim at Kendrick Lamar.

"If you want to start who is in and who is out, a process which I don’t agree with, and I think is bullsh*t, if you want to do that you should have a degree. You should have a PhD in hip-hop. If you ain’t got that, then I don’t think that you are qualified to and have the right to speak on of hip-hop," he said.

Days later, on Monday, July 22, the rapper reappeared on a Spaces chat hosted by Joe Budden and cleared the air about his comments. He was quick to shut down Budden, who alluded to his alleged hatred for Kendrick Lamar. The rapper cleared the air and stated that he loved Kendrick and didn't have any issues with the Not Like Us rapper.

Lupe Fiasco then made a startling admission to Budden when he said that he hadn't heard any of the viral songs concerning the infamous battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

“You know I haven’t listened to any of the songs?” confessed Lupe Fiasco.

Fiasco admitted that he did not listen to Family Matters, Meet the Grahams, Not Like Us, and others. The 42-year-old said he stopped following the Drake-Kendrick fiasco after Rick Ross' Champagne Moments.

"After the Ross response, I haven’t listened to anything. So, I haven’t heard any of the records; ‘Family Matters,’ ‘Meet The Grahams,’ ‘Not Like Us.’ I kinda tapped out," he commented.

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Lupe Fiasco clarified that he didn't take the side of Drake in the Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef

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Some fans misconstrued Lupe's comments and thought that he had taken Drake's side in the beef between Drizzy and Kendrick Lamar. The rapper cleared the confusion after a fan mentioned in the chat that Fiasco had claimed that Drake "had more of a say about hip hop" because of his sales figures.

Lupe Fiasco was quick to clarify that he didn't mean to comment on any specific artist during his earlier statement. He added that he was talking about rappers in general and people who did not listen to the conversation in its entirety, "took that part only and ran with and reposted it as us talking about Drake & Dot."

The rapper ended the Spaces chat by denying another accusation thrown at him by netizens. Fans alleged that he said that they needed a PhD in hip-hop to have a say in the ongoing battle. Lupe explained his words and declared that he claimed that if people wanted to "decide who is allowed in hip-hop and who is not," they needed a PhD to be able to do so.

He further explained that fans shouldn't behave like they know more than the rappers and it is not fair if people try to 'kick out' artists who know a lot more about the art than they do.

Lupe Fiasco's latest album, Samurai, came out on June 28, 2024.