Dancehall icon Vybz Kartel has publicly thrown his support behind OVO superstar Drake, who recently became the target of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” during the Super Bowl Halftime show.
In a highly anticipated Drink Champs interview with DJ EFN and N.O.R.E., Kartel was asked to choose between Drake and Kendrick. Without a second thought, the World Boss confidently responded, “Drake.”
Expanding on his choice, Kartel explained, “Drake is big in Jamaica too, man.” The Canadian rapper has consistently dominated Spotify streaming charts in Jamaica, holding the title of the most-streamed artist for four consecutive years, with Kartel securing the second spot in 2023.
“Drake has that mainstream appeal—he’s like the Hip-Hop Michael Jackson,” Kartel continued. “Plus, he’s done a lot for Popcaan and always shows love to the culture.”
Popcaan, one of Kartel’s protégés, inked a major multi-album deal with Drake’s OVO Sound and Warner Records in 2016. However, that same year, while Kartel was behind bars, fellow Dancehall artist Mr. Vegas called out Drake for allegedly not giving proper credit to Dancehall musicians on his album VIEWS. Vegas labeled Drake “fake” for featuring Beenie Man only as an intro act on Controlla and for removing Popcaan from the track. He also noted that Popcaan’s Luh Yuh Bad was sampled on Too Good without clear acknowledgment. While some Dancehall artists were mentioned in the album’s credits, Vegas argued that their contributions deserved more prominent recognition. He pointed out how global stars like Drake and Rihanna profit from Dancehall’s influence, while many Jamaican artists struggle to gain similar international success.
Fast forward nine years, and Kartel has a different take on the matter. “Drake reps Jamaican culture—to the point where people started calling him a culture vulture. But we don’t see it that way, not in Jamaica.”
The full Drink Champs interview with Vybz Kartel is set to premiere this Saturday on YouTube, where fans can hear more of his unfiltered thoughts on Dancehall, Hip-Hop, and the industry at large.
