Here’s The Big Difference Between Kendrick Lamar And Drake, According To Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes had a lot to speak on in a recent interview with The Daily Beast. The Brooklyn native was focused on hip-hop’s roots and bridging the gap between new artists and their predecessors, but the highlight of his feature was his ode to the future.
Who is the future, exactly? Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Meek Mill and J. Cole. The Flipmode icon spoke on how the aforementioned artists fully understand that their gift is much bigger than them and use it to the advantage.
“To be able to see Meek Mill finally embracing what his role and responsibility [is]—what is preordained... He got a whole other purpose that he needs to shift the climate with out here,” Busta states
He continued by saying that Cole, Gambino, K. Dot, and Chano are all doing their jobs despite not rendering much club success. He admired these guys under 35 are out here, holding nothing back and killing it simultaneously. “They out here talking that shit! They shooting the videos. They’re making those messages speak volumes. They’re having super success with it. You might hear Future in the club. You might hear Drake in the club. But Kendrick [and Chance] took all the Grammys home. At the end of the day, people respect substance.”
Adding that, “it’s amazing to see the younger guys do it and I hope it inspires the elders to get back on they sh*t”
When turning the conversation to the OG’s of the hip-hop game, Buss seemed disappointed in how many older legends are treating the new kids. “A lot of [dudes] running around complaining about what these new dudes is doin’, but the question really is what is you older dudes doing to help the new dudes? Outside of popping and sh*t and being mad at them all the time for what they not doing that you feel they need to do?” In hip-hop’s early days, many new acts needed a co-sign, but now this isn’t always the case. However, he hopes that this new wave inspires the older ones to revive themselves without trying too hard.
Busta is known for advocating for newbies, especially considering he was one of the "Leaders of the New School." Post-dismantlement, he created the groundbreaking Flipmode squad. He considers it "an honor" to pass the torch along, but has a simple request for his fellow alumni: do the same.
Just as he learned from Chuck D, Busta wants to get back to the “concept of music-industry mentorship.”
According to Chuck D, the approach is called "CLAMP," which stands for “concept, lyrics, attitude [and/or] appearance, music and performance.” Busta reflected on his mentorship and said, "If you muthaf***as don’t got your concept, your lyrics, your attitude and appearance, your music and performance right, you don’t have a CLAMP on this sh*t. I took that, applied that to everything.”
Well, let’s hope for the hip-hop’s sake, all artists, both vets and rising, can get a clamp on this. Read the full interview here.
