Kanye West and Drake may be (mostly) all buddies now, but not too long ago they were feuding so fiercely that West asked some of his closest collaborators, including Travis Scott, not to work with Drake at all.
According to fellow Chicagoan and frequent Ye collaborator Malik Youssef, West apparently began (unsuccessfully) banning and protecting his colleagues from collaborating with the Canadian star. Yusef appeared on Rap today with Francis podcast in which he attempted to explain some of West’s more controversial behavior over the past few years, including recent anti-Semitic remarks in the media.
My interview with #Kanye West co-creator Malik Youssef is missing! We talk about Ye being rough, working on a new album, possibly touring, and the artist’s relationships with Drake and Kid Cudi https://t.co/sGSG5JgDQr
— Francis (@francisnewyork) September 25, 2023
“I think (the anti-Semitic comments) were directed at Drake (who is Jewish),” he said. “I think so. I don’t know who else you think it was. I never worked with Drake directly because Kanye asked me not to. He said, “Please don’t work directly with Drake.” I said, “Okay.” Because Kanye’s brother, but I love Drake too. He asked Travis (Scott) the same thing, but Travis said no.”
As for why Kanye has been fighting with Drake for so long, Yusef is just as confused as the rest of us. “I think Drake loves Kanye and that Kanye hates that Drake loves him,” he opined. “I don’t think his anger at Drake has any meaning because Drake was just kind and good and a good student of Kanye, so I don’t know where the anger comes from. “He took my style!” OK, cool. Drake embraces everyone’s style. In my opinion, Drake has his own unique style – a mixture of several different styles.”
Malik Youssef was one of Kanye’s early and frequent collaborators, appearing on his debut album. Dropping out of college and on the GOOD Music compilation Cruel Summer. West also produced most of Youssef’s second album. good morning good night. Kanye’s ongoing dispute with Drake appears to have been settled between them. Free Larry Hoover concert in Los Angeles a few years ago, but if Youssef is right, it appears West still harbors some resentment toward his longtime nemesis.