Drake collaborator 21 Savage broke down his shared advice to the 6 God before heading into the 2024 rap battle against Kendrick Lamar during his anticipated sit-down interview on Perspektives with Big Bank, released on December 11.
The “Savage Mode” hitmaker opened up about why he originally told Drake — the most-streamed rapper on the planet — to fall back when Kendrick Lamar pressed the gas in their 2024 feud. Kendrick fired the first shot in the Metro Boomin and Future track, “Like That.” For 21, the issue was never about bars. It was about the impossible expectations tied to being the genre’s top dog.
“When you’re the number one n*gga, where does winning put you?” 21 said, laying out the logic he shared with Drake as the battle heated up.
He argued that Drake’s position at hip-hop’s summit erased any real upside. “You can’t go number 1.1,” he added, saying that no matter how sharp Drake’s responses were, the public was never going to give him credit for landing punches from the throne.
To 21, the whole thing felt predetermined before the first diss even dropped. “This sh*t rigged, man,” he said, pointing to the way fans and critics shaped the narrative long before the two megastars traded blows. Kendrick’s attacks hit hard, but 21 said the larger culture tilted the ring against Drake from the jump.
21 Savage Reveals What He Told Drake Before Battle With Kendrick Lamar
“Even if Drake won,” he continued, “he would’ve been the bad guy for winning.”
The way 21 sees it, the crowd wasn’t watching the fight — it was waiting for an upset. He said fans treated Drake like the unbeatable final boss and wanted to see someone crack his armor.
“Motherf*ckers wanted Drake to lose anyway,” he said, suggesting that the reaction had more to do with storyline cravings than lyrical dominance.
For 21 Savage, the battle turned into a referendum on fame, legacy, and perception. Drake stepping into a lyrical war with Kendrick wasn’t just a clash of pens. It was a collision of mythologies, with the deck stacked against the artist sitting at No. 1.
By the time the feud reached its peak, 21 said the outcome felt prewritten — not because of the bars exchanged, but because of the story the culture had already decided it wanted to tell.
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