T.I. is no stranger to rap battles, from Lil Flip to Shawty Lo to Floyd Mayweather. But T.I. isn’t thrilled with how the Drake versus Kendrick Lamar battle has turned out.
He recently chatted with Big Boy about the fallout from the battle and how it’s affected other rappers trying to drop new music in 2024. T.I. stated that he believes rappers lying is part of the industry.
“All this sh*t they’re saying can’t be true,” he tells Big Boy. “I mostly listen for the double entendres, the metaphors, and the skill in their art. They’re hard. I think it’s good for the game.”
Tip also discussed J. Cole’s decision to stay out of the battle, and T.I. praised him, contrasting with industry veterans who criticized Cole for not engaging alongside Drake and Kendrick. “I feel like he chose peace and tranquility,” T.I. noted. “You gotta have thick skin… We don’t know where that would take him. That was quite mature of him.”
T.I. expressed concerns about the impact on other rappers, emphasizing that Drake and Kendrick’s dominance has overshadowed everyone else in the hip-hop scene. “They kinda f*cked it up for others who were planning to drop now,” he added.
The King has been working on his final album, Kill the King. No release date yet, but he definitely won’t drop it during the biggest rap battle of the century.
Fans are still eagerly awaiting T.I.’s album, but he recently dropped a killer freestyle over West Coast beats to tide them over.