Comparing Drake to R. Kelly in Post-Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Discussion

Ye is making an eyebrow-raising comparison about Drake after Kendrick Lamar performed at the Super Bowl. After he gave Dot his flowers, he compared Drizzy’s new reputation to R. Kelly‘s. His point was about Black, high-status men being pitted against each other.

In a video posted to his social media, Ye admitted that he “really loved” the show. In fact, he said Kendrick Lamar’s performance on the halftime stage was his favorite since Michael Jackson. He admired the details and said that in real life, people are on the same page as him—despite mixed reactions on social media.

“It was super simple. The flag was fresh. When they did be ‘Humble,’ the way that people’s heads was moving I was like shook. This is super fresh. The man’s voice control, all that. And then, of course, they build up the controversy on whether he’s gonna do the record. Then, at the end, I saw people saying this is the worst halftime show. And everybody that I talk to in person said this is the best halftime show,” the former Kanye West said.

Ye Compares R. Kelly & Drake While Commenting On Kendrick Lamar’s Show

As Ye continued explaining himself, he explained why he think Drake’s reputation is heading down the same road as R. Kelly’s. The disgraced producer is serving prison sentences for racketeering and sexual exploitation of children and women. Just a few days ago, six of R. Kelly’s victims filed a new lawsuit demanding their $10.3 million, which a judge awarded in 2023. The suit, per TMZ, claims the victims have gotten less than $500,000 of that amount.

“So, this is my point right here. One Black superstar is in jail. The next Black superstar is on stage. They take one rapper to take another rapper down. You gotta remember Drake was almost like the new generation R. Kelly. The way R. Kelly had the radio and all that type of stuff. The idea that was put out in the Kendrick song is what R. Kelly is actually locked up for.”

Let’s talk about Dot’s diss, though, and why Ye sees an R. Kelly connection. ‘Not Like Us’ took OFF during Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s rap beef last spring. Ultimately, the track crowned Lamar the winner of that track-for-track war. Since then, the diss song has become an anthem for the culture, but it also clowns Drake, labeling him a culture vulture and pedophile.

It has been more than six months since Lamar released the diss, but this month bred new life into it–not that it EVER died down forreal. Last week, ‘Not Like Us’ racked up five Grammy awards.  On Super Bowl Sunday, Kenny performed the hit–despite debates about whether he would. As previously reported, Drizzy isn’t taking the pedophile allegations lightly and is suing UMG for defamation for distributing the song.