When it was announced that the artist formerly known as Kanye West was slated to appear on N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s Drink Champs, nobody knew exactly what to expect.
Drink Champs is batting a thousand when it comes to getting artists to share their true feelings. Whether that’s because N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN are legends of the game, and their show has become one of the premier platforms for the “realest” rap interviews, or because both hosts and guests are under the spell of a little liquid encouragement; the show often provides a window into the inner workings of the hip-hop industry.
And although Ye has never been shy about broadcasting his thoughts on a wide range of topics, it was unknown what he would bring to his Drink Champs appearance, especially considering the rollercoaster ride that has been Donda and its aftermath. But like they have with every other guest that’s sat in that third chair, N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN got Ye to deep dive into every corner of every question fans have been asking for the past couple of months.
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Throughout the interview, Ye set the story straight on a ton of drama he’s been involved with over the last year, including the details of his divorce with Kim Kardashian, and what really happened when he leaked Drake’s Toronto address.
As the show progressed, however, everybody got a little more comfortable and a lot less calculated, and Yeezy took a couple of shots at people with whom he has an established history. Included with Ye’s own disclaimer that he’s “saying names because [he] don’t like subliminals,” and that nothing he said “was shocking,” the internet and some of his targets have already disagreed.
Ye’s Drink Champs appearance is nearly two-and-a-half hours long, so for the sake of time, here are the most notable shots the “Off The Grid” rapper fired during his conversation with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN.
1. Ye Says Travis Scott Is Copying Him
Around the 1:44 mark of Drink Champs, Ye dives into the idea of “the originators,” aka the people who built hip-hop from the ground up. But along the way, he accused Travis Scott of biting his style. “I don’t mind the copycats,” he said. “But by the way, you just gotta say it like it is. If somebody copied me, I’d be like ‘you copied me!’ I tell Trav, you copied me, boy. I love you, but just know what it is.”
Kanye West and Travis Scott, 2016 – Lilly Lawrence/Getty Images
2. Ye Says He Doesn’t Like How Talib Kweli Raps
An hour and twenty minutes into the interview, N.O.R.E. asks Ye who he’d take between Common and Talib Kweli. Ye answers definitively — Common, and makes sure everyone knows how much of a no-brainer it is. “Common is a 1,000x better rapper than Kweli, what is you talking about?,” Ye questioned. “I love Kweli, I never really liked the way he rap … We can never mention Common and Kweli in the same breath, keep it going.”
3. Ye Calls Out Jay-Z, the CEO
Despite Dame Dash’s recent comments that he wants to squash his beef with Jay-Z, N.O.R.E. couldn’t help but ask who Ye preferred as a CEO, and despite referring to Hov as his “boss” multiple times throughout the interview, he said he was rocking with Dame all the way. Right after taking a shot of brown liquor, Ye made it clear whose business acumen he respected more. “Absolutely, one thousand percent, Dame Dash,” Yeezy proclaimed. “Dame Dash the visionary. He the original Black hipster. I’m the devil’s worst nightmare, I’m Dame Dash with money.”
Kanye West and Jay-Z, 2019 – Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
4. Ye Builds Soulja Boy Up, Then Tears Him Back Down
Right after Donda dropped at the end of August, Soulja Boy said he was left off the album and dropped his “Remote Control” verse anyways. Ye took some time on Drink Champs to address that. Building the “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” rapper up, saying he is one of the “top-five most influential” artists who made rap what it is today, Ye was cut off by N.O.R.E., who asked why he left Soulja Boy off Donda. Sarcastically, Ye answered, “You ain’t hear that verse?,” implying it was *that* bad and followed with a resounding, “Nah,” when N.O.R.E. clarified that the verse was not good.
5. Ye Compares Kamala Harris To Drake
On the Jay-Z-assisted “Jail,” Hov says that Ye is putting the red hat (a tribute to Donald Trump) away. On Drink Champs, Ye said not so fast. Making it very clear that he is still wearing the literal and figurative red hat, Ye took a shot at Vice President Kamala Harris, and his biggest enemy, Drake. “You know Pusha voted Democrat — voted for Kamala — we ain’t seen her since the election either. They got 94 of the black female vote you would have thought Drake was running.”
6. Ye Says He’d Smoke Drake In A Verzuz Battle
Coming into Drink Champs, everybody wanted to know what Ye would say about Drake, and he said a lot. We’ll dive all-the-way into all of shots and backhanded remarks Ye sent Drake’s way soon, but for now, let’s just focus on Ye’s comments that he would destroy Drizzy in a Verzuz Battle. With Ye pondering the idea of a Verzuz battle with Drake, and shutting down the idea of a battle with Jay-Z because that’s “[his] boss,” N.O.R.E. asked if he’d beat Drake. “If Swizz and Timbaland say ‘You and Drake against one another,’ you’re saying you gon’ take it, and you gon’ smoke him?,” N.O.R.E. asked.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Ye answered. “But it already happened. He played one of my leaked songs and it was better than every other song this year.”
7. Ye Says Signing Big Sean Was The Worst Thing He Ever Did
Everybody knows the story of Kanye West and Big Sean. Ye was at a radio station in Detroit, Big Sean rushed there so he could rap for him. Ye was impressed, signed him to G.O.O.D. Music and the rest is history. Ye put Sean on, featured on “Marvin & Chardonnay,” “Blessings,” and a couple of other songs throughout the years, and Sean repeatedly thanked him for it, on records and in interviews.
Kanye West and Big Sean, 2011 – Johnny Nunez/Getty Images
But according to Ye, signing Big Sean to G.O.O.D. was the worst thing he ever did. “When I die, on my tombstone, it’s gonna say ‘I deserve to be here because I signed Big Sean … the worst thing I’ve ever done is sign Big Sean,” Ye assured N.O.R.E. “Man, I know this man mama, bro. You know what I’m saying? I changed this man family. And both John Legend and Big Sean, when I ran for office, got used quick by the democrats to come at they boy, that actually changed they life. And that’s some sellout shit. And I don’t rock with neither of them. And I need my apologies.”
Check out Ye’s full appearance on Drink Champs below and let us know what you think of the shots he was firing down in the comments.
