Metro Boomin is a fan of healthy competition in Hip Hop, but he feels stan culture in today’s society makes things “weird.”
The chart-topping producer spoke on a panel at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit that went down on Monday (September 23), where he was asked about the battle royale he sparked with Kendrick Lamar‘s verse on his song “Like That” earlier this year.
“I feel like the competition is great for the game. Hip Hop has always been more of a competitive genre – even if just keeping it on music and it’s not serious how everybody tries to make it,” Metro said. “Because also with Hip Hop, there’s a lot of ego involved. You’re supposed to feel like you’re the best. Everybody from the highest to the lowest guy is supposed to at least feel like you’re the best.
“So when two of the top dogs in the game and you both feel like you’re the best, it’s like okay, now we gotta have a showdown. We saw it with JAY-Z and Nas before. But I just feel like more today with stan culture, it makes it kind of weird. Because back in the day, JAY-Z and Nas went at it but I was a fan of both of them. And most people were! And it was like, it’s okay. It was like not I hate this side [or] I hate that side. The internet just makes it a little too wild now.”
He concluded: “But I feel like it’s good for the game and as far as me being diplomatic, it’s just entertainment at the end of the day. I have love and respect for all my collaborators and I just wanna see everybody do the best and continue to help push this forward. Because we’re all here to deposit in and uplift this genre and push it forward. This is our era so it’s really our responsibility to keep pushing it forward for the next one and so forth.”
“The competition is great for the game. Hip-hop has always been a little bit more of a competitive genre.”@MetroBoomin, Grammy Award-nominated diamond-certified producer, DJ and artist, spoke about industry feuds at the #Under30Summit in Cincinnati. https://t.co/M6ou4tzZ7Apic.twitter.com/psjNwUSiX3
— Forbes (@Forbes) September 23, 2024
Over the summer, Metro Boomin was publicly criticized by his sister for locking horns with Drake but not responding to Soulja Boy.
The “Crank That” rapper had mocked Metro’s mother, who was murdered in 2022, after the super-producer threw shade at him in a years-old tweet.
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In response, Metro’s sister Leslie blasted her brother for having time to feud with Drizzy but not Big Draco – which seemingly speaks to what he said on the recent panel about the internet making beefs a little too wild now.
In a video posted to her Instagram Stories, she said: “This n-gga Drake said, ‘Shut the fuck up and make some drums,’ right? This n-gga get so out of his body and bothered by what he said, he go above and beyond to respond with a song. This n-gga Soulja Boy say he sacrificed our mom and and what he say? Not a muthafucking thing. He went quiet.
“This n-gga didn’t say nothing […] but you get outta your body when a n-gga call you a ho and tell you to make some drums? That shit bothers you. But when a n-gga speaking on your momma, your bitch ass don’t say shit. And I’m the crazy one? Yeah, okay.”
