“Hip-Hop Respects Skills, Not Numbers” — Reminisce Backs Kendrick Lamar Over Drake
Veteran rapper makes case for lyrical skill amid rising Nigerian rap rivalries.
Speaking as a guest alongside his colleague, Vector, in a recent episode of the On The Record podcast, Nigerian rap heavyweight Reminisce said Kendrick Lamar was widely regarded as the winner in his recent rap battle with Drake because of one thing — pure skill.
According to the Local Rappers crooner, hip-hop as a genre places little value on commercial success or wealth when it comes to earning respect.
“Hip-hop is the only genre that doesn’t respect numbers or money. No matter how much money you make as a rapper, you can’t buy it — the respect of the hip-hop world,” he said. “That’s one thing I love about hip-hop. You have to earn it. People have to say, ‘Vector is a good rapper, he’s a legend.’”
He pointed out that while Drake may enjoy greater commercial success, Kendrick Lamar earned his stripes through lyrical dominance — a value hip-hop holds dear.
“If you like, see five trillion streams. If you like, name your album ‘the greatest.’ Nobody cares. Rap respects pure skills,” Reminisce stressed. “That’s why Kendrick Lamar is widely adjudged the winner of his hip-hop battle with Canadian superstar Drake.”
He made this statement in the context of the ongoing conversation about supremacy in Nigeria’s rap game, particularly the growing rivalry between Odumodublvck and Blaqbonez.