Matisyahu ‘Feuds’ With Drake

We’ve survived Biggie vs. Tupac, Jay-Z vs. Nas, and even Lil Kim vs. Foxy Brown. But the next major hip-hop feud is something we ain’t never seen before: Jew vs. Jew. In one corner, we’ve got Drake, the Canadian wunderkind who graduated from acting on the teen weepie Degrassi: The Next Generation to working with Lil Wayne. In the other, Matisyahu, the former Phishhead who found God and reggae around the same time, and harnessed both to promote his music career.

Last year, Drake appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s show and said some things that, if one was trying really, really hard, might have come off as disparaging: Talking about Matisyahu’s outfit, Drake giggled when Kimmel said the black hat and peyes were almost like a costume. Could such a semi-slight go unanswered? Of course not. Waiting a few months for good measure, Matisyahu retaliated this week: Caught on the streets of Los Angeles by the gossip Website TMZ, he was asked about Drake, and responded, cuttingly, “Drake is pretty good.” Snap! Pushed further, the reggae star lost all inhibitions. Drake, he hissed, “happens to be Jewish, but he’s not representing Judaism.” Which, of course, is a statement with which Drake himself is very likely to agree.

To fans of the genre, this is a very troubling state of affairs. If we’re going to have more Jewish hip-hop stars, we might as well learn how to do this whole feuding thing right. Might you help? In the comments, drop us some verses dissing either one of the combatants. Let’s get something started …

Matisyahu: Drake Can’t Compare to My Jewishness [TMZ]