Eminem & Royce da 5’9” Had Private Conversation About Kendrick Lamar & Drake Beef

In a recent reflection on the state of hip-hop culture, Royce da 5’9″ addressed the lingering fallout from the high-profile conflict between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. His commentary highlights a shift in how fans and the industry engage with lyrical competition, suggesting that the era of “healthy” battling may be giving way to something far more divisive and taxing for the culture at large.

The discussion began with Royce weighing in on recent polarizing comments made by Jay-Z regarding the utility of such battles. Royce noted that the public may have misinterpreted the veteran’s intent, asking his audience: “What y’all think about what Jay-Z said about battling that everybody keep talking about? Y’all felt like he was tripping? Because I don’t feel like it was received the way he intended it, the way people was taking it.”

Clarifying what he believes was the core of Jay-Z’s message, Royce made a distinction between professional lyrical sparring and the personal animosity seen in recent months. He explained: “I feel like he was just saying, I don’t think he was talking about battling from top to bottom, like URL. And I don’t think he’s talking about the healthy battling. I think he’s talking about battling on that level when it starts going real personal. And then it causes like that divide in the fans and all the mess and bad energy that came with it.”

The Detroit lyricist questioned the long-term cost of these clashes, echoing Jay-Z’s skepticism about whether the musical output justifies the cultural damage. Royce observed: “I think he was asking, was it worth it besides the music that we got out of it? Everything else that came with it, was it worth it? And I kind of posed the same question. Because s–t ain’t really been the same since. Like it’s not even a space where you could be fans of Kendrick and Drake at the same time. Now, it’s like the fans making you pick a side, the culture making you pick a side.”

Beyond the fan experience, Royce pointed to the external pressures coming from artist “camps” and the legal complications that have begun to overshadow the music. He expressed concern about these growing divisions, stating: “I feel like camps, different people from camps is making it known that if you f–k with them, you ain’t f–king with us. And the lawsuit, everything that came with that, I don’t feel like it, none of that is good for the culture.”

Despite his reservations about the “bad energy,” Royce acknowledged that the Kendrick and Drake clash was an inevitable explosion of genuine tension. He reflected: “But the only thing that I can say about that battle is it seemed like it was real smoke, so it was necessary. Sometimes if it’s just necessary, it’s just necessary. But I can’t honestly say that I’m a fan of everything that came with it in terms of just all of that energy.”

A significant portion of Royce’s fatigue stems from the way social media amplified the conflict, turning a lyrical match into a “messy” cycle of speculation. He shared his own experience with this digital exhaustion: “Because I felt like at one point, I was always on my phone because I wanted to keep up with it. It kept my attention when they was rapping. And then it got to a point where I stopped even wanting to get on my phone. Because everything on my timeline was just one big argument between, you know, like all the conspiracy. It was just messy. That part of it wasn’t really fun to me.”

Looking toward the future, Royce expressed dread at the idea of this toxicity becoming the standard for every major rap rivalry. He warned: “So imagine if every time two people went at it, especially if it’s two juggernauts. Imagine if every time two juggernauts went at it, it came with all of that. I wouldn’t be looking forward to that. What they both went through, both camps went through, I wouldn’t be looking forward to that from nobody, really. You know what I’m saying? Like, some of that s–t we don’t even really need to know.”

In conclusion, while Royce recognizes the immense talent defining this generation, he remains wary of the “trivial s–t” that distracts from the art. Regarding the legacy of the current “Big Three,” he admitted: “Rappers that can surpass Kendrick, Drake, and Cole. If you’re talking about in terms of success, that’s going to be tough for somebody to surpass.” He also reminded fans not to count J. Cole out in the midst of the chaos, noting: “that motherf–ker can rap man… y’all better leave him alone because… he gonna f–k over somebody… he dangerous.”

Finally, Royce touched on the private conversations happening behind the scenes among hip-hop’s elite during the height of the drama. When asked if he discussed the situation with Eminem, he confirmed the intensity of the moment: “Did me and Em talk about Kendrick and Drake battle? Hell yeah, of course we did. But I will never tell you what we talked about. He was one of the few people I was talking to about it when it was going on.”

You can watch Royce’s livestream here.