Metro Boomin Feels “Stan Culture” Worsened Kendrick Lamar And Drake’s Feud

Metro Boomin got candid about the role fans play in Hip-Hop beefs on Monday (Sept. 23) while speaking at the Forbes Under 30 Summit.

The Grammy-nominated producer first praised how competition fuels the rap game. “I feel like the competition is great for the game. Hip-Hop has always been a competitive genre. Even if just keeping it on music, it’s not serious how everybody tries to make it,” he noted. “Also with Hip-Hop, there’s a lot of ego involved. You’re supposed to feel like you’re the best.”

However, Metro then spoke on how “stan culture” can make things “weird” when two heavyweights are duking it out. “When two of the top dogs in the game and you both feel like you’re the best, it’s like, ‘OK, now we gotta have a showdown.’ We saw it with JAY-Z and Nas before. I feel like more today, it’s more stan culture makes it kind of weird,” he explained.

The St. Louis native continued, “Back in the day, JAY-Z and Nas went at it, I was a fan of both of them. Most people were. It was like, ‘OK, it’s OK.’ It’s not like, ‘I had this side. I hate this side.’ The internet makes it a little too wild now.”

Overall, Metro views feuds like K. Dot and Drizzy’s as “entertainment” and feels it’s natural for Hip-Hop to progress through its competitive nature.

“As far as me being diplomatic, it’s just entertainment,” he added. “I have love and respect for all my collaborators. I just want to see everyone do the best and help push this forward. We’re all here to deposit in and uplift this genre.”

Metro did play a key role in the Kendrick Lamar–Drake beef from earlier this year. He produced “Like That” from his joint album, We Don’t Trust You, with Future that featured Kendrick. Billboard reported that the record “lit the fuse for the battle” after peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Drake fired back with “Push Ups” and later called out Metro by his government name on “Family Matters.“