A recent Drake collaborator with a recent Drake archenemy.
Photo: Billboard via Getty Images
SZA has a simple explanation for why she didn’t get involved in Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s beef. “It was something between two grown-ass men, so why would I insert myself between something between two grown-ass men, you know?” she reflected in a GQ cover story, adding, “I didn’t really have any stake, per se. Obviously, I love Kendrick. I’m signed to TDE. That’s my family. Obviously, I’ve known Drake for so long and we have a beautiful rapport. And, obviously, it’s always unfortunate when the unfortunate occurs.” Before Kendrick’s “A-minorrrr” lyric struck a chord around the world (including at the Super Bowl and in court), Drake featured SZA on his latest album and implied in a diss track that Kendrick was in her shadow. SZA didn’t anticipate that fans would read into her decision to perform her Drake collab “Rich Baby Daddy” on her Grand National Tour with Kendrick, pointing out that Kendrick’s 2012 collab with Drake, “Poetic Justice,” was also on the setlist. “I don’t know why I wouldn’t be celebrating some shit that I ate up,” she concluded with a laugh.
As for the other public beef she was involved in this year, SZA’s stance seems to be that there’s no need for her to really address Nicki Minaj anymore. “I don’t know her,” she took a line from Mariah Carey. “We have no connection to each other. There’s no backstory. Like, there was no through line narrative.” When Nicki Minaj criticized her songwriting and status in the music industry in July, SZA did briefly engage by posting a screenshot in which Minaj appeared to be reaching out to ask for a feature. “Lol ur having a moment ..im not sure why but be blessed,” SZA wrote in part in the caption at the time. Minaj’s X vitriol has since been redirected to Jay-Z, blaming him for her delayed album. “It was just like, ‘Roc Nation.’ I don’t know where it came from,” SZA continued. “That’s not even my place to correct a narrative that I don’t got shit to do with. It was a little strange. It was very like, ‘Why?’ But also, you know, ‘I guess.’” According to the singer, as she gets older, she’s learning the art of “giving up.” As long as that doesn’t apply to music.
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