There's no question that the feud between Drake and Pusha-T will go down as one of hip-hop's most infamous beefs.
Though their rivalry dates back more than a decade ago, the drama reached a boiling point in mid-2018, when Pusha released "The Story of Adidon," a scathing diss track that revealed Drizzy had a son. Rap fans were, unsurprisingly, consumed by the beef, which resulted in multiple diss records as well as more damning allegations and finger-pointing. However, not everyone was entertained.
During a recent appearance on Drink Champs, Pharrell addressed the Pusha vs. Drake saga after he was asked about another beef involving King Push and Lil Wayne. Pharrell told hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN that he wished none of it had ever happened.
"I didn't wanna see that go that way. That didn't make me happy," he said. "I hate to see what him (Pusha) and Drake are going through—or what they went through. I hated to see all of it, every bit of it ... it wasn't good."
Pharrell was then asked if he thought Pusha went too far. The Grammy-winner, who is both a collaborator and friend of Pusha, claimed he was unaware of Pusha-T's plan, and insisted he would've tried to stop it.
"Pusha didn't tell me, because he knows I would've stood in front of him as much as I could," Pharrell explained. "But he's a different kind of person. He's a Taurus. And Taurus people ... when you feel like a line is crossed and you take off the gloves, that's where your brain is at, you know what I'm sayin'? Whereas, Drake is a Scorpio, and they never forget ... It's just the worst combination of two people who are very pure and very loyal to the people they love."
Though Pusha and Drake have since squashed their beef, Pharrell is seemingly convinced they will never be on good enough terms to do a collaboration, which he would've loved to produce.
"It still breaks my heart to this day, because I would've loved to have heard those guys on a song together or heard a joint project together. I would've loved to see that," he said. "... By the way, Pusha says Drake's got bars. When Drake makes something that's amazing, we talk about it all the time."
Pharrell was then asked if the beef affected his relationship with Drake. He said they've been nothing but cordial.
"We've talked several times. I love Drake," he continued. "Even in the middle of all that stuff ... he said super nice and kind things to me on the DM and in public ... Neither one of them are into problems. They don't like it, like, it's unnecessary. But they're both people who, when they feel like they're being pushed to a limit, they gotta do what they gotta do."
With any high-profile rap beef, fans begin debating if there's such a thing as "going too far." Some say there are certain topics that are off-limits when exchanging diss records, but others take the "all's fair in love and war" position. Pharrell seems to be in the former category.
"That's the thing with rap. There should be rules, but there's kind of no rules, and people will do and say anything," he said. "... I didn't want to see this. I just think they're two super talented guys."
He then segued the topic into highlighting the racial injustices in North America, explaining how fortunate Drake and Pusha are while so many other Black men are struggling and dying because of a broken system.
"Black people, and especially Black men, we haven't had it so easy in this country. Even in Canada, it's not been so easy for Black men there," he said. "I want to say, 'You guys, you guys are both living great lives. And sure, there's been some overstepping on both parts, I'll say. We're better than this. We're too zoomed in right now. We need to zoom out and see the bigger picture ... We're stronger together."
You can listen to the full Drink Champs interview on Spotify or via YouTube above.
