Key Takeaways
- DJ Khaled named Jay-Z his favorite rapper and listed Biggie Smalls, 2Pac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, and Rick Ross among his top picks.
- The omission of Drake comes after the rapper called out Khaled on “Make Them Pay” over Khaled’s silence on Palestine.
When DJ Khaled was asked for his top five favorite rappers during a recent night out in Paris, France, he made a very notable omission.
In a TikTok video (shared by @mcseancortez), Khaled was asked who he thinks the best rapper alive is. “Jay-Z,” he replied. Not too out of the ordinary.
Khaled continued, “But I got a few of them that I love… Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Nas, Scarface… I got so many I love, you know what I mean? I like your question, though. … I love everybody, but Jay-Z is my favorite. You know what I’m saying? When it comes down to top five, it’s Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, 2Pac, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, [Rick] Ross.”
While it’s a subjective list, it’s interesting that Drake didn’t make it on there considering their extensive collaborative history. Of course, the real reason for that is probably because Drake and Khaled aren’t exactly on speaking terms anymore. When Drake dropped Iceman earlier this year, alongside Habibti and Maid of Honour, the Canadian rapper directly called out Khaled on the song “Make Them Pay.”
“And Khaled, you know what I mean / The beef was fully live, you went halal and got on your deen / And your people are still waitin’ for a free Palestine,” Drake raps on the track, referring to Khaled’s silence on the ongoing genocide in Palestine despite his Palestinian heritage. “But apparently everything isn’t black and white and red and green, damn / I’m seein’ everyone’s true colors, for real, I’m sensin’ a theme.”
Shortly after the release of the project, a streamer approached Khaled and attempted to get Khaled to break his silence but was met with a non-committal answer. “Free Palestine, say it one time,” the streamer said to Khaled, who flashed a peace sign and responded, “Peace and love to everybody.”
Last month, Fat Joe indicated that he’s been trying to broker peace between Drake and Khaled, stressing that he’s still on good terms with Drake despite Khaled being one of his best friends. “I love Drake,” Joe said on The Breakfast Club. “I tried to fix that with him and Khaled, or whatever they got going. Khaled's my brother, so we going to stand on 10 toes at all times."
