Jay-Z Says Drake vs. Kendrick Went ‘Too Far’

It started as music. Then it turned into something bigger.

Now, Jay-Z is stepping in with a reality check about the ongoing tension between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, and he is not totally here for how things played out.

Over a year after Kendrick’s explosive moment during the Super Bowl, Jay-Z opened up in a new interview with GQ, saying the whole situation may have crossed a line.

Jay-Z kept it honest about how fans have reacted to the feud, and how it has gone beyond just music.

"Now, people that like Kendrick hate Drake, no matter what he makes,” he said in the cover story published on Tuesday, March 24. “It’s like an attack on his character. I don’t know if I love that. I don’t know if it’s helpful to our growth where the fallout lands, especially on social media."

Even though battling is a big part of hip-hop’s history, Jay-Z made it clear that some things should stay off limits.

Hip-hop was built on competition, something Jay-Z respects. But bringing families into it is where he draws the line.

"It’s too far. It’s bringing people’s kids in it. I don’t like that. I sound like the old guy wagging his finger, but I think we can achieve the same thing," Jay-Z emphasized. "It could stand it before because there was no social media. You had the battle and it was fun and then you moved on. Right now, I don’t know if it could stand it with the technology that we have."

For context, Drake shares his son Adonis with artist Sophie Brussaux, while Kendrick shares two young children with his fiancée Whitney Alford.

Jay-Z admits there was something exciting about how much music came out of the feud. Still, he questions whether the cost was too high.

“I love the idea that we got so much music in such a short period of time. Just everything around it was like, 'Man, this is taking us a couple steps back,’ ” he said. "We’ve just grown so much that — I guess I’m going to say it — I don’t know if battling needs to be part of the culture anymore."

That is a big statement, especially from someone who came up in a time when lyrical battles helped define the genre.

Jay-Z also addressed his role in the situation. As the person who helps choose Super Bowl performers, he picked Kendrick for a simple reason.

“I chose the guy that was having a monster year,” he told GQ. “I think it was the right choice. What do I care about them two guys battling? What’s that got to do with me? Have at it. They drag everybody in it, like everyone’s part of this conspiracy to undermine Drake, I guess.”

During the halftime show, Kendrick performed his hit “Not Like Us” and brought out big names like Serena Williams and SZA, which only added more fuel to the conversation.

Even with all the drama, Kendrick says his focus has always been storytelling.

“I think I've always been very open about storytelling through, through all my catalog and my history of music,” Lamar said during a pre-Super Bowl press conference. “I've always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I'm on.”

At the end of the day, Jay-Z’s message is pretty simple. Competition can push artists to be better, but when it starts tearing people down, it might not be worth it anymore.