Shyne has expressed regret for his 2012 comments about Kendrick Lamar.
The rapper-turned-politician had controversially labeled Kendrick’s highly praised debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city as “trash,” but now he’s taken back those remarks.
During an appearance on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion podcast, Shyne admitted: “I would say I made a mistake about Kendrick Lamar. I will admit to that. I think that was definitely a mistake [laughs].”
He continued, “I think Drake is nice, Drake is incredible, and Lamar has obviously proven me completely wrong, but everybody got it at the time, but I was dealing with whatever I was dealing with and I didn’t understand it, I didn’t appreciate it.”
He concluded: “He’s obviously proven to be one of the greatest musicians in our generation. That’s one I take back.”
Shyne stirred controversy in October 2012, shortly after good kid, m.A.A.d city was released, when he tweeted that Kendrick Lamar “is talented with a lot of potential but his album is traaaaash!”
He later expanded on his opinion in an interview with Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg, stating: “We live in the United States of America, we don’t live in the United States of Aftermath. Jimmy Iovine doesn’t pay me, I can say whatever I want.”
“I’m not talking reckless. I said the young boy got potential and I said he was talented, but the album is trash. That’s tough love. I didn’t attack him as an individual, I didn’t say anything disrespectful. It’s trash!”
He added: “Beats is trash, number one. And once your beats are trash, you’re finished because you can’t handle a good flow. I don’t really want to hear what you gotta say. I’ll go buy Dr. Cornel West’s album if I want to hear someone talk.”
Kendrick responded to Shyne’s harsh comments during a red carpet interview with VIBE: “That’s his opinion, but one opinion can’t stop how the world thinks.”
He later took a jab at the former Bad Boy rapper on the J. Cole-produced track “The Jig Is Up (Dump’n),” rapping: “Y’all pray to God this week I be putting out bombs / I pray to God this beat is good enough for Shyne / If not J. Cole, your shit is trash / But at least my opinion just made everyone laugh.”
