Stevie Wonder has said he believes the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake is a distraction from more important global issues.
The legendary “Superstition” singer-songwriter, 73, was asked by TMZ how he feels about the conflict between the two rappers and responded: “Any kind of war is bad for the world.”
Lamar and Drake have released dueling diss tracks in recent days. In one track, Lamar accused Drake of being a “certified paedophile” and of having a secret daughter, while Drake fired back by accusing Lamar of physically abusing his fiancee.
As the feud rumbled on, an unnamed security guard was shot in a drive-by shooting outside Drake’s mansion property in Canada on Tuesday morning. Police said it is currently unclear whether or not the incident is related to the rappers’ feud.
Asked whether Lamar and Drake’s fight had caused him any negative feelings, Wonder replied: “I have no bad feelings, I just think that the world needs to focus on what’s going on, because those things are just distractions.”
He added: “Do you know the wars that are going on right now? Do you know the homelessness that’s going on right now? TMZ, can’t you see?”
The rap beef flared up a month ago when Lamar hit out at Drake and J Cole in his song “First Person Shooter”.
It has since received such widespread attention that yesterday the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris campaign used one of Lamar’s diss tracks in a video to slam the president’s Republican rival, Donald Trump.
In a video posted on Instagram, the Biden campaign took Lamar’s song “Euphoria” and changed some of the lyrics originally intended to bash Drake, applying them instead to the former president.
Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial
The video starts with a photo of Mr Biden and vice-president Harris smiling, with lyrics projected on top reading: “It’s always been about love and hate, now let me say I’m the biggest hater.”
A photo of Mr Trump wearing a red MAGA-emblazoned cap then flashes up, with the altered lyrics overlayed: “I hate the way that you walk over women’s rights.”
The next line, accompanied by a picture of Mr Trump speaking at an event, reads: “The way that you talk about immigrants.”
A stern-looking former president is then shown in a tuxedo, along with the lyrics: “I hate the way that you dress.”
The video then slides to Mr Trump typing on his phone, alongside the words: “I hate the way that you sneak diss on truth social.”
