What did Shyne say about Kendrick Lamar? Former rapper issues apology over viral 'trash' remarks

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Former rapper Shyne has recently apologized for the comments he made about Kendrick Lamar in the past. Notably, the former posted a tweet following the release of Lamar's album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, in 2012, and expressed his opinion on the project by writing:

"Kendrick Lamar is talented with a lot of potential, but his album is trash!"

Also known as Moses Michael Levi Barrow, he appeared on the podcast My Expert Opinion on November 20, 2024, stating that he made a mistake by commenting on Kendrick Lamar. He further added:

"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 continued by saying:

"He's obviously proven to be one of the greatest musicians in our generation. That's one I take back."

Shyne explained the reasons for criticizing Kendrick Lamar's album in another interview

Shyne is currently trending after he apologized for the tweet he posted about Kendrick Lamar. However, he addressed the reasons behind sharing the post at the time as he spoke on The Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg show in 2012. He clarified that he was not disrespecting or attacking Lamar.

He once again used the word "trash" for the album and continued:

"I don't really listen to these rappers, but I heard him on a few joints and I was like, shorty's nice. .. So when he was coming out with an album, I was like, I'ma hear more of that."
Shyne (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Shyne (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Moses added that he was not attempting to create a new issue and was simply trying to say that although Lamar had a lot of talent, he did not like the album. He claimed that the beats were not up to the mark and once that happens, the project does not turn out to be as good as expected.

Shyne mentioned that he decided to clarify his words since he did not want Kendrick to feel bad about the same. He further stated:

"He on fire because of that Interscope machine, he's on fire because of that Dr. Dre machine. He's nice, but that's a lot of hype. All I'm saying is, to show y'all I'm not a hater, 50 [Cent] delivered. I never had nothing positive to day about him, but he delivered. He lived up to the hype."

Kendrick Lamar replied to Shyne's criticism

As Shyne continued making comments about Lamar, the latter eventually responded in an interview with Vibe magazine in 2012, describing it as an "opinion." He also stated that it cannot bring any changes to "how the world thinks."

Lamar even referred to Moses' comments on his single, The Jig Is Up, as he was heard 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 sh*t is trash/ But at least my opinion just made everyone laugh."

Although Moses has now apologized for his words from around 12 years ago, Kendrick has yet to share a response to the same.