Yahoo Lifestyle Camila Cabello Discussed The Kendrick Lamar And Drake Feud, And The Internet Is Calling Her Out For Her Controversial Past
Camila Cabello shared how she's "frustrated" over Drake and Kendrick Lamar's ongoing rap beef, and now the fans are pulling receipts.
The "I Luv It" singer spoke with the Sunday Times to chat about the release of her fourth studio album, C, XOXO, which features Drake on two separate tracks: "Hot Uptown" and "Uuugly."
If you're wondering how the collaboration came to be — you might remember, that during a March episode of Call Her Daddy, Camila addressed whether or not she had a fling with the "Family Matters" rapper after host Alex Cooper asked about viral photos of their Turks and Caicos vacation.
"Well, first of all, I wouldn't say just straight-up vacation. It was vacation plus some work," Camila responded, adding: "But I will say, you know what? I love that man, I love him."
When Alex asked if they were romantically linked, Camila said, "I love him so much, and I really listened to him a lot during the writing process for my album, and I really thought that he would like my album... So I DM'ed him and I was like, 'Hey, I would love to play you my album. I honestly feel like you would really love it.' Because I listen to him a lot, and I really do feel like musically in a lot of ways we like the same things."
Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images, Carmen Mandato / Getty Images
So, it's fair to say that based on Camila sliding into Drake's DMs that led to two album features and their Turks and Caicos "friendly" vacation, the "Havana" singer might have some opinions about the Drake and Kendrick rap beef.
For context, the controversial hip-hop battle started when Kendrick subtly dissed Drake and J. Cole on Metro Boomin and Future's "Like That" in March.
After a few additional diss tracks from J. Cole, Rick Ross, and A$AP Rocky, Drake took the gloves off by responding with "Push Ups" and then "Taylor Made Freestyle."
Kendrick responded with "Euphoria," and after several back-and-forth diss tracks, including Drake's "Family Matters," we arrived at Kendrick performing "Not Like Us" five times in a row during The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert in Los Angeles on Juneteenth.
Christopher Polk / Billboard via Getty Images, Prince Williams / WireImage
Needless to say, the rap beef is not over.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning "Humble" rapper has even been seen filming a music video for "Not Like Us" in his hometown of Compton.
So, it makes sense that two-time Drake collaborator Camila would have something to say about the beef (although she didn't name anyone directly), but based on her history, it wasn't well-received.
"It's so frustrating to see people talk about someone you know in a way that is negative," Camila said to the Sunday Times. "You're like, 'Dang, if only you guys could just have dinner or something.'"
Once Camila's comments went viral, people began to call her out for her hypocrisy based on her past offensive comments and treatment of former bandmate, Normani. (Examples: here, here, and here.)
This the same lady who was so racist she had to see a therapist 😭😭😭
— Efeso100 (@Efeso1001) June 28, 2024
There are many other reactions, too, but they are pretty offensive in their own right, so we're choosing not to share those here.
If you remember, Normani dealt with racist trolls while part of Fifth Harmony, as mentioned in her Rolling Stone cover story.
It started when Normani apparently referred to Camila as "quirky" during an interview and received racist online attacks from fans for seemingly shading her bandmate.
Then, when racist posts, reportedly from 2012, resurfaced from her former bandmate Camila, it really affected Normani since they once shared the spotlight.
"I face senseless attacks daily, as does the rest of my community. This represents a day in the life for us," Normani said. "I have been tolerating discrimination far before I could even comprehend what exactly was happening. Direct and subliminal hatred has been geared towards me for many years solely because of the color of my skin."
"It would be dishonest if I said that this particular scenario didn't hurt me," Normani continued. "It was devastating that this came from a place that was supposed to be a safe haven and a sisterhood, because I knew that if the tables were turned I would defend each of them in a single heartbeat."
"It took days for [Camila] to acknowledge what I was dealing with online and then years for her to take responsibility for the offensive tweets that recently resurfaced," Normani said. "Whether or not it was her intention, this made me feel like I was second to the relationship that she had with her fans."
Camila eventually apologized for the "horrible and hurtful" language from her teenage years.
On her Instagram story, she shared, "When I was younger, I used language that I am deeply ashamed of and will regret forever. I was uneducated and ignorant and once I became aware of the history and the weight and the true meaning behind this horrible and hurtful language, I was deeply embarrassed i ever used it," she wrote. "I apologized then and I apologize again now. I would never intentionally hurt anyone and I regret it from the bottom of my heart."
"Those mistakes don't represent the person I am or the person I've ever been," Camila continued. "I only stand and have ever stood for love and inclusivity, and my heart has never, even then, had any ounce of hate or divisiveness. The truth is I was embarrassingly ignorant and unaware."
While Camila did remain pretty neutral in her statement regarding the Drake and Kendrick beef, it's fair that they're criticizing her involvement in the conversation since the discussion of Blackness and culture is so prevalent in the back-and-forth between the rappers.
Prince Williams / WireImage, Christopher Polk / Billboard via Getty Images
She had two tracks with Drake on her new album, so there's no possible way she could avoid being asked about the rap beef forever, but then again, people have claimed she avoided sticking up for Normani against racist fans back then, so it's not impossible to stay away from the drama.
