"What does that even mean?" - Drake opens up on being labelled a 'culture vulture', say he's been 'guilt-tripped' a lot

Drake broke his silence on one of the biggest criticisms of his career, that is, being called a "culture vulture." The Toronto rapper spoke in a recent interview with Bobbi Althoff for her Not This Again podcast. He went on to make amends with her, as well as mention that he suffers more than most people realize when he gets called a "culture vulture."

In an interview with Tiffany Calver on the 1Xtra Rap Show back in 2019, he said:

"What does that even mean? I don’t understand what that means."

The rapper told Bobbi on her Not This Again podcast that when people started accusing him of taking advantage of younger and up-and-coming artists and different genres for his personal benefits, he got "really sensitive" about it:

Drake said:

"It’s the same way even in music. People will be like, ‘Oh, you’re a culture vulture,’ or people will describe the collaborative efforts that I’ve put forth, and the artists that I’ve picked up and lifted up or shined a light on as me taking, you know?"

He added:

"They’ll put a negative spin on it and try and tell me that it’s a self-serving thing or whatever, and I think I get really sensitive about that."

Drake has been known for collaborating with up-and-coming artists as well as trying new genres and beats in his songs. This has been going on for years, and this hit new heights when Drake and Kendrick had their beef in 2024 and Lamar called him "a master manipulator and a habitual liar" on "Euphoria."

Kendrick did not stop there and went on to release his multiple award-winning song "Not Like Us," where Kendrick claimed Drake was relying on other rappers to get credibility.

Kdot rapped:

"You called Future when you didn't see the club/ Lil Baby helped you get your lingo up/ 21 gave you false street cred/ Thug made you feel like you a slime in your head/ Quavo said you can be from Northside/ 2 Chainz say you good, but he lied."

Back in 2019, British grime rapper Wiley called Drake a "culture vulture" after he worked with other UK artists. Drake was quick to respond to that, as he told Tiffany Calver on the 1Xtra Rap Show:

"I hate that people think that me being into music from these kids that are trying to make it and trying to build a name for themselves is like, ‘Oh, that’s some culture vulture."

He continued:

"What does that even mean? I don’t understand what that means. Would you rather me not acknowledge anything or support? That’s some real confused hater s---. But it is what it is. I see it a lot."

He went on to add:

"I’ll never understand how supporting somebody’s song or even going a step further, giving somebody a song or linking up, I’ll never understand how that is not viewed as something admirable."

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Reconciliation after the fallout, as well as spending some time behind bars in Sweden

Althoff and Drake talked about multiple things, not just simply music. In 2023, Althoff deleted her widely shared interview with him on The Really Good Podcast and the two unfollowed one another on Instagram, reviving their well-publicized falling out.

Bobbi Althoff finally turned the discussion to their shattered past. She asked:

"Uh, let’s talk about us. Why you hated me?”

The "Certified Lover Boy" hitmaker replied:

“I never hated you, Bobbi. I think that I took a lot of the weight and blame at that time when you needed to get a little active on somebody. It’s just like when you describe the after effects of something that we’ve done that I feel is a positive and is incredible. Sometimes I can’t see it from your perspective.”

Her interview with the rapper helped her with guest celebrities on the podcast, but it came at a personal cost. Her marriage was also falling apart at the same time, which only added fuel to the rumors about her relationship with Drake back then. She said:

“I think I let a lot of those comments influence me when that interview happened, to be like, ‘Oh maybe this was the end of my life.’ But actually it was single-handedly probably the best thing to ever happen to me and my kids.”

She added:

“I read a quote, and this is the last serious thing I’ll say, but ‘two happy homes are better than one unhappy home.’ And I stand by that because my parents stayed together in an unhappy home until I was 16, and I was always like, ‘Get a divorce,’ right? And it’s like, why can’t people on the internet seem to understand?”

Drake clarified that a "tiff" on the evening of one of his performances was the cause of their disagreement. He went on to say that he is "not necessarily part of the problem." He said:

"I experience a lot of guilt-tripping in my life where people are like, ‘No, this is your fault,’ essentially and my intentions are pure."

He opened up about how he gets "really sensitive" about being called a culture vulture.

He also went on to mention that he was arrested in Sweden and was behind bars for nine hours. The rapper explained:

“I got arrested in Sweden. I actually have a show coming up there. I feel like they’re gonna try and run it back. I got arrested for nothing. Well, we did a private party, and one of the guys, the officer, his girl came to the private party. But they arrested me way too aggressive and they arrested me for nothing.”

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What's next for Drake?

The hype for Drake's new album "Iceman," which is anticipated to be released before the end of 2025, grows. With singles like "What Did I Miss?" and "Which One" already released from the album, fans are eagerly waiting for the album's release.

Drake is also busy with the launch of his online store, which will be hosted by Amazon for merchandise, including both vintage and new merchandise. Drake's Warehouse will include merchandise like vinyl records, posters, and even unusual items like a body pillow and a poop scooper with the For All the Dogs logo.

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Drake continues to defend himself as he gets called a culture vulture.

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.