Birdman Tells YoungBoy Never Broke Again That Hip Hop Is "Watered Down"
BY Malcolm Trapp / 8.18.2023
In a clip shared on Thursday (Aug. 17) night, Birdman expressed his concerns about the current state of hip hop by calling it “watered down.” The Cash Money Records founder said that he believes YoungBoy Never Broke Again is the one capable of saving the genre.
“We need you, bruh,” Baby said. He continued, “This s**t watered down, man. The f**k, man? Man, this shit [is] too watered down, bruh… We gotta save hip hop, bruh. Nephew, [you] gotta save this s**t, bruh. Real talk.”
YB replied, “I see it’s watered down. I’m finna come, though.”
Their brief interaction came as no surprise to fans, especially considering the documented history between Birdman and YoungBoy. The pair released their joint mixtape, From the Bayou, in December 2021. It peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Moreover, the “Make No Sense” artist seemed to waste no time heeding Birdman’s call. He teased another new project in a subsequent Instagram post. The musician wrote, “I’m ready to turn my album in.”
Birdman‘s admiration for YoungBoy goes beyond mere collaboration. In September 2022, he claimed the Baton Rouge native might be the “biggest rapper” in the game during his appearance on the “Big Facts” podcast. “Ain’t no n**ga gon’ be bigger than NBA YoungBoy. Numbers don’t lie. He’s the biggest YouTube artist, and [he’s] behind the wall,” he declared.
Furthermore, Birdman compared YB to his former protégé, Lil Wayne, during a conversation with Billboard in February. “Watching how fast he do music and the value of the music, I saw a lot of similarities between him and Wayne,” the music mogul remarked. “I seen stardom in him, but I knew it was a process.”
Music-wise, YoungBoy has remained relatively busy. The rapper dropped a whopping three projects this year, including Richest Opp, Don’t Try This At Home, and I Rest My Case. In June, he also teased a collaborative LP with Playboi Carti.