Veteran rapper Reminisce has emphasized that in hip-hop, respect is earned through skill, not wealth or streaming numbers.
Speaking alongside Vector on a recent episode of On The Record podcast, he weighed in on the ongoing supremacy clash between Nigerian rappers Odumodublvck and Blaqbonez.
He highlighted that true recognition in hip-hop comes from lyrical ability—not popularity or influence. Using the example of Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake, Reminisce said:
“Hip-hop is the only genre that doesn’t respect numbers or money. No matter how much money you make as a rapper, you can’t buy it [the respect of the Hip-hop world]. That’s one thing I love about Hip-hop. You have to earn it. People have to say, ‘Vector is a good rapper, he’s a legend.’
If you like see 5 trillion streams, if you like name your album the greatest. Nobody cares. Rap respects pure skills. That’s why Kendrick Lamar is widely adjudged the winner of his hip-hop battle with Canadian superstar Drake. If you look at the margin between Drake and Lamar in terms of commercial, it’s very wide. But because it’s about skill set, which is the primary thing in hip-hop, Lamar won.”