Jamil “Mal” Clay is making it clear where his loyalty lies in a "friendly fade" between Drake and Jay-Z, and his answer might surprise some fans.
During a recent episode of the New Rory & Mal podcast, the hip-hop commentator said that if tensions between Drake and Jay-Z ever escalated into a full-blown rap feud, he'd side with the Toronto superstar over Jay, despite the fact that his brother, Kareem "Biggs" Burke, co-founded Roc-a-fella Records with Hov and Dame Dash.
Family ties between Mal and Jay run deep. A second of Mal’s brothers, former Roc-a-fella A&R head Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua, also has a long history with Hov; and yet another one, the late Robert “Bobalob” Burke, was immortalized by Jay in “Lucifer.”
Mal’s latest conversation began when he and co-host Rory Farrell discussed the possibility of the ongoing subliminal shots between Drake and Jay-Z turning into something more serious. While emphasizing that no actual beef exists, Mal was pressed on which side he would choose if forced to pick.
"I might have to ride with my man Drake," Mal said.
When reminded that Biggs is his brother and one of Jay-Z's closest longtime associates, Mal doubled down.
"Yeah, man," he replied. "I gotta go with my man."
The comment drew laughter and disbelief from those in the room, but Mal continued defending his stance, explaining that friendship would ultimately influence his decision in the hypothetical scenario.
"That's big bro, that's family," he said of Jay. "But [Drake’s] my man. I gotta ride with my man."
Mal was clear that even at its worst, he expected any dispute between Hov and Drake to stay in the realm of a lyrical “friendly little fade,” and never turn more serious than that.
Elsewhere in the podcast discussion, Farrell suggested that if a lyrical battle ever happened between the two rap heavyweights, both artists would have plenty of material to work with. He argued that Drake might scrutinize Jay-Z's past cozy relationships with powerful figures like a pre-scandal Harvey Weinstein and Jared Kushner as a clapback to Jay’s own lines about Drizzy’s supposed reluctance to “talk tough” to “crackers.”
Mal's remarks arrive amid renewed discussion surrounding the rap titans following Hov's headline-grabbing freestyle performance at Roots Picnic. During the set, Jay-Z appeared to fire shots at several high-profile figures, including Drake, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Dame Dash, and Tory Lanez. One line in particular caught the attention of fans.
"A rapper can't be my opp," Jay-Z rapped. "The jig is up."
Many listeners interpreted the bars as a response to Drake's recent track "Janice STFU," where the Toronto rapper rapped "the jig is up" while seemingly addressing veteran rap figures.
Mal's comments also surfaced shortly after he addressed a separate rumor involving Jay-Z and Roots Picnic. Earlier this week, internet personality Tasha K claimed that Mal and Rory were removed from a section at the Philadelphia festival by Jay-Z's camp.
Mal quickly dismissed the report on social media, saying he wasn't even at the event. According to him, he spent the evening at home watching Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
