Kodak Black’s legal trouble had nothing to do with him getting cut from Dave East’s Survival album. In an interview with REAL 92.3’s Big Boy, East revealed he removed Kodak from the LP due to the incarcerated rapper disrespecting Lauren London and the late Nipsey Hussle earlier this year.
The Def Jam artist made it clear he didn’t have any personal issues with Kodak, but his friendship with Nipsey made the collaboration untenable.
“I don’t have a problem with Kodak, personally,” East noted. “I don’t even know him like that. We met maybe twice. I made the XXL cover with him. We was on that together. But me and Nip, like I said when you asked me, it was deeper than rap. So anybody, I don’t care who it might’ve been, don’t speak on that man after that man gone if it’s not in a good light. Don’t speak on that man’s woman, that man’s kids. Don’t bring that man up. That’s just my opinion on it. Take it how you want to.”
Kodak was originally supposed to appear on the Survival cut “Night Shift,” which features Lil Baby. But East felt he couldn’t pay proper tribute to Nipsey on an album with Kodak as a guest.
AD LOADING...
“I had a record, it was actually ‘Night Shift,'” he explained. “I had a Lil Baby on it and Kodak put a verse on it. Just sitting back listening to it, it was dope. But I just couldn’t have a song called ‘The Marathon Continues’ where I’m talking to my brother and he’s on it and then a few songs before that … that’s just me, man. I’m a loyal dude, I’m real. I don’t hold my tongue. I ain’t got no filter. That’s just me. The internet gonna spin it however they wanna spin it, but like I said, I don’t have a problem with homie. Free Kodak Black for real.”
In East’s mind, a Kodak collaboration would’ve made his support for Nipsey look disingenuous.
“My integrity is what I stand on,” he stated. “So it’s like, at the end of the day, I can’t be out here waving that flag [for Nipsey] and then I go do that. That’s crazy. To anybody that’s from that camp that love me or got real love and support for me, how I look? How I really look? So, I couldn’t do that.”
Check out the entire interview up top. The conversation about Kodak begins around the 56-minute mark.
AD LOADING...
[apple_news_ad type=”any”]
