Waka Flocka Flame Bans Lil Xan From Hip-Hop

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Lil Xan has recently come under fire from the hip-hop community for making some outrageous comments on a Revolt TV interview on the show Clout 9. The interview features Lil Xan ranking different things, from Bitcoin and Aziz Ansari, on a scale from one to nine. After giving sex dolls a four and Drake’s “God’s Plan” an eight, Xan is asked to rate Tupac. He gives Tupac a two, pauses for a moment, then shrugs. “It’s boring music,” he says. He would go on to rank Beethoven as a nine for the next question.

While people have been weighing in on his comments since the interview was released in mid-February, Waka Flocka Flame summed up his feelings towards Lil Xan in a string of recent tweets on March 6, the first of which saying “LiL Xan banned from hip hop”. While Waka doesn’t necessarily speak for the hip-hop community as a whole, his tweet undoubtedly reflects the feelings of many hip-hop fans who recognize the importance of 2Pac to not only the genre, but the culture of hip-hop as well.

LiL Xan banned from hip hop

— Waka Flocka (@WakaFlocka) March 7, 2018

Pac help me get thru childhood!!! Shit hurt to see the youth disrespect man that paved the way for all of us literally… I hope nobody overlook me accomplishments when I leave

— Waka Flocka (@WakaFlocka) March 7, 2018

Respect is everything, never forget that.

— Waka Flocka (@WakaFlocka) March 7, 2018

A later tweet posted by Waka read “Pac help me get thru childhood!!! Shit hurt to see the youth disrespect man that paved the way for all of us literally… I hope nobody overlook me accomplishments when I leave”. The tweet provided seemingly valuable context to his initial criticism of Lil Xan. It proves to Lil Xan apologists that his initial ban wasn’t based off a knee-jerk reaction, but rather an understanding of history that regards 2Pac’s legacy with reverence that transcends subjective judgements.

Lil Xan isn’t the first cause controversy over opinions on Pac. We’ve all heard countless claims of this or that rapper being “the next 2Pac”, just as we’ve seen Lil Boosie name his album BooPac and Kodak Black name a mixtape Lil B.I.G. Pac. About a year ago, there was outcry over Lil Yachty putting Drake over 2Pac and Biggie. Lil Xan’s opinions are set apart from ones like these because of three factors: his race, his profession, and the fact he described the music as “boring”.

Lil Xan’s real name is Diego Leanos. Although many think of him to be white, he identifies himself as Mexican by descent, but grew up in Redlands, California. Because of his light complexion, it’s likely that much of the public would still think of him as white, regardless of how he identifies. This makes his comments on Clout 9 all the more serious. Since 2Pac’s music is heavily characterized by pointed commentary on the African-American struggle, calling his music “boring” in a publication strongly suggests a lack of respect that goes beyond an aesthetic critique. This perceivable lack of respect is accentuated by the fact that Lil Xan is not African-American, but is getting paid off of borrowing from African-American culture. That’s not to say that hip-hop isn’t for everyone, but being aware of its roots and the seriousness behind the culture could be considered critically important for anyone who wants to move in it respectfully.

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At the end of the day, some may argue that Lil Xan shouldn’t have to force himself to like 2Pac’s music, or even fake that he does to gain acceptance. However, if he wants to stay in good standing with the communities within hip-hop, many would argue that he needs to be aware of how he uses his platform. A few careless words have the potential to influence the minds of future generations, so if those words could be perceived as degrading to hip-hop, one has to be ready to face the judgement of those trying to preserve its legacy.

Lil Xan has since announced that he won’t be doing any more interviews. See his tweet below.