Loaded Lux on the difference between battle rap and drill music: "You have to have a skill set"

On Saturday’s (Dec. 24) episode of “Drink Champs,” N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN sat down with Amber Rose, Murda Mook, and Loaded Lux to chat about strip clubs, music, gender inequity, and other topics.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Amber Rose is a model, actress, author and, recently, a musician. Among her various accomplishments, she rose to prominence in the mid-2000s for her relationships with high-profile celebrities, including Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa, as well as her advocacy for women’s rights and sexual liberation. In addition to modeling and acting, Rose has also hosted her own talk show, “The Amber Rose Show,” and has written”How to Be a Bad B**ch,” a book that offers advice on self-acceptance and empowerment. She is also the founder of the Amber Rose Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote gender equality and combat sexual violence.

Meanwhile, Murda Mook and Loaded Lux are legendary battle rappers and hip hop artists from Harlem, New York. They have competed in major rap battles, including those hosted by the Ultimate Rap League, and are renowned for their talents in the arena. Mook established himself as a leading MC with his forceful delivery and witty humor. The 38-year-old rapper has also put out a number of albums and mixtapes, including 2005’s The Untouchable and 2007’s Murda He Wrote. And anyone who is familiar with Lux knows he is a master at wordplay with a formidable discography that includes his Talk Dirty series, Manifest Destiny, and more.

To help give fans a recap, REVOLT compiled a list of nine facts we learned from the 24K Christmas Special “Drink Champs” installment. Check them out below, and watch the full episode here.

1. On Amber’s relationship with strip clubs 

After a tough upbringing, Amber Rose turned to stripping from ages 18 to 25, and her connection with multifaceted rapper Kanye West, whom she met on set of Jeezy’s “Put On” music video, catapulted her into the global scene. In 2020, the ex-exotic dancer became one of the co-owners of the Ace of Diamonds strip club in Hollywood, California, a popular destination for A-list celebrities. Rose shared her opinion on the topic of clubs and late-night events. “I love coming to strip clubs. I love to give back to my community,” she said.

2. On giving your kids the world without spoiling them

When it comes to her children, Amber Rose is like any other loving mother. In 2013, she gave birth to her son Sebastian Thomaz with ex-husband Wiz Khalifa. After their split, she met Alexander Edwards some years later, and he fathered her second kid in 2020. Pivoting from Christmas tales, Rose discussed the challenge of treating her kids to trips and fun experiences without spoiling them.

“How do you give your kids the life you didn’t have without spoiling them? I’m dealing with that now with my oldest. Like, every day has to be filled with something to do,” Rose shared. “I’m like, Sebastian, you need to figure out how to occupy yourself, and not every day has to be a carnival or an amusement park.”

3. Amber on never smoking weed while dating Wiz Khalifa

It’s no secret that Wiz Khalifa is a bona fide cannabis enthusiast who enjoys lighting up often. However, Rose’s vice of choice is cigarettes. During the interview, she pointed out that she never indulged in weed after a bad experience and was the only person that Wiz allowed to smoke cigarettes while they dated.

“Everyone is like how did you marry Wiz Khalifa and you never smoked weed? That was his thing and then I just… I tried it once when I was 14, and I got really paranoid, then I never smoked again,” Rose shared.

4. Amber on getting into music and her single “Surprise Me” 

After dating notable artists such as Kanye West, 21 Savage, and Wiz Khalifa, Rose has undoubtedly made her presence known in the hip hop community. The 38-year-old has accepted herself completely, and she has always been a vocal supporter of women’s independence in everything she does — including her latest venture. Thus, singles like “Freakshow” and the brand new “Surprise Me” mark a new chapter in her career as a musician. Midway through the interview, she chopped it up about how her contributions to her exes primed her to be an artist.

According to Rose, “I just always loved music. I feel like I contributed so much to my exes and their music, and being in the studio with them. I just feel like I have a great ear for music. I know I waited for a long time, but I feel like it’s never too late to do things that you’re passionate about.”

5. Loaded Lux on drill music versus battle rap 

Since its emergence in the 2010s, drill has become one of the most popular styles of rap. On the musical front, some listeners have dismissed the subgenre as a watering down of the more lyrical, forward-thinking approach to hip hop. From a cultural perspective, some have questioned whether drill just reflects the realities of living in certain areas or if it is intentionally raising tensions, contributing to gang violence and disrespecting the dead.

Lux talked about how battle rap ultimately sets itself apart from drill by maintaining some form of respect among the participants. “It’s still an art form. That’s how the participants still look at [it] in the culture. [Drill rappers] got opps in the streets and it’s about, ‘I’m just going to disrespect everything you know.’ It’s a different type of energy. We’re at each other, but you have to have a skill set. That’s what separates victors between whoever wins and whoever loses,” he stated.

6. On Drake wanting to battle Murda Mook 

Throughout his career, Drake has made it quite clear that he’s a fan of battle rap. He was supposed to have a showdown with Murda Mook in 2015, but the fight never happened because of the Toronto star’s meteoric rise to fame. Despite putting an end to any notion of a battle, Mook nonetheless shared the specifics with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN.

“One time, Drake was playing with me in the club, like, ‘I’ll kill you in battling.’ And n**gas put it out, and that s**t went like wildfire. They ain’t stop bothering him since,” Mook shared.

7. On men speaking on women’s business

Later in the interview, things got a bit heated between Amber Rose and Mook. After spitting some bars about “talentless” women, the model and TV personality stepped in to say that men should stay in men’s businesses and leave the ladies out of their conversation. She later compared men calling women “b**ches” and “h**s” to a white man calling African Americans the N-word.

“I just feel like guys should just never talk about women. It should never be a conversation,” Rose debated. “Let’s say me, Kim Kardashian, Jayda [Cheaves], Ari [Fletcher]; it should never be a conversation amongst men because you have to then blame the consumer. These girls, us, are known as not having talent, but we make a lot of money.”

She continued, “Those are derogatory labels. Think of a white man calling you the N-word, right? Those are derogatory labels. As people of color, we feel some type of way. But when it comes to men and women, a lot of men don’t feel some type of way about the derogatory labels that are put on women, especially Black women or women of color.”

8. On Black women being the most marginalized group

Research has shown the distinct ways in which sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination all contribute to the disparity between men and women in academic fields. Moving on from their previous conversation, Mook and Rose continued the gender debate whilst talking about whether or not men are a marginalized group of people.

“You have white men, white women then you have every ethnicity in between. Then you have Black men because men are always superior as far as society is concerned. Then you have Black women, women of color,” shared Rose. “The most marginalized group of people on Earth is Black women and women of color. Y’all need to be here to protect us. If you are not here to protect us, then who is here to protect us? And then we become angry and y’all call us bitter.”

9. On Eminem shouting out Mook on Cordae’s “Parables” remix

During “Quicktime With Slime,” Mook was asked if he’d choose Busta Rhymes or Eminem. He pointed out that Slim Shady gave him a shoutout on Cordae’s “Parables” remix earlier this year. Nonetheless, he went with Busta given their rich history and recent collaboration aptly titled “Shut Up” with Lil Wayne.

“Eminem recently just put me in a verse. Shout out to Em, good s**t. He said I was his favorite battle rapper and everything, but Busta changed my life. So it’s Busta Rhymes all day,” Mook stated. Rose interjected, “Eminem, hit me back in the DMs.”