“I get real sensitive about that”: Drake opens up about “culture vulture” accusations

Drake has spoken candidly about long-standing “culture vulture” accusations in a new interview with Bobbi Althoff, marking their first public conversation since their original 2023 viral interview was taken down.

The interview, released as the premiere episode of Althoff’s new podcast Not This Again, features Drake discussing various topics, including his art choices and the criticism that often accompanies them.

Through the years, Drake has mixed in elements from many music styles beyond his main hip-hop and R&B base. These include dancehall, UK drill, Afrobeat, and pop. His use of dialects and local styles from those genres -especially Caribbean patois and UK slang - has sparked numerous discussions among listeners and critics. Some have seen these art decisions as cultural appropriation, leading to the "culture vulture" tag that has stuck with the Canadian artist for much of his career.

Drake mentioned that he gets "real sensitive" when people portray his collaborative efforts and support for other artists as self-serving instead of recognizing his genuine intentions.

Drake reflects on "Culture Vulture" criticism in new interview with Bobbi Althoff

In the newly released conversation, Drake tackles this story head-on, saying he's puzzled and upset about how people have taken his team-ups. He asks why backing new artists or genres sometimes gets a bad rap when he works hard to shine a light on talent from different backgrounds.

Drake reiterates this viewpoint in his latest interview with Bobbi Althoff, released earlier today, according to the NFR Podcast.

"I experience a lot of guilt tripping in my life where people are like, 'No this is your fault,' essentially... My intentions are pure. It's the same way even in music. People will be like, 'Your a culture vulture.' People will describe the collaborative efforts that I have put forth and the artists that I've picked up or shined a light on as me taking. They'll put a negative spin on it and try and tell me it's a self-serving thing and I think I get real sensitive about that," he said.

Drake addressing culture vulture accusations and choosing to do interviews outside of Hip Hop Media pic.twitter.com/aU0jPBdZld

— Rap Rhetoric (@Rap_Rhetoric) September 2, 2025

This interview comes after a long period of silence following their initial 2023 video, which someone took down and led many to guess about Drake and Althoff's connection.

In the new episode's description, Althoff shares that they filmed the interview in Switzerland after Drake asked her to travel through Manchester and Belgium to meet up again. She confirms they plan to keep the new episode online.

The nearly hour-and-a-half discussion is the first installment of Althoff’s monthly podcast series. Alongside the “culture vulture” discourse, the episode includes multiple other conversations between the two, offering a broader look into Drake's perspective on public perception and artistic expression.