Patriarchy and fragile masculinity strike again, and we’re honestly so exhausted.
In the last few years, 21 Savage has become one of the most well-regarded hip-hop artists in the music industry. Rappers like Drake, Cardi B, and J. Cole have been singing Savage’s praises for years now, which led to a collaborative album with Drake, Her Loss, released in 2022.
On Monday, Dec. 18, Savage was revealed as the new cover star of Rolling Stone. During his interview for the story, Savage’s right-hand woman, Buwop, and his manager, Meezy, were present as the rapper’s entourage. At one point, Buwop asks why male R&B artists no longer serenade women in their music. Savage replies:
“Y’all b*tches some h*es now. Nobody singing to y’all. Everybody sell pussy. Ain’t nobody to sing for.”
Given that the topic of gender comes up naturally, Rolling Stone journalist Mankaprr Conteh takes the opportunity to ask Savage about his friendship with Drake.
“I feel like describing male friendships is zesty as hell,” Savage tells the writer.
Screengrab via Urban Dictionary
Conteh takes that moment to explain that “zesty” can be used as a derogatory term to mean “gay” and/or “feminine” within this context. The Urban Dictionary description for “zesty” is “the definition of someone that appears juicy and flamboyantly homosexual.”
In reaction to Savage’s suggestion that describing his friendly and professional relationship with Drake could be considered “zesty,” Conteh brings up the existence of “unneeded parameters around men and the way we expect them to express love or care or friendship.”
“It’s needed,” Savage quips back. “That’s what separates men from women.” According to Conteh, Savage goes on to explain why gender norms are useful, how emotions should be reserved for women, and how men should always apply logic to their conflicts.
The Rolling Stone writer tries once again to suggest that all partners – regardless of gender – in a relationship can work together to balance each other out. Savage tells Conteh in response:
“I get what you’re saying, but I don’t agree with it. Well, I agree with most of what you’re saying. I just feel like the man supposed to be one way and the woman supposed to be one way.”
This excerpt from Savage’s latest Rolling Stone cover story has already gone viral on social media. As expected, many people are reacting to Savage doing so many mental gymnastics in order to reaffirm his masculinity (which no one was questioning in the first place) and avoid having to say anything “zesty” about his friendship with Drake (with whom he recently dropped a collaborative album).
