DaBaby Says He Declined a Rapper's Fake Beef Invite

DaBaby could have his own hip hop battle going right now -- adjacent to Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar -- but it wouldn't have been authentic, so he rejected a mystery rapper's indecent proposal.

While speaking to Shaq and Adam Lefkoe on 'The Big Pod,' DaBaby claims a well-known lyricist propositioned him -- shortly before J. Cole apologized to Kendrick for engaging in beef cosplay -- to get their names looped in the headlines.

DaBaby says the unnamed rapper was amped seeing the attention Drake and Kendrick were getting and wanted to scoop some buzz by launching a fake feud in public ... while maintaining a tight relationship behind the scenes.

Despite the obvious pros of the situation, DaBaby says he told the rapper he respectfully had to decline -- rap beef is war in his eyes and DaBaby couldn't guarantee he wouldn't send a lyrical scud that destroyed their friendship.

Not getting involved was probably a smart move ... there's complete chaos around the current rap beefs!

Drake was served with a takedown notice for his AI Tupac tactics against Kendrick as Future and Metro Boomin's initial shot, "Like That," is still riding high on the charts.