Joey Bada$$ Invites Kendrick Lamar to Battle Him in Ray Vaughn Response Track
Written by djfrosty on May 16, 2025
Joey Bada$$ batlle with the West Coast doesn’t appear to be losing steam anytime soon.
On Thursday (May 15), the Brooklyn rapper and actor clapped back at Ray Vaughn’s recent diss track “Hoe Era” after Joey mentioned the TDE signee as he stood next to his labelmate Ab-Soul and Big Sean during their Red Bull Spiral Freestyle.
While most of the new diss track — titled “The Finals” — is aimed at Vaughn, he brings up Kendrick Lamar and the way he feels certain West Coast rappers feel the need to defend his honor. “The way you let Dot d—k sit in your mouth/ This that same d—k lickin’ I was talkin’ about,” he raps. “You n—as would do anything for the clout/ Crash out over n—as who won’t even let you in they house/ I bet you ain’t even got his number/ It’s funny how the thirst is bein’ disguised as hunger.”
Then towards the end of the track, the Pro Era leader respectfully invites Lamar to a sparring session. “I salute you Kenny but I know you well aware,” he spits. “You lookin’ for some competition? Then just know that I’ll be right here.”
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Billboard reached out to Kendrick’s team for comment.
The back-and-forth started when Joey dropped “The Ruler’s Back” on New Year’s Day and referenced a Jay-Z line about the West Coast from his song “22 Two’s” from 1996. “Too much West Coast d—k lickin’,” he rapped. “I’m hearing n-ggas throwin’ rocks, really ain’t sh— stickin’/ ‘Cause if we’re talking bar for bar, really it’s slim pickings/ I rap like I draw pentagrams and kill chickens.”
Listen to Joey Bada$$’s response below: