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A diss-track battle between two of the world’s biggest hip-hop stars has led to cryptic allegations that Drake directed his heavyweight record label to yank a hit featuring Kendrick Lamar from the airwaves. But would such a move be possible?
Probably not, say legal experts who study broadcast rights and the music business. “As a general law, broadcast stations have a lot of discretion over what they put on the air — almost unlimited discretion,” says Charles Naftalin, a Washington, D.C., attorney for Holland & Knight who specializes in telecommunications law. “A station is virtually free to pick and choose what it wants.”
Lamar’s new song “euphoria,” which he released April 30, alleges Drake and Republic had attempted to “try cease and desist on the ‘Like That’ record” — a reference to the recent Future–Metro Boomin hit containing a Lamar verse that attacks last year’s Drake-J. Cole track “First Person Shooter,” and helped spark the recent back-and-forth between the two rappers. Then a screenshot of an alleged email appeared on social media purporting to be from a Republic business-affairs executive declaring “we are not granting radio rights” for “Like That.” (Reps for Republic and Universal Music Group, the label’s parent company, did not respond to requests for comment, and the screenshot could not be verified.)
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Hypothetically, if Lamar’s lyrical allegation were true, and the Republic exec’s email were legitimate, how could a label, even the home of Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, The Weeknd and Post Malone, which has the industry’s largest market share, pull off such a move? One conceivable explanation stems from the fact that “Like That” is an unusual business collaboration — it’s a joint release from competing major labels, Universal-owned Republic and Sony-owned Epic. The former is Metro Boomin’s label; the latter is Future’s label. (Adding confusion to the affair: Lamar records for Interscope, also owned by UMG, so he is, in a very broad sense, Drake’s labelmate.)
Because Republic had a hand in releasing “Like That,” it is conceivable — though extremely unlikely — that the company could demand that radio stations stop playing its own song. “I don’t readily see a legal reason to request takedown from radio solely based on certain lyrics being in the song,” says Matt Buser, an attorney who represents top artists and music companies. “However, there could be a justified legal reason for takedown based on the promotional grant of rights and understanding between the two collaborating labels.”
Like Buser, Larry Kenswil, a retired top business and legal affairs executive for UMG, has no idea what is in the contractual agreement between Republic and Epic for “Like That.” (A rep for Sony, Epic’s parent company, also did not respond to a request for comment.) But he’s certain that Republic has no right to demand a radio takedown. If Lamar’s “euphoria” lyric about a cease-and-desist is true, Kenswil says, “The artist [Drake] complained to the label [Republic] and the label felt like they had to do something to satisfy the artist. But, of course, we probably don’t have the full story.”
He adds: “That happens all the time. Artists tell their lawyers: ‘Send a cease-and-desist.’ The lawyer says, ‘Uh, I don’t think they’re doing anything wrong.’ ‘Send a cease-and-desist or I’ll fire you.’ And they send the cease-and-desist — and don’t follow up.’” Evidence on behalf of Kenswil’s theory: “Like That” not only came out, but radio played the track, it debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks. And as of this writing, “Like That” is No. 21 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart.
After two and a half weeks of anticipation following the leaking of Drake’s “Push-Ups” in mid-April, Kendrick Lamar continued what he started two months ago with his pot-stirring “Like That” verse with his new Drake response, “Euphoria.” Lamar’s haters’ anthem has electrified the internet and put all eyes back on the 6 God to see how he will respond. But after one full official diss track each in the beef, who’s leading on our scorecards? Billboard Hip-Hop writers Mark Elibert and Carl Lamarre present both cases.
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Why Drake Won Round One
Drake is a cunning and crafty individual when he’s locked in on a target. He has a way of using his resources in a way that has others come at him with heavy artillery, as one needs to do in the heat of battle. His first diss track in this hip-hop civil war, “Push Ups,” showed how good the 6 God is at taking center stage to rip into his opponents. Kendrick Lamar caught the most heat on a record, and Drake did precisely what people wanted of him in rap beef with his longtime rival: cut the subliminals and go on a direct offense.
K Dot officially started their long-simmering feud with his explosive guest feature on “Like That” off Metro Boomin and Future’s collaborative effort, We Don’t Like You. There were several lines that clearly referenced Drake, such as saying there’s no “big three” in hip-hop when he’s the only GOAT, seemingly a shot at Drizzy’s J. Cole-assisted “First Person Shooter” where the latter nodded to the hip-hop trinity. He also mentioned Prince “outliving” Michael Jackson, another assumed crack at Drake’s line on that same song where he said he was one hit single away from tying Michael Jackson for most No. 1 hits by a male solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Drake caught wind of the shots Lamar took at him on “Like That” and responded just a few weeks later with “Push Ups.” Most people didn’t expect Drake to respond in this manner, as he and K Dot had a lengthy cold war throughout the 2010s and early ‘20s that never really blew up the rivalry as big as it is now. Still, he used this opportunity to dip into his bag of tricks to put out a worthy diss track – one that has people paying attention.
Drake’s creativity has been essential in several of his rap feuds. On 2018’s “Duppy Freestyle,” Drake rapped, “Tell ‘Ye we got a invoice comin’ to you/ Considerin’ that we just sold another 20 for you” and actually sent an invoice to G.O.O.D. Music in the middle of his quarrel with Pusha T.
For the cover art of his 2015 Meek Mill diss track “Back to Back,” Drake used an image of the Toronto Blue Jays’s Joe Carter hitting a series-clinching home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. And he even dropped the song on the same day the Blue Jays and Phillies played against each other. Drake doesn’t do anything by coincidence, and every move he makes is a potential checkmate – with “Push Ups” serving as his latest master chess move.
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For starters, the title shows Drake’s knack for using social media as a tool, as it references a viral 2023 video of Kendrick doing push-ups in a park with The Boy using that to ridicule K Dot, and claim he’s better off doing that workout instead of giving him a lyrical exercise.
When listeners actually start the track, they can hear DJ Who Kid’s iconic DJ tagline, which channels vintage rap beef vibes. That “Whooo Kid” tagline was the first thing listeners heard echoing at the beginning of various G-Unit Radio mixtapes, where 50 Cent and his crew routinely annihilated their competition. By using that tagline, Drake was letting his listeners know he wants all the smoke with the DAMN. rapper and everyone else that dissed him.
Drake’s guile was even extended to the menacing production on “Push Ups.” The beat samples The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 track “What’s Beef?,” in which the late rapper showed disgust with his peers for not knowing what real beef is, and instead trying to start a feud on wax. Drake had already made several stinging attacks before he could even rap his first few words on the song, which had listeners anxiously waiting to hear what he was going to say.
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And with the bars, Drake left nothing on the table – firing at Kendrick in a way we’ve never heard him do before. All the subliminals in the past were focused on Drake claiming he was lyrically better and more popular, but “Push Ups” found the 6 God shining a light on things that people haven’t often said about Lamar, such as hilariously making fun of his short stature and questioning his deal with Top Dawg Entertainment.
“You won’t ever take no chain off of us/ How the f–k you big steppin’ with a size-seven men’s on?,” Drake raps before attacking Kendrick’s diminished stature in hip-hop’s hierarchy. “Pipsqueak, pipe down/ You ain’t in no big three, SZA got you wiped down/ Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down/ Like your label, boy, you in a scope right now/ And you gon’ feel the aftermath of what I write down.”
Drake even went as far as calling Lamar his child in a clever flip where he said, “What’s a Prince to a king? He a son, n—a,,” a direct response to the pgLang rapper comparing their career trajectories to the competitive ‘80s rivalry of Michael Jackson and Prince on “Like That.” To add more fuel to the fire, “Push Ups” is a catchy record thanks to Drake’s masterful hitmaking ability with infectious hooks such as “Ayy, better drop and give me fifty, ayy Drop and give me fifty, drop and give me fifty, ayy.”
It may not be as hit-worthy as “Back to Back,” which was the first diss record to receive a Grammy nomination, but “Push Ups” will most likely get rotations in various clubs and on radio months from now. Seriously, what’s more annoying than continuously hearing a diss song aimed at you no matter where you go?
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Regardless of what people feel about Drake, he defended his throne and stood tall against Lamar and everyone else who called him out over the last few weeks that led up to the commencement of this war. But even though “Push Ups” was a strong response and may have given Drake the W in the first round of this hip-hop war, he needs to keep up this intensity if he wants to come out on top.
Drake received criticism in 2018 for not dropping a response to Pusha’s “The Story of Adidon,” despite rumors claiming he had something nuclear in the chamber. He may have gotten out of that with a slight dent in his armor, but the same won’t happen this time if he doesn’t carry this energy into Round Two. We don’t want to hear that he found new inspiration and redirected that energy into himself, as he said about the Pusha T beef on an episode of Maverick Carter’s interview series The Shop in 2018.
He’s made it clear that he won’t be stopping his onslaught against Kendrick, as he did by dropping the AI-assisted (and since deleted) “Taylor Made Freestyle,” where he tried to bait Kendrick into responding to “Push Ups” with fake verses from Snoop Dogg and the late 2Pac. Many felt the move was clever, while others felt it wasn’t a real response. But regardless, each move that Drake makes now has to be better than the already excellent “Push Ups.” If not, he’ll have another L on his resume, and an even tougher one to come back from. — MARK ELIBERT
Why Kendrick Won Round One
17 days. That’s how long it took for Kung Fu Kenny to strike fear back into the hearts of hapless MCs and have all of Aubrey’s Angels squirming in their shoes. As a Drake fan, I was mortified – because “Euphoria” is only a snippet of Kendrick’s madness. After the release of “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” this was just Kendrick drawing first blood.
Though Kendrick savors the art of storytelling and engages in dad raps about being an all-world father figure, it doesn’t mean he can’t tap back into the grimy menace he once was when he nuked hip-hop with “Control” in 2013. “Euphoria” is child’s play compared to where Kendrick can still take it, and after the opening bell, I have him up in the scoreboard. And here’s why: “Euphoria” was not just a song, it was a cultural earthquake about finally crowning the King of all Kings in this illustrious Big 3 Era that we’re currently in. Drake baited, Kendrick waited, and delivered the first true haymaker of the battle.
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With a Teddy Pendergrass sample leading the way, Lamar initially lulled listeners with a calm delivery at the start of “Euphoria,” degrading Drake by calling him a “degenerate” and “scam artist.” Once he settled in and adapted to the beat switches, Lamar seared Drake with incendiary bars. Kendrick went on a callous assault on Drake’s character, strategically aiming to question his integrity as a father and his identity as a Black man. These jabs had previously unsettled Drake, particularly when Pusha T questioned his parenting during their 2018 feud. Kendrick’s decision to bring Drake’s n-word usage to light was calculated, referencing Drake’s feud with Push. The Clipse rapper not only found an old photo of Drake in Blackface but used it as the cover art for “The Story of Adidon,” the record that sealed Push’s victory. Drake’s biracial background also remains a point of contention, as Rick Ross similarly mocked him during their brief feud on his song “Champagne Moments,” repeatedly calling him “White Boy.” While the racial callouts may seem harsh, rap purists consider them fair game in the battle of wordplay, making Kendrick’s jabs permissible in battle.
Another bar that probably went over many people’s heads was when Kendrick said: “I make music that electrify ’em, you make music that pacify ’em/ I can double down on that line, but spare you this time, that’s random acts of kindness.” in double-entendre form – also suggesting a baby pacifier — speaks to Drake’s immature music and problematic dating history. Theories have swirled about Drake creeping on underage girls, but while none of those rumors have been proven true, Lamar here opts to “spare” him before escalating things.
What also makes “Euphoria” a more robust reply is the high level of punchlines used by Kendrick in the song in contrast to “Push Ups.” While he isn’t considered a punchline-first MC, Dot had an arsenal of bars scattered in his six-minute demolition of Drake, with some lines even requiring a second glimpse on Genius. “Yeah, my first one like my last one, it’s a classic, you don’t have one/ Let your core audience stomach that, Didn’t tell ’em where you get your abs from,” says Lamar about Drake allegedly getting cosmetic surgery. There’s also a shrewd, but chilling name-drop early in the song: “Yeah, Cole and Aubrey know I’m a selfish n—a / The crown is heavy, huh /I pray they my real friends, if not, I’m YNW Melly.” Melly is currently involved in a double murder retrial, dating back to when he allegedly killed two of his friends in 2018. “Kendrick Lamar is one of my favorite rappers so I feel honored and appalled … I’m a household name — just for the wrong s–t!!!,” he told TMZ following the release of “Euphoria.”
While some may accuse Kendrick of recycling other lyrical attacks on Drake, his performance on “Euphoria” is a testament to his Hall of Fame-caliber. Not only does he deliver a six-minute lyrical tour de force, but he seamlessly transitions between three different flows over three different beat switches, including a nod to Drake’s signature delivery. This performance solidifies his status as a rap virtuoso on the battlefield, especially when seemingly on the brink of elimination. According to the Compton MC, his fiery raid was only friendly fire, which makes his assault that much more devastating. He admits to liking Drake’s “Back to Back” and being a fan of Drake when he’s at his most melodic (as opposed to his most tough-talking). To show even this minimal amount of respect amid lyrical warfare means K. Dot isn’t worried about his adversary.
Lamar’s rebuttal also strengthened his comeback because he treated Drake as if they were back in the playground. Anointing himself “the biggest hater,” Lamar was curt in his response, rapping: “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk/ I hate the way that you dress/ I hate the way you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct.” For a feud spanning ten years, it’s refreshing to finally have some actual namedrops and unabashed shots taken, with no physical repercussions. With an electrifying performance that found three different versions of Kendrick eager to seek and destroy, he made sure those 17 days between “Push Ups” and “Euphoria” were worth the wait. The cherry on top? Dropping it at 8:24 a.m. on West Coast time. The significance? The L.A. legend Kobe Bryant donned the numbers 8 and 24. Coincidence? I think not.
Remember, Drake asked for this version of Kendrick to come out. On “Taylor Made Freestyle,” he punked him for allegedly pushing his diss back to allow Taylor Swift’s new blockbuster album, The Tormented Poets Department, to have all the shine. Drake’s baiting hip-hop’s Boogeyman backfired and has given Lamar ample time to whip up a formidable diss that puts the pressure back on him. If Drake’s next track isn’t an atomic bomb, “Euphoria” could be the song to win Lamar the overall war. — CARL LAMARRE
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Quavo and Chris Brown are embroiled in a beef that appears to be over their past dalliances with former lovers in common. Quavo, who took a shot from Chris Brown over the “Weakest Link” track fired back with a diss of his own, “Over Hoes & B*tches.”
The Migos rapper used an infamous image of Brown putting his hands around a woman’s neck, an incident that the singer claimed was friendly and not at all violent. Quavo superimposed his face over Brown’s face while placing the singer’s face on the woman who was choked.
“Over Hoes & B*tches” adds to the growing war of words that was ignited notably on Brown’s track “Freak” from his 11:11 (Deluxe) album. Huncho fired back with “Tender” which then sparked Breezy to respond with “Weakest Link” and now we arrive at “Over Hoes & B*tches.”
A common theme across the songs is references to Brown’s ex, Karrueche Tran, who was linked with his current rival although Tran denied that the pair dated after breaking up with Brown in 2015. The two also mentioned each other’s domestic violence allegations, including an incident involving Saweetie, whom Brown claims he slept with while she dated the “Workin Me” rapper.
From “Over Hoes & B*tches”:
Lil’ boy wanna die ’bout some coochie? (Baow) You still f*cked up ’bout Karrueche? (Damn)
You tried to beat up Teyana (No cap), but Usher wouldn’t let you do it (Usher)
The cocaine got him, your honor (White), bipolar disorder, no wonder
You was the greatest, n*gga, you fumbled, goin’ out sad, I’m watchin’ you crumble (Uh)
Why they got Quavo out here goin’ back and forth with a singer that turned to a junkie?
Now we got light skin versus brown skin, n*gga finna divide the country (Go)
N*gga, you ain’t been in the trenches (Trenches)
We stompin’ the yard, you know how that ended (Stomp)
Brown responded to the diss, referring to the lyrics as “Google Raps” before dismissing the attempt. No word yet if Brown will deliver a proper response.
Check out the full song below.
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Chris Brown and Quavo have a history of not being the best of friends and it appears that the pair are still on the path to war after this weekend. Chris Brown dropped a new track titled “Weakest Link” aimed at Quavo, with the late Takeoff having his name added to this feud.
From what we gathered, “Weakest Link” is a response to the track “Tender” and adds to the growing rift between the pair that has been ongoing for years according to reports.
On “Tender” Quavo rapped:
Wipin’ your nose with the tissue, not wipin’ no snot (Snot, whoo)Tell me, lil’ bro, what’s your issue? It’s over a thot (Thot)You said that it’s bigger than that (It’s big), but no, it is not (No, it is not)It’s ’cause I be diggin’ in that (Ya dig?), it got ’em hot (They got ’em hot)I’m givin’ respect (Sh*t), but I know you not (I know you not)Your b*tch on my neck (Your b*tch), your b*tch at the spot (Spot)
The streets are saying that the Migos artist is speaking about Brown’s ex, Karrueche Tran.
Brown, digging deep into his petty bag, fired back by suggesting he got familiar with Huncho’s ex, Saweetie:
Okay, let’s get down to the facts, p*ssy, I’m dripped in red (Okay)Don’t let this R&B sh*t fool you, n*ggas get ripped to shreds (Get back)Quavo talkin’ like he a thug, n*gga, you a bitch with dreads (You a b*tch)Can’t wait to see the day that you back up all of that sh*t you said (You on)What’s all that boss sh*t you talkin’? You ain’t no huncho, n*gga (You ain’t no huncho)You the weakest link out of your clique, let’s keep it a hundo, n*gga (One hundred)You f*cked my ex-ho, that’s cool, I don’t give no f*ck, lil’ n*gga (Still a b*tch)‘Cause I f*cked your ex when you were still with her, b*tch, I’m up, lil’ n*gga (I’m up)
We’ve got no opinion on who is winning this particular beef but fans observing are naturally calling out Brown’s violent past with women, while also adding that Quavo has similar stories of the same acts on his jacket.
Check out the reactions from X and the songs in question below.
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City Girls fans thought they were witnessing the end of an era after members JT and Yung Miami went at each other’s weaves on X, formerly known as Twitter. In the end, the City Girls remained united after squashing the beef which was due to a misunderstanding.
Monday (April 8) was a wild day for many reasons. A large portion of the United States was witness to a solar eclipse, J. Cole walked back his diss of Kendrick Lamar, and the tensions spread to large factions of fans online.
From what we can determine, Saucy Santana wrote on X that he had some issues to address regarding Diddy via an upcoming television series to which JT responded by saying that she better not be mentioned. This sparked a light back and forth between the pair. Yung Miami, who is best friends with Santana, then suggested JT has been “sneak dissing” her.
All hell broke out from that point on with JT writing, “It’ll be too much for me to tweet! I will like a sit down…. Caresha please! And this time leave Santana home! I know I come off crazy but never in my life did no wack sh*t to this girl she literally enjoys seeing me being dragged when ppl show me love she goes crazy & call it a hate train! But like I said we can sit & talk about it!”
JT also wrote that she was “for sure there” for Yung Miami and added that “y’all will see this in time that I’m not, never was & never will be the problem!”
There were a lot more exchanges, including Yung Miami saying that fans online have caused the rift which put JT and her at odds and if you saw what was said before it was all deleted, that part seems to be true.
The beef ended after Yung Miami, using JT’s first name, wrote, “Jatavia I love you. I’m moving on!”
In a quote tweet, JT added, “I love you more [heart emoji] I actually love you the most!”
While the City Girls look to be poised to talk their sh*t together on stage again soon, fans online had plenty to say about their beef and how they made up. We’ve got replies below.
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11. Same. Same.
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Meek Mill and his frequent outbursts on Twitter usually come with a side helping of entertaining misspellings, passionate thoughts delivered without care, and brain blurts from beyond. Right now, Meek Mill is trending on Xitter after hard launching a beef with Wale, which is getting a lot of traction online now.
Meek Mill, 36, shared a tweet on Monday (April 7) that has since been deleted and it explains his issue with Wale although it was delivered in that same punctuation-free fashion we’ve come to expect.
“Wale never liked me,” the tweet began. “Now ima treat him like the streets everytime I see him. I gave him 1000 chances these guys be thinking they linking with the enemy clown ass n*gga I wish I woulda knew the other day I woulda stretched you!”
Some online are noting that Meek is wilfully talking about catching a body as a very popular figure which involves someone else who is known to the public.
From there, the coffee kicked in or something because Meek has been on a Xitter tweeting spree, speaking on the recent tussle between Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. He’s also addressing fans who checked the Philadelphia rapper for talking reckless online considering he has been imprisoned before and is supposed to be an advocate for prison reform.
“I was raised in jail and in kiladelphia how did yall forget so fast …. Yall not listening to my raps I been this way! I never been normal tf I have boundaries like every other American but shit not sweet out here why yall acting like it,” read one tweet from this morning.
Check out the reactions to Meek Mill proudly announcing a beef we didn’t know about with Wale below.
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1. Someone go check on Meek.
With the shots fired by Kendrick Lamar on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” helping the song debut atop the Hot 100, a rundown of all its spite-filled predecessors at the chart’s apex.
The hip-hop world has been in flames since the Friday (Mar. 22) release of Future & Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” featuring an incendiary Kendrick Lamar verse taking thinly veiled shots at “First Person Shooter” co-stars J. Cole and Drake. Rap traditionalists are unsurprisingly clamoring for a response record from both MCs — but which of the two has the most to gain by jumping into the fray, or the most to lose by staying out of it?
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Below, two Billboard Hip-Hop writers present the case for each artist being the one who most needs to get in the game ASAP.
WHY DRAKE MOST NEEDS TO RESPOND
When Drake graced the cover of Billboard in August 2013 ahead of his acclaimed Nothing Was the Same album, he brushed off Kendrick Lamar’s genre-shaking “Control” verse, referring to the atomic bomb Lamar dropped on rap as an “ambitious thought.”
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“That’s all it was,” he said dismissively. “I know good and well that Kendrick’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic.”
Just over a decade later, that day has presented itself. Lamar has dropped the gloves and scorched Drizzy and J. Cole, with a scathing verse aiming at his supposed “Big Three” running mates on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” (“Think I won’t drop the location? I still got PTSD/ Motherf–k the Big Three, n—a, it’s just big me”), which had hip-hop in a tizzy over the weekend.
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Actually, it extended well beyond the rap world: debates about the simmering feud between Drake, Kendrick and Cole extended far outside the genre, with even the likes of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith spitting bars from Eminem’s final 8 Mile battle on his show while discussing the potential clash of the “Big Three.”
Drake has scoffed in the past at disses from rappers whom he didn’t deem worthy of his time. Some he’d address with subliminal jabs when he felt suitable, on his terms, while others beneath him on the food chain never even got half an OVO bar. It’s an opportunity he’s earned, as one of hip-hop’s titans with a battle-tested past where he’s repeatedly proven to be a formidable opponent – including battles with Joe Budden, Diddy and most notably Meek Mill in 2015, when he ethered the Philly rapper with “Back to Back” and put the ghostwriting claims to rest. After most battles, Drizzy has emerged stronger from his battle scars.
However, there’s always going to be a stain on Drake’s decorated resume that no record amount of Hot 100 hits could remove when it comes to his 2018 feud with Pusha T. Drizzy backed down following Pusha’s scintillating “Story of Adidon” exposing his child, Adonis, at the advice of Rap-A-Lot co-founder and consigliere J. Prince – who claimed his response would have “hurt families.”
This isn’t a situation Drake can rightly shrug off as beneath him, though. While Kendrick Lamar only stands at 5’5”, the West Coast legend sees eye-to-eye with the 6 God – one of his few true peers in rap, with comparable levels of commercial appeal, critical acclaim and years in the game.
With all that Drake has accomplished in his Hall-of-Fame career, it’s rare for an artist of his caliber to have an opportunity to elevate their legacy and wipe away some of the years-old stench leftover from the botched Pusha T feud that OVO detractors still bring up to this day.
Rising to Lamar’s challenge — and potentially emerging victorious — could wash out the bad taste Drake opting out of that beef left in fans’ mouths a half-decade ago.
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The “Poetic Justice” collaborators have been entrenched in a Cold War of digs since “Control” and K. Dot’s BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher dissing the “sensitive” Toronto star months later. Drake has jabbed back on records like Future’s “Sh!t” remix and “The Language,” but they’ve never met head-on for a collision on the throne.
Showing out in such a showdown could have a profound effect on Drake’s legacy. To spell it out in sports terms Drake would appreciate, longtime New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady didn’t cement his GOAT case until completing the 28-3 comeback at Super Bowl LI in 2017 against the Atlanta Falcons. Similarly, many already labeled LeBron James as the best player of the 21st century, but pulling off the improbable 3-1 comeback against the 73-win Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals launched his legacy into the same stratosphere as Michael Jordan.
Both were undoubtedly seminal moments in the careers of those all-time legends, and took place well over a decade after they entered the league. A line could be drawn to Drake possibly getting the best of Lamar in this rap version of the ultimate game.
While “Like That” is a response to Cole and Drake’s “First Person Shooter,” it’s Drake that most of Dot’s smoke is specifically directed at. After dismantling the “Big Three” argument, Kendrick takes aim at Drake with a For All the Dogs reference, and snarlingly compares their relationship to iconic rivals Michael Jackson and Prince: “And your best work is a light pack/ N—a, Prince outlived Mike Jack’/ N—a, bum/ ‘Fore all your dogs gettin’ buried/ That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see Pet Sematary.”
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With Kendrick and Drake’s icy relationship taking shots at one another dating back to 2013’s “Control,” it’s imperative for the 6 God to step up and be first in line rather than J. Cole, who has had an admirable relationship with Lamar from a distance over the years. There’s been way less friction between the Dreamville boss and Compton native, as they were even rumored to be working on a joint project at one point.
All that said, Drake could end up falling back and avoiding the fray, maybe addressing K. Dot down the line with a series of jabs after he goes on hiatus following his Big As the What? Tour wrapping next month. He’s already allegedly liked a comment saying he’s not taking K. Dot’s threats “seriously,” and is still posting selfies to his IG Story in an unbothered fashion.
Not all hope is lost for a quicker response, though, as Drizzy appeared to respond to Lamar’s threats sweeping the rap world with a chest-puffed rant during a recent tour date. “I’m 10 f–king toes down in Florida or anywhere else I go – and I know that no matter what, there’s not a n—a on this earth that could ever f–k with me in my life,” Drake confidently told a Florida crowd while on stage over the weekend.
In a genre with a dwindling number of A-list stars, the Drake-Kendrick Lamar tussle gives rap a rare monocultural moment, and a chance for the 6 God to etch another chapter in the hip-hop history books. The ball’s bouncing inside Drake’s home court – but will he put a shot up or leave the gym and retreat to the wine cellar of his Toronto estate? — MICHAEL SAPONARA
WHY COLE MOST NEEDS TO RESPOND
Let’s keep it all the way honest: It’s scary hours. The rap civil war is upon us, and the best man to spar with Kung Fu Kenny is his one-time brother-in-arms, Jermaine Lamarr Cole.
This part of rap is largely unfamiliar territory for Cole: though he’s had words for 6ix9ine, Lil Pump, and the Soundcloud generation, he’s never engaged in true one-on-one combat, making this potential battle with Kendrick Lamar an even more important one. Rather than let Drake stand ten toes down and attempt to get the pinfall on K. Dot, Cole needs to tag in, earn the W to get out of the shadows of both men, and show why he’s indeed not the two or the three when speaking on this rap hierarchy.
In truth, there hasn’t been a time in Cole’s career when he was undoubtedly “the one.” When Cole entered the fray in the late 2000s, fans immediately pitted him against Drake because both were spry and capable lyricists with booming potential to push the genre forward. Going into it, Drake had the leg up after his seismic mixtape So Far Gone rocketed him to the moon in 2009. The following year, he instantly became the go-to guy with debut album Thank Me Later, netting close to 500,000 units sold during its opening week.
Cole’s road to success was more arduous, as he struggled to put together a favorable single to please radio and his boom-bap audience. “Who Dat” failed to catch traction, and though “Work Out” became his first breakout hit, peaking at No. 13 on the Hot 100, skepticism surfaced because Cole had to dumb down its lyrics a little and rely on a borrowed Paula Abdul hook and Ye sample for radio approval. He later admitted to his missteps on the 2013 Born Sinner standout song “Let Nas Down” when he revealed Nas’ displeasure over the record. Still, Cole notched his first No. 1 album and mostly evaded further criticism until the mainstream arrival of Kendrick Lamar.
Cole and Kendrick’s friendship goes back to the days before the Compton rapper was signed. “Before my album was even out, before he even had a deal, I was making sure to stamp him,” Cole told Elliott Wilson during his CRWN interview in 2014. “Kendrick was one I saw right away and said, ‘This kid is special.’” Cole even entertained the idea of wanting to sign Kendrick to Dreamville. That’s how real the brotherhood was.
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Lamar’s ascension into Rap God status wasn’t an overnight success. Like Cole, he played the long game, releasing mixtapes and EPs. While Section 80 was lauded in the underground as a classic, it wasn’t until his 2012 major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city, that he was dubbed as a generational talent. By then, Lamar also received an extended Drake co-sign, as he worked with the 6 God on Take Care for his “Buried Alive Interlude,” opened up for him during his Club Paradise tour, and collaborated on “Poetic Justice.”
Kendrick’s career crescendoed from there with classic album after classic album, spanning from good kid, m.A.A.d city to To Pimp a Butterfly, to his game-changing opus, 2017’s DAMN. Suddenly, most conversations about the best MC weren’t between Drake and Cole anymore. The narrative shifted to Drizzy and Kenny, with Cole sliding to third. Despite his superstar growth, Kendrick and Cole remained allies, with rumbles of a collaborative album brewing after they freestyled on each other’s tracks in 2016.
During this time, Kendrick and Drake have sent shots at each other for title contention – most notably Kendrick’s “Control” verse and his BET Cypher freestyle in 2013 – while again, Cole quietly chipped away with No. 1 album after No. 1 album. The Cole and Kendrick joint album never happened, with the two’s lone team-up on record remaining their Born Sinner collab “Chaining Day.” And then, last year, Cole and Drake — who were once pitted against each other at the early stages of their careers – unleashed their For All the Dogs Hot 100-topper “First Person Shooter.” They would up the ante by teaming up again for Drake’s indelible gem “Evil Ways” on his Scary Hours Edition of Dogs and later going on tour together, where the love fest was inescapable.
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Was this a case of sour grapes for Kendrick? Of course. His old buddy is siding with the opps. So because of his allegiance to Drake, Dot brought the Uzi out on Cole and had no issues hosing him down. Now, even though Cole shouted Kendrick out on “First Person Shooter,” rhyming “Love when they argue the hardest MC Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?” – realistically, in Kendrick’s mind, he consistently lapped Cole. And for quite some time, Cole believed it too, rapping on “Heavens EP” about how “They threw the bronze at me/ Behind Drake and Dot, yeah, them n—as is superstars to me/ Maybe deep down, I’m afraid of my luminosity.” But those words pierce harder when heard aloud from Cole’s competition. Kendrick essentially said it’s never been us; it’s always been me against me.
Cole, who has cemented himself as one of the best feature artists of all time after constructing two hellacious runs in 2018 and 2023 – even being named Complex’s Rapper of the Year for ’23 without releasing any new music of his own – boasted about being on top of his game. If you’re feeling that froggy, then Cole, you have to leap – and do it over the biggest amphibian in the pond? If you’re tired of being the little bro, being told you’re not top-10 all-time material, a win against Lamar at your lyrical peak could shift your story considerably. The narrative wouldn’t be about you being the third-best; it’d be about the quiet giant who chose violence and defeated the Boogey Man when no one else could.
All the rap greats have beefed at one time or another. A heavyweight battle between Cole and Kendrick would be must-watch material and could alter Cole’s all-time ranking. For many, he’s currently just outside that all-time top 10. Having a memorable feud and outlasting Kendrick could change his trajectory because he already has the stats of an all-world performer. Now, as the underdog, if he could slay the beast and be the last man standing, then he could finally be the No. 1 we all knew he was capable of being. — CARL LAMARRE
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At some point, it needs to be acknowledged that the main reason the two-decade-old beef between Benzino and Eminem refuses to die is that Benzino refuses to stop talking about it.
It was just last month that the “Who Is Benzino?” rapper had a tearful emotional breakdown on the set of Drink Champs because he was supposedly tired of talking about his Caucasian rival, who he said he “don’t have a problem with” at the time. But then he was right back to trading jabs with Slim Shady soon after. Now, the 58-year-old is taking his beef with Em to the latter’s home city of Detroit and posting on Instagram photos and footage of himself at Em’s “Mom’s Spaghetti” Italian cuisine restaurant, where he bought bags of food just so he could tell his followers that the spaghetti was “horrible.”
“Mark this date. #Rapelvis Video soon come……oh the [spaghetti] was horrible,” Zino captioned a photo posted to IG that showed him flipping the bird at the logo of Em’s restaurant. Apparently, the former Mad Men member didn’t think there was anything counterintuitive about spending his money on food from Em’s eatery—which essentially puts it in the Music to be Murdered By rapper’s pocket—while giving the restaurant free advertising.
From Vibe:
Zino also uploaded various other clips from behind the scenes of his music video, showing him launching more disrespect at Em’s establishment. The former The Source owner is seen ordering bags of food from the spot. In another clip, he takes a bite from a pint-size spaghetti order before chucking it in disgust. Another clip features the 58-year-old Hip-Hop figure stealing one of the store’s signs.
Meanwhile, outside of an occasional diss track, Em appears to be far less invested in this beef than Zino is. So, you know, maybe it’s time to let it go, bruh.
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CLOSE
Kendrick Lamar put the Hip-Hop world on notice after dropping a verse on “Like That” from Future and Metro Boomin‘s new WE DON’T TRUST YOU project. K-Dot revisited his “Control” verse days and restored the feeling after aiming shots at Drake and J. Cole while declaring himself the best among the so-called “Big Three.”
Kendrick Lamar has been spending more time focused on his pgLang brand and assisting the career of his cousin, Baby Keem to great effect. The former TDE standout has often been mentioned in the same tier as Drake and J. Cole, with many thinking the trio would clique up one day and shift the entire ecosystem.
K-Dot put those hopes and dreams to rest on “Like That” and didn’t mince words at all. Some are of the mind that Lamar has taken subliminal shots from Drizzy over the years, in particular, related to their status within the Hip-Hop hierarchy.
From “Like That”:
“Okay, let’s get it up, it’s time for him to prove that he’s a problem/N*ggas clickin’ up, but cannot be legit, no 40 Water, tell ’em/Ah, yeah, huh, yeah, get up with me/F*ck sneak dissin’, first person shooter, I hope they came with three switches/I crash out, like, “F*ck rap,” diss Melle Mel if I had to”
In a bid to distance himself from the pack, Lamar added, “Motherf*ck the big three, n*gga, it’s just big me” which left nothing to the imagination.
This isn’t the first time Kendrick Lamar caused a stir. Back in 2013 on Big Sean’s “Control,” Kung Fu Kenny named names and essentially dared everyone to try his pen and had people not even involved in the jabs responding to the verse. Time will tell if Drake or J. Cole will respond, considering the latter has always represented his connection to Lamar as friendly.
Again, this could also be traced to a perceived beef between Future and Drake, although that hasn’t been confirmed. Further, Metro Boomin has had recent issues with the Canadian superstar that went public, adding to the lore of discord between them all.
On X, formerly Twitter, folks are chiming in about Kendrick Lamar’s jabs toward Drake and J. Cole. Check out the reactions below.
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Photo: Getty