kendrick lamar
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Russell Simmons has not made many public statements after being accused of sexual assault and other crimes during his time as a record company executive. Now residing in Bali, Indonesia, the former Def Jam Recordings mogul took to social media to defend Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is also facing a bevy of sexual assault charges, and urged fans to “see the good in things.”
Taking to Instagram, Russell Simmons, 66, opened up his video by mentioning that there have always been issues in rap but likened the skirmishes to pro wrestling. However, Simmons notes that the way that Kendrick Lamar and Drake are going after each other, while exciting, could eventually lead to gunplay.
“When you tear someone down or you watch someone tear someone down, try not to get so excited. I know it’s fun to watch for some people,” Simmons says, warning that the cycle isn’t healthy over time.
He added, “If I had a nickel for every nasty meme sent to me by people whose lives were enhanced and built by Sean Combs, it’s like, it seems a bit hypocritical since the only reason you have a life is because you worked for him, or he gave you a job or lifted you up somehow.”
The overarching message from Simmons is that the current state of beef and the tearing down of Diddy has created a situation where fans are more invested in the downfall of entertainers than in bettering themselves.
“You may think it’s, you know, entertaining. Some of the memes are funny, right? But, we gotta look up, train our minds to see the good in things and not the negative,” Simmons shared.
On X, fans are naturally blasting Russell Simmons for defending Diddy and for speaking on the beef when he has a mountain of legal issues to face himself, all of which the mogul vehemently denies. Check out the reactions below.
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Vince Staples has always presented himself as a principled individual and remains one of the greatest minds in Hip-Hop, even if his observations rankle some. The Long Beach, Calif. native recently spoke at an event in his hometown and was asked about the ongoing Drake and Kendrick Lamar but his answer was directly aimed on critiquing the music industry.
Vince Staples, 30, was a guest at the first annual Youth Day in the LBC event over the weekend which also featured a town hall with Long Beach Mayor Rex Richard alongside the rapper and actor. Fans in attendance were allowed to ask questions and the fan wanted Staples’ opinion regarding Hip-Hop’s hottest feud.
In his signature deadpan fashion, Staples harkened back to similar thoughts he shared on The Joe Budden Podcast where he tried to explain to the cast why the war between Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole was largely pointless and the only ones to benefit are the labels. Staples’ point was largely dismissed as he refused to engage in zeroing in on the beef and instead sticking to his morals that the industry is in literal shambles.
“That record label just folded all of its independent labels and subsidiaries into each other,” Staples shared of his current record label, Universal Music Group, which he’s been signed to since he was 17. Staples explained that the label hasn’t paid him since 2018.
Staples then explained that the dissolving of the independent labels and subsidiaries also meant that Black folks who have been invested in growing the Hip-Hop and R&B sectors of their labels are either without a job or moved into positions outside their wheelhouse.
“None of them [labels] exist no more. They fired all the heads of the labels and if they didn’t, they turn them into glorified A&Rs. They cut off 50 percent of the people who work in all these departments, most of those people is us, people of color, that come from hip-hop and R&B and these other things, right?” Staples continued.
In a somewhat somber fashion, Staples essentially said that a Hip-Hop beef is the least of his concerns while the industry he’s been a part of as a teenager is crumbling before his eyes.
“So then we getting priced out of our contracts, we getting priced out of our imprints. There are no labels, basically, that are incentivized to sign Black music and it’s happening in front of our eyes,” Staples shared. “While Taylor Swift is fighting for people to be able to have streaming money, n*ggas is on the internet arguing with each other about some rap sh*t. So that’s how I feel about it, honestly.”
Much like his comments on the JBP, Staples’ comments found their way online and fans have reacted to portions of his answer. Some fans also took aim at Staples for, in their view, evoking respectability politics. Staples also caught wind of those who didn’t enjoy his commentary.
We’ve got comments from all sides below.
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Drake has responded to Kendrick Lamar as some expected with “The Heart Part 6,” adding new fuel to their explosive feud. In the track, the Canadian superstar addresses the accusations of being romantically involved with minors and more and fans on Xitter are wondering if it’s enough.
I want to speak as myself for a minute and express that I have never cared less about a rap beef. I find nothing exciting, interesting, or enthralling about two Black titans of the culture fighting and exposing each other. What is the end goal? It does nothing for the greater good. And, as Vince Stapes said, this is only aiding a particular segment of the industry and certainly not the creators. Anyway, let’s get into this newest salvo from Drake.
Titling the response “The Heart Part 6” is clearly taking a page out of Kendrick Lamar and his “The Heart” series, and directly addresses some of the heinous acts that K-Dot accused Drizzy of.
From “The Heart Part 6”:
The Pulitzer Prize winner is definitely spiralin’I got your fucking lines tapped, I swear that I’m dialed inFirst, I was a rat, so where’s the proof of the trial then?Where’s the paperwork or the cabinet it’s filed in?1090 Jake would’ve took all the walls downThe streets would’ve had me hidin’ out in a small townMy Montreal connects stand up, not fall downThe ones that you’re gettin’ your stories from, they all clownsI am a war gеneral, seasoned in prеparationMy jacket is covered in medals, honor and decorationYou waited for this moment, overcome with the desperationWe plotted for a week and then we fed you the informationA daughter that’s eleven years old, I bet he takes itWe thought about giving a fake name or a destinationBut you so thirsty, you not concerned with investigationInstead you in Advantage Studio, it’s a celebration
Considering that Kendrick Lamar seemingly has a lot of contempt for Drake, most fans are expecting a response from that side very soon. As it stands, fans of the pair of siding with their faves while detractors are taking their positions as expected. We’ve got reactions from X, formerly Twitter, from all sides below along with the track in question.
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Kendrick Lamar and Drake have engaged in an explosive back-and-forth that took a dark turn according to some observers but the onslaught is far from over. Fresh from dropping the blistering “Meet The Grahams” track, Kendrick Lamar took aim Drake and doubled down on some serious allegations with “Not Like Us.”
Produced by DJ Mustard, “Not Like Us” delivers what some are considering the first of the series of Lamar’s diss tracks to take a sonic approach that might end up getting burn outside of content creator streaming channels and the headphones of dedicated fans.
Unlike the sinister “Meet The Grahams,” “Not Like Us” is a far more upbeat affair but still maintains the intensity from the previously released diss tracks with K-Dot not taking his foot up off the gas even in the slightest.
From “Not Like Us”:
Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em youngYou better not ever go to cell block oneTo any b*tch that talk to him and they in loveJust make sure you hide your lil’ sister from himThey tell me Chubbs the only one that get your hand-me-downsAnd Party at the party, playin’ with his nose nowAnd Baka got a weird case, why is he around?Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophilesWop, wop, wop, wop, wop, Dot, f*ck ’em upWop, wop, wop, wop, wop, I’ma do my stuffWhy you trollin’ like a b*tch? Ain’t you tired?Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-Minor
Honing in on the allegations that Drake has targeted younger women, K-Dot delivered the “A-Minor” in an extended sing-song fashion that was designed to cut deep. The bars above also take digs at the Canadian superstar’s head of security, Chubbs, PartyNextDoor, and Baka Not Nice, who reportedly forced a woman into prostitution and later plead guilty to assault and other charges back in 2015.
Although some fans thought Drizzy delivered a valiant effort with “Family Matters,” the pendulum is swinging in the direction of Kendrick Lamar, especially given the fact he took his time in responding to the earlier jabs but has unloaded the full clip.
On X, formerly Twitter, the debate of who is winning the battle rages on and we’ve got comments from all sides below.
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Source: Ollie Millington / Getty
You knew Drake was going to respond to Kendrick Lamar’s “6:16 In LA” track, and he did with a whole video in tow for “Family Matters.” However, no one was expecting K. Dot to return fire with “Meet The Grahams” in less than an hour.
The result is a Hip-Hop civil war with fans bitterly bickering about who is up on social media while intensely dissecting the savage-level bars their rap heroes have aimed at each other.
The latest dust-up started on Friday night (May 3) at 11:23pm, when the 6 God took to social media to drop a YouTube link to “Family Matters.”
There’s no denying that the Boy went in, coming for Kendrick’s family (“You the Black messiah wifing up a mixed queen,” he raps) and sending shots at foes like Rick Ross and Metro Boomin, too.
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But as the Internets debated whether or not Drake’s retort was worthy, K. Dot re-entered that chat at midnight, when he dropped a link to a new tune called “Meet The Grahams.” To say the track is scathing would be the understatement of the decades. Kendrick essentially tells Drake’s family that their son ain’t sh*t, and never will be, while accusing him of having “hidden children” and even pedophiles in his circle.
Drake did quickly refute the hidden daughter claim, though.
Nothing too new here, but damn.
Check out the more outrageous reaction to their rhetorical nukes, and wild conspiracies, in the gallery.
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Cam’ron and Ma$e spoke out about the backlash they’ve received for their criticism of Kendrick Lamar’s recent beef with Drake.
As the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake heated up after the former dropped the scathing diss track “Euphoria” on Tuesday (April 30), Cam’ron and Ma$e felt that Drake still had the upper hand. That assessment wound up getting the public riled up, directing comments at both rappers and calling them out noting the two sporting jackets from Drake’s OVO imprint in a photo. It led to the two to addressing the situation on the latest episode of their Come And Talk 2 Me podcast on Thursday (May 2).
“Do you realize that n-ggas is mad because of our opinion on the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar?” Cam’ron said to Ma$e at the 2:25 mark of the episode. “I’m like, ‘yo, bro. Why we can’t have our opinion?’ I don’t get that! I don’t really get why we can’t have our opinion!” He continued by downplaying any coastal rivalry. “Secondly, this is what I wanted to say. And this is not to start a problem with anybody. West Coast people: East Coast n—-s is not as big on the ‘coast’ shit as y’all are on the coast s–t.”
Ma$e went on to express that he feels that the tracks from Drake and Kendrick Lamar that the public has heard so far aren’t the impactful tracks they’d be impressed by. “I think Kendrick got something else that he’s really been holding onto, and that’s what I’m speaking to. Don’t waste our time, and just go crazy, man.”
The Harlem natives’ previous take from their Wednesday (May 1) episode saw them go for Drake over Kendrick for various reasons. “I think Drake is winning. ‘Euphoria’ didn’t really move me,” Cam’ron stated. “I’m expecting lyrics from Kendrick, you’re expecting certain things. The song was kinda long, it took too long to come out — pause. I’m not saying it’s bad.” Ma$e agreed, “It took a while for us to get the record from Kendrick and when you wait a while it gotta be outta this world. I think if Kendrick dropped this record right after ‘[Push Ups] Drop and Give Me 50,’ it would have been crazy.”
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Kendrick Lamar has clearly had enough for the shots and subliminal messages from Drake, beginning his blitz earlier this week with the blistering “euphoria” track. With Drake still absorbing blows from that salvo, Kendrick Lamar once again fired back with the cleverly titled “6:16 in LA” track and the culture is in a frenzy.
While the issues between Drizzy and K-Dot have long been rumored, nothing to the level of the recent flurry of disses fans have been treated to lately.
Dot took the most measurable shot on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” track earlier this year and it was clear who the target was. The Canadian superstar hit back with “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” the latter of which has been served with a takedown notice from the estate of Tupac “2Pac” Shakur.
It was just this past Tuesday (April 30) when “euphoria” dropped and it wasn’t expected that another song was coming. Using Drake’s timestamp title formula, “6:16 in LA” (released Friday, May 3) digs even deeper into the persona of his rival.
From “6:16”:
Have you ever thought that OVO is workin’ for me?Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible personEveryone inside your team is whispering that you deserve itCan’t toosie slide up outta this one, it’s just gon’ resurfaceEvery dog gotta have his day, now live in your purposeIt was fun until you started to put money in the streetsThen lost money ’cause they came back with no receiptsI’m sorry that I live a boring life, I love peaceBut war-ready if the world is ready to see you bleed
As it stands, most fans are saying the battle is leaning in favor of Kendrick Lamar, definitely since Drake egged him on to respond. Now, the timeline waits to see what the response will be or if the “Red Button” will be pushed.
Check the reactions below and the track below.
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On Tuesday (April 30), Kendrick Lamar had social media collectively clutching their pearls he laid down the murder game with his Drake diss record “Euphoria,” and with all eyes turning to the Canadian actor turned rapper, Drizzy quickly responded to the song but in the most 2024 way possible.
Instead of releasing a response record (which everyone wants), Drake took to his Instagram stories to share a clip from the popular 90’s film 10 Things I Hate About You in which Julia Stiles checked off a list of things she hated about someone she had a crush on in the film. An obvious reference to Kendrick’s bars in which he spit “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress/ I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct,” the clip did little to move Hip-Hoppers who are eagerly waiting to see what Drake cooks up in the kitchen as the beef continues to heat up.
While this wasn’t the response fans were expecting from Drake (he’s apparently trying to laugh to keep from crying), rest assured that he will indeed clap back at some point as he sent a quick message to his man, DJ Akademiks saying “See you soon.” While some assumed Drake had a joint in the chamber ready to deploy whenever K. Dot responded to “Push Ups” or his “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Drizzy is seemingly soaking in “Euphoria” before getting back in the booth to address Kendrick’s many critiques of him.
Drizzy really got his work cut out for him with this one. We know one thing for damn sure and that’s that Drake definitely won’t be using an AI version of Tupac on another song as he doesn’t want any legal smoke with the Shakur estate who’ve shown they have no interest in having the Hip-Hop legend participating in any new rap songs from beyond the grave.
The ball’s in Drizzy’s court now. One can only wonder how he plans on topping Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria” and if that’s even possible at this point.
What do y’all think of Drake’s response to Kendrick’s latest diss track? Sound off in the comments section below.
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Kendrick Lamar has finally dropped his retort to Drake, and it’s a doozy. Called “Euphoria,” K. Dot went in on The Boy for over 6 minutes and seems to address just about every issue social media has been discussing ever since he dropped that verse on “Like That” and all the reactions it inspired (particularly “Push Ups”).
At 11:24am ET, Kendrick dropped a YouTube link with the worse “euphoria,” and heads have been analyzing the ensuing verbal beatdown ever since. The track opens on a cool jazz vibe with Kendrick using an almost spoken word delivery, saying, “Them super powers gettin’ neutralized, I can only watch in silence, Tthe famous actor we once knew is lookin’ paranoid, now it’s spiralling/You movin’ just like a degenerate, heavy antic, it’s feelin’ distasteful, why calculate you, not as calculated, I can even predict your angles.”
Alright then. Soon enough, K. Dot goes to a frantic flow loaded with barbs aimed at the 6 God’s dome. And there are plenty. Like, “I got a son to raise but I can see you don’t know nothing ’bout that.” Or, “When I see you stand by Sexyy Red, I believe you see two bad bitches, I believe you don’t like women, that’s real competition, you might pop ass with ’em.”
And if you really know, you caught the homage to DMX.
Listen to “Euphoria” below, and check out the reactions in the gallery. Yeah, Xitter is going to be talking about this one for days.
This story is developing.
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Source: L. Busacca / Getty / Tupac Shakur
Drake’s clever attempt at a Kendrick Lamar diss record could land him in legal hot water.
Spotted on HuffPost, the Estate of the late iconic rapper Tupac Shakur is threatening Drake with legal action for using an AI-generated voice of Shakur.
The Estate is giving the Canadian Hip-Hop star 24 hours to take down his latest Kendrick Lamar diss track, “Taylor Made Freestyle.” The track features AI-generated voices of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg urging their West Coast brethren to defend his honor on wax. Drake’s verse uses the 8-mile tactic of taking all the possible insults Lamar can use off the table by pointing them out.
In the song, the fake Tupac tells K.Dot, “You asked for the smoke, now it seems you too busy for the smoke.”
Per Billboard, the cease-and-desist letter that the Shakur estate slapped Drake, real name Aubrey Graham.
The HuffPost Reports:
“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” attorney Howard King wrote in the letter, according to Billboard. “Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the Estate’s legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.”
Snoop Dogg Also Had Something To Say
Following the Friday release of “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Snoop Dogg took to his Instagram account to drop a hilarious reaction to Drake using an AI version of his voice.
“They did what? When? How? Are you sure? [Sigh] Y’all have a good night,” Snoop said in the Instagram clip. “Why everybody calling my phone, blowing me up? What the fuck— what happened? What’s going on? I’m going back to bed. Good night.”
We are curious to see how this plays out.