kendrick lamar
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Joe Budden has made a career out of dissecting music and Hip-Hop culture with his popular eponymously named podcast, and the latest episode found him aiming his sights at Drake. After the news went wide that Drake launched a pair of lawsuits against Universal Music Group, Joe Budden proceeded to heave heavy critique upon the Canadian superstar, which has social media reacting.
On episode 779 of The Joe Budden Podcast, Budden and his cohosts bumped into a conversation regarding Drake’s lawsuits against UMG, the label he’s currently signed to and accusing of boosting Kendrick Lamar’s scathing “Not Like Us” single. Since this episode exists on a Patreon subscription service, we’ve only seen clips that surfaced online, which we’ll share from X below.
Joe Budden telling the unfiltered truth about Aubrey Drake Graham. pic.twitter.com/K2hMLZFuII
— Busby 🏁 (@MrBusby4o8) November 27, 2024
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The Joe Budden Podcast cooking again sheesh
🦉 “was disrespecting someone’s dead mom” “ idc about his dead mom tell him send a beat”
( I wonder if this why metro booming got upset)
🦉 “is more scared of Not Like Us being played at the SuperBowl”
Kendrick Lamar GNX out now pic.twitter.com/GsQ7fU141K
— Whooping feet (@WhoopingFeet) November 27, 2024
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As the clips highlight, Budden believes the industry has conspired in some regard against Drake due to alleged shady dealings with the personal affairs of his foes up to the business side of things. Fans online are taking note of Budden’s jabs as he’s been known to be friendly with Drake over the years but fell out of favor with the entertainer after Budden was critical of his musical direction For All The Dogs.
On X, formerly Twitter, the JBTV community space and others are sharing their thoughts about Joe Budden using the pod to air out his grievances against Drake. We’ve got the reactions listed below.
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Drake is doubling down. After initially accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify of boosting Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” to his detriment, in a second filing, Drizzy claims that UMG and iHeartRadio defamed him in the process of making the song massive.
According to Billboard, Drake filed this latest petition in Texas, and he alleges that K. Dot “falsely” accused him of being “a sex offender” in his megahit diss song “Not Like Us.” But his label promoted it anyway.
Per Billboard:
A day after filing an action in New York accusing UMG of illegally boosting Lamar’s track on Spotify, Drake’s company leveled similar claims in Texas court regarding radio giant iHeartRadio. The new filing, filed late Monday and made public on Tuesday, claims UMG “funneled payments” to iHeart as part of a “pay-to-play scheme” to promote the song on radio.
But the filing also offers key new details about Drake’s grievances toward UMG, the label where he has spent his entire career. In it, he says UMG knew that Kendrick’s song “falsely” accused him of being a “certified pedophile” and “predator” but chose to release it anyway.
Part of the backlash to Drake’s initial filing was that he had all this energy to question Kendrick Lamar’s ht song getting all these spins, but none for the accusation of being a pedophile. However, the way he addresses it in this filling is not earning him any points. Instead, the Toronto rapper sounds sour that UMG dared to make money at his expense—when considering they surely made cash off his own diss tracks.
“UMG … could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” Drake’s lawyers write. “But UMG chose to do the opposite. UMG designed, financed and then executed a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit with the intent of using the spectacle of harm to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and, of course, massive revenues. That plan succeeded, likely beyond UMG’s wildest expectations.”
While Spotify and iHeartRadio have yet to respond, UMG did so on Monday (Nov. 25). From the tone of its statement, the entity is not to happy with their superstar rapper and the nefarious actions he is insinuating.
“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” said the company in a statement to Billboard. “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
This is only going to get more interesting, while Drake is going to continue getting cooked online.
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Once again, Kendrick Lamar has the Rap world talking. Lil Wayne has seemingly responded to him after being mentioned on GNX.
As spotted on Vulture, the Compton, Calif., rapper made waves last week with the release of his newest project. In it, he makes several references to many of his peers post “Not Like Us.” On “wacced out murals” he raps, “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down / Whatever, though, call me crazy, everybody questionable / Turn me to an eskimo, I drew the line and decimals.” These lines are a direct reference to him securing the halftime performance for Super Bowl LIX. The 2025 edition is set to be hosted in New Orleans, and Lil Wayne publicly expressed his disappointment on not being able to perform in his hometown after the announcement.
Man wtf I do?!
I just be chillin & dey still kome 4 my head. Let’s not take kindness for weakness. Let this giant sleep. I beg u all. No one really wants destruction,not even me but I shall destroy if disturbed. On me. Love
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) November 23, 2024
On Saturday (Nov. 23), Tunechi took to X, formerly Twitter, and apparently made reference to the song. “Man wtf I do?! I just be chillin & [they] still [come] 4 my head. Let’s not take kindness for weakness. Let this giant sleep. I beg u all. No one really wants destruction, not even me but I shall destroy if disturbed. On me. Love,” he wrote. This is not the first time Kendrick Lamar referenced Lil Wayne in his music. Back in 2010, he rapped over Kanye West’s “Monster” instrumental and said “I’m the best rapper alive, tell Wayne to swallow his pride.”
During the height of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, Lil Wayne remained neutral and unbothered. Weeks later, he was was spotted rapping the hook to “Not Like Us” prior to performing his verse to “The Motto.”
Lil Wayne rapping “Not Like Us” while performing “The Motto” in Vegas last night.
pic.twitter.com/4f5pjVvMNZ
— Rap Alert (@rapalert6) July 14, 2024
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Anyway you spin it, Drake is looking funny in the light. The 6 God’s lawyers have reportedly filed a motion against Universal Music Group, accusing their client’s own record label of inflating Kendrick Lamar’s streaming numbers.
“Drake has initiated legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify over allegations that the two companies conspired to artificially inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us.’”https://t.co/DW4Ti6C7kh pic.twitter.com/VEM8dzlrNT
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 25, 2024
Before we get started, yes, Drake’s people are suing the same people responsible for promoting his own music. And yes, social media took this as essentially Drake asking to speak to the manager or even calling the cops after Kendrick Lamar hit him with the lyrical fade that is “Not Like Us,” which is up for a Grammy Awards.
Yes, there are Drake fans who still believe it was the Toronto rapper who actually won the battle. We just can’t take said acolytes seriously, respectfully.
As for that lawsuit, Drake claimg UMG and Spotify conspired by using bots to inflate the “Not Like Us” plays. Reports the UK’s Independent.
In an eyepopping court filing obtained by The Independent, Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, says Universal Music Group (UMG) used a network of bots, in conjunction with a so-called pay-to-play scheme, to “manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” with Lamar’s smash hit song “Not Like Us,” all to Drake’s detriment.
The filing accuses UMG, which has deals with both performers, of paying Spotify to recommend “Not Like Us” to users “who are searching for other unrelated songs and artists,” claiming the label also paid Apple to have Siri “purposely misdirect” users requesting songs from Drake’s catalog, serving up “Not Like Us” in its place. UMG’s ploy, the filing argues, created “the false impression that the Song was more popular than it was in reality.” Making matters even stickier, Drake says in the filing that UMG has tried to hide its alleged propping up of Lamar at Drake’s expense “by terminating employees associated with or perceived as having loyalty to Drake.”
Reportedly, UMG has refusing to entertain Drake’s claims, going as fas as saying his beef is with K. Dot, so he should sue the Compton rapper.
Welp.
Since the suit went public, a Drake “source” has told the media that Drake is mad with UMG’s business practices, and not Kendrick Lamar. Yeah, well, the damage has already been done, and social media is frying Drizzy for acting like a Hip-Hop Karen, allegedly.
Peep some of the more obtuse reactions in the gallery.
6.
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Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty / Drake
Kendrick Lamar is still on a victory lap following the release of his latest album, GNX. Meanwhile, his favorite punching bag, Drake, was on a Kick stream throwing jabs.
Even Stevie Wonder can see that Kendrick Lamar has really hurt Drake’s ego. Over the weekend, Drake appeared on Canadian streamer xQc’s Kick channel, and he used the opportunity to talk sh*t about his opps, and even himself.
Showing that he’s still butthurt about the success of Lamar’s diss record towards him, the 6 God sent a jab at the Compton rapper while introducing himself to watchers. “I’m here — mind, body and soul fully intact, in case you were wondering. You need facts to take me out; fairytales won’t do it,” Drizzy said.
Drake’s tone is a response to Kendrick Lamar’s claims on his numerous diss records, including the hit record “Not Like Us’ that the “Take Care” crafter has a penchant for engaging in inappropriate behavior with underage girls, keeps the company of pedophiles around him and also has a secret daughter.
Drake also had time for singer Steve Lacy, calling him a “fragile” opp, and then The Weeknd, telling the popular streamer to turn off his music when the song “Starboy” came on.
Kendrick Lamar & Steve Lacy Both Had A Response For Drake
Drizzy’s salty behavior did get a response from both Lacy and Lamar. Lacy reacted with a series of Instagram posts, while Lamar reacted in a text exchange shared by his friend Reli.
In the screenshot of the conversation, Reli jokingly said to K.Dot, “You done turned blood into a streamer on Phillies [laughing face emojis],” and Lamar responding with several laughing emojis.
“That’s a damn shame,” Reli continued with Lamar asking, “He tripping??!”
Reli continues, “Blood don’t won’t [sic] no smoke Philly gang,” before covering the rest of the conversation.
Social media has been clowning Drake for his behavior on the stream. You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Damn shame
2. Truuuueeee
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Kendrick Lamar may have taken the slow approach during his days with Top Dawg Entertainment but as his own man, he’s delivering music and content at a higher clip. Just like the surprise drop of his latest musical project GNX, Kendrick Lamar delivered a video for the fan-favorite track “squabble up” filled with plenty of Easter eggs and nods to West Coast culture.
Kendrick Lamar delivered the “squabble up” video on Monday (November 25) while many fans were still trying to digest the bars and scope of GNX. Directed by Calmatic, the video features K-Dot in a sparsely decorated room decked out in blue and hitting a casual, almost disaffected two-step while his face remains monotone and serene all at once.
In the background, several moments unfold that, at least in our first watch, we didn’t catch. What does stand out is that every scene that pops off in the back is related to the West Coast in some fashion, most especially the Southern side of California.
Eagle-eyed fans on the X social media platform are already piecing together the images within, including a nod to Ice-T’s Power album cover and its cover model, Darlene Ortiz. Gang unity is also promoted in the video, along with the realities of the street such as a couple socking out and robbing a man.
There was also a clever moment where Lamar was seen reading a book titled How To Be More Like Kendrick for Dummies along with some ruckus going on behind as he casually reads the title.
On X, Kendrick Lamar is the talk of the online streets and we’re capturing the best reactions we’ve seen and sharing them below.
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Kendrick Lamar shifted all eyes and ears towards the West Coast after dropping his latest body of work, GNX, which caps the massive year he’s had in music. Now that fans have sat with GNX over the weekend, the reactions on social media, especially the X platform, have been hilarious.
Kendrick Lamar dropped GNX last Friday (November 22), much to the surprise of all Hip-Hop fans who were caught off guard. The project is essentially an extension of the sound K-Dot embodied in his blistering “Not Like Us” smash hit with heavy references to Los Angeles, Compton, and the entire West Coast to be exact.
One of the top moments of GNX went viral as Lamar yelling Mustard’s name on the beat switch of “tv off” has since gone viral online. This in turn sparked a lot of jokes at the expense of a frequent target on GNX in Drake, with some of Lamar’s compatriots seemingly joining in on the digs at the Canadian superstar.
Thematically, GNX is a departure from Kendrick Lamar’s usually reflective work but still has several flashes of his expert songwriting and ability to spark emotions in the listener. We’ll be reviewing the project this week on Hip-Hop Wired.
On X, we’ve seen some brilliant replies connected to the drop of GNX and we’ve got them listed below.
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Andrew Schulz, a popular podcaster and stand-up comic, was caught up in controversy after an episode of his Flagrant podcast featuring the ShxtsNGigs duo where jokes were made at the expense of Black women. Kendrick Lamar mentioned the viral moment on the track “wacced out murals” from his GNX project, prompting Andrew Schulz to allegedly refer to the Compton rapper as “too woke.”
DJ Akademiks hosted a recent live stream to discuss Kendrick Lamar, GNX, and the line from “wacced out murals” that stood out for a lot of listeners. On the track, K-Dot raps, “Don’t let no white comedian talk about no Black women, that’s law,” referring to Andrew Schulz and the ShxtsNGigs duo of James Duncan and Fuhad Dawodu.
During the Flagrant episode in question, Schulz examined the “Black girlfriend effect” trend of men who date Black women but aren’t Black themselves. “They grow their beard because they need a cushion when they get slapped,” Schulz said, garnering big laughs from Duncan and Dawodu.
Ak says he spoke with Schulz on the phone and claims that the comedian responded to Lamar’s verbal jab. “Is this guy too woke to understand a joke?” Schulz allegedly told Akademiks during their conversation.
Gary Owens inserted himself into the conversation via Instagram, sharing an image of Kendrick Lamar and the aforementioned line and writing in the caption, “If that’s the law that makes me a criminal.”
A quick scan of the post revealed that Owens wasn’t on the hook — this time, at least.
On X, formerly Twitter, fans are enjoying the fact that Andrew Schulz caught a stray on a track that largely finds K-Dot firing at all his opps. Check out the reactions below.
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Kendrick Lamar put the entirety of the greater Los Angeles area on his back with the track “Not Like Us” which was largely a diss of Drake and a call for West Coast unity. Leading this charge, Kendrick Lamar and a collective of other West Coast Hip-Hop artists are enjoying a resurgence that has put the culture at large on notice.
To best examine how the West has won in 2024, or at least why we believe they’re poised to do so, one only needs to look back to Future and Metro Boomin’s “LIKE THAT” single released in March from the pair’s WE DON’T TRUST YOU project that started the mudslinging between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, reaching a culture-shifting zenith by way of K-Dot’s explosive “Not Like Us” track.
The runaway success of “Not Like Us” remains a case study in timing, impact, and the power of directedness. There is no mystery in Lamar’s verse, no esoteric lines to parse, or prose that goes over the head. It is beyond clear that K-Dot’s Canadian rival was his target and that his relentless attacks dug into Drake’s character and image, with some in Hip-Hop crowning Lamar an absolute winner in their feud.
Adding to the layers, the video for “Not Like Us” was another celebration of greater Los Angeles with YG, Dot’s former boss at TDE Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Mustard, and DeMar DeRozan showing off regional pride via their appearances. It has come to the point that listening back to the relatively light jabs thrown on “LIKE THAT,” it remains baffling that the beef reached the heights that it did.
All of this has naturally overshadowed other crowning achievements from West Coast artists, and we’ll do our best to examine the year that was.
Groovy Q
Source: Billboard / Getty
ScHoolboy Q also dropped in March with his sixth studio album, Blue Lips, an album that we at Hip-Hop Wired reviewed and enjoyed immensely. To date, no other major Hip-Hop release has taken as many risks sonically as Blue Lips and further cements the legend of ScHoolboy Q as a streetwise but spiritually grounded lyricist. And as much as the production stood out on Blue Lips, the maestro in the middle of the maelstrom was always Q.
Vince Staples Continues Strong Run
Source: Erika Goldring / Getty
The buoyancy and chaotic energy of Blue Lips is not overtly present on Vince Staples’ sixth album, Dark Times, another example of the Long Beach native’s ability to find a reflective thread in even the starkest details surrounding his upbringing and rise to fame. Dark Times is not an overjoyous album, at least not overall. As the album reveals, Staples consistently presents himself as an artist who isn’t interested in being dissected or even understood. The album is an audio missive of someone who hopes to exist on their terms without the weight of expectations.
T Says He’s The Biggest Out The City Since Kenny
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Tyler, The Creator —no longer just the talented, if foul-mouthed, producer-rapper that fronted the sprawling Odd Future crew — is now a veteran act and eight studio albums deep. His latest, Chromakopia, is an audio hodgepodge of all of Tyler’s sounds from rapping, singing, jazz, rock, you name it, it’s here. Continuing some of his chest-out rapping that appeared on CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, T acknowledges K-Dot on “Rah Tah Tah,” signaling that the coast is unified. Chromakopia follows a concept that aims at rabid fans, tackles the abortion debate, and bashes the upkeep of fame. Some have crowned the record as the best to release this year.
Soul-O Hoe!
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Ab-Soul’s sixth studio album, Soul Burger, was seen as a surprise considering the staggered release schedule that TDE typically employs. Dedicated to his good friend Doeburger, who passed away in 2021, Soul Burger finds the “Martin Luther King of Carson” paying homage to his friend and his roots while once again showing why he might be the strongest lyricist to emerge from the Top Dawg Entertainment camp.
New Kung Fu Kenny!
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This brings us to the surprise release on Friday (November 22) of Lamar’s latest album, GNX, a body of work that seems to be a continuation of the sound examined on “Not Like Us” and features the full version of “squabble up,” a track we only heard as a snippet previously. GNX, at least on our first listen, doesn’t stick to a theme or sound and will take some time to take in all the finer points. That said, K-Dot shows off his extraordinary abilities, and the autobiographical “The Heart Pt. 6” is a highlight. And yes, there are shots at Drake, mentions of the Super Bowl, and maybe even a dig at Lil Wayne? You be the judge.
Other standout albums that highlighted the West Coast’s dominance this year include the likes of Jay Worthy and DāM FunK’s funky Magic Hour collaborative album, Tha Dogg Pound’s We All We Got, Larry June’s Doing It For Me, Big-Hit, Hit-Boy, and The Alchemist’s Black & Whites, and JasonMartin (FKA Problem) and DJ Quik’s Chupacabra.
We also got potent bar work from Planet Asia and his Trust The Chain II EP with 38 Spesh on production. TiRon and Ayomari’s The Adventures of TiRon & Ayomari, Thurz’s Yannick Koffi: In Time, and Casual’s Starbuster EP should all be included in this concise roundup.
Regional biases and arguments aside, it will be determined over time if the West Coast can sustain its momentum into 2025. But if 2024 is any indication, the West had a lot more than just something to say. It appears that the entire coast is ready to move together as a cohesive unit, and as the smoke continues to clear, any challenge to the respective thrones will be sufficiently met.
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Source: pgLang / pgLang
It was just another Friday, November 22. And then Kendrick Lamar dropped a new album, seemingly out of nowhere, titled GNX.
Source: pgLang / phLang
The album was released at noon eastern time and features the Compton rapper getting busy over a dozen tracks for slightly under 45 minutes. Producting courtesy of Sounwave, DJ Mustard, Jack Antonoff, K-Dot himself and more. That Luther Vandross sample on “luther,” featuring SZA, is clutch. And “tv off” is a flip on that song everyone knows and that Drake surely hates.
Kendrick Lamar will be headlining the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, and just like that he has plenty of more material to perform, along with the mega-hit Drake diss “Not Like Us” (which as far as we can tell is AWOL from this project).
K. Dot is diabolical when it comes to this Hip-Hop ish. Peep the requisite hyperbolic reactions in the gallery.
This story is developing.