Ever wondered what happens when rap royalty clashes in the kingdom of hip-hop? Well, get ready to dive into the juicy details of the Kendrick Lamar, Drake, J. Cole – and surprise guest A$AP Rocky – beef! This ain’t your average playground squabble; this is a lyrical battle of epic proportions that has fans on the edge of their seats. From fiery verses to subtle shade, these heavyweights of Hip-Hop have been throwing punches through their music, leaving us all wondering who will come out on top. So, grab your popcorn and buckle up as we unravel the drama, the diss tracks, and the alliances in this rap game showdown.
The beef between Kendrick Lamar, Drake, J. Cole, and even A$AP Rocky traces back to a series of subtle jabs in their lyrics.
It all began when Kendrick Lamar’s verse on “Control” sparked a frenzy in the rap world, calling out several rappers, including Drake and J. Cole.
How it all started:
Lamar’s verse on “Like That” references Drake and Cole’s 2023 song “First Person Shooter,” in which Cole dubbed the three rappers the industry’s greatest. “We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali,” Cole rapped.
Lamar profanely dismissed that notion, concluding, “It’s just big me.”
But he saved most of his venom for Drake, seemingly comparing himself to Prince and Drake to Michael Jackson, noting that “Prince outlived Mike Jack” and referencing Drake’s latest album “For All the Dogs” with the lines: “’fore all your dogs gettin’ buried/ That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see ‘Pet Sematary.’”
Lamar was drawing a line in the sand, said Rob Markman, a music journalist and vice president of content strategy at Genius, a service that annotates song lyrics. “Kendrick is the aggressor here. [His] stance, so it seems, is you can’t just say you’re the greatest. You’re going to have to prove that. We’re not in a world where you can just say anything. This is hip-hop.”
On April 5, Cole dropped the surprise album “Might Delete Later,” including the song “7 Minute Drill,” in which the North Carolina native implies that Lamar only averages “one good rap verse” every 30 months, and that he disses other artists in his music for attention. Cole also criticized Lamar’s acclaimed albums “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” calling the first boring and overrated and the second “tragic.”
Many listeners viewed that angle as a major misfire.
“The problem with that [verse] is Kendrick has a stellar discography,” Markman said. “The whole thing about battle rap: … It doesn’t all have to be true. But when you’re most successful is when you take a bit of the truth and twist it in your favor, and you get the public on your side. I think that’s what Cole tried to do here,” Markman said. “I think it was a swing and a miss.”
Cole seemed to agree. While onstage at his Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, the rapper walked back what he said on the track, explaining that the response he saw to the song didn’t “sit right with my spirit,” disrupting his sleep and peace of mind.
“That was the lamest, goofiest s—,” Cole said. He also told fans that he would update the song or remove it from streaming services (it has since been removed).
“J. Cole famously said he let Nas down in a song many years ago, and with this move he’s let hip-hop down,” Krishnamurthy said. “It’s disappointing to see that somebody who, as an athlete himself, understands healthy competition and sportsmanship and also is a true lover of the art form of hip-hop, would come out with a diss record and then 48 hours later, rescind it.”
Drake appeared to release a diss track against Lamar on Saturday, versions of which were leaked by multiple X (formerly Twitter) accounts. In the song, Drake dissed Lamar, Metro Boomin, Future, The Weeknd, Rick Ross and even referenced J. Cole’s apology.
On the track, which appears to be titled “Push Ups,” Drake asked how Lamar was “steppin with a size 7 mens on” and called Lamar a “pipsqueak.” He also denounced Lamar’s recent album. “Your last one bricked, you really not on s–t / They make excuses for you ’cause they hate to see me lit,” he rapped.
Though the song was not officially released by Drake, he posted a photo on his Instagram story showing Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill” facing off with a number an enemies, which some fans took as confirmation that the song was legitimate. LeBron James, a noted fan and friend of Drake, posted an owl emoji with some flames in an X post on Saturday, yet another sign that the song might be legitimate. (Many fans wondered if the song was done by artificial intelligence.)
In response to the song, Rick Ross released his own diss track called “Champagne Moments” hours later on Saturday, in which he suggested that Drake got a nose job and surgery on his stomach, and called the biracial rapper a “White boy.”
On Sunday, Drake responded to Rick Ross on his Instagram story, posting a screenshot of a text exchange with his mom, who asked Drake if he had actually received a nose job. Drake denied that he had the procedure and teased another response to Rick Ross. The latter then shared a video on his own Instagram page where he talked about “BBL Drake,” referring to the cosmetic surgery procedure known as a Brazilian Butt Lift.
Alliances may be forming on both sides across hip-hop. Lamar’s diss came on a record with Metro Boomin, who has beefed with Drake and Future, a frequent collaborator of Drake’s. And some fans suggested that Rick Ross shaded Drake after he posted a video of himself listening to Lamar’s verse while smoking a cigar.
“It’s almost like Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Civil War,’” said Markman, “where you got superheroes on one side, superheroes on another side, and it’s about to be a clash going on.”
Friday another big name joined forces against Drake: A$AP Rocky, who appears on the track “Show of Hands” on Future and Metro Boomin’s second album in three weeks, “We Still Don’t Trust You.”
Drake and Rihanna, with whom Rocky has two children, once dated, and Rocky’s lyrics appear to reference that history (men “in their feelings over women, what, you hurt or somethin’?”) as well as Drake’s son (“I smash before you birthed, son, Flacko hit it first, son”), whose existence only came to light during Drake’s highly personal 2018 showdown with Pusha T.
Cole’s apology speech was met on social media with an explosion of jokes, memes and hot takes from fans who felt robbed of a huge matchup. Even brands like Spotify have waded into the feud, posting billboards across New York City that read: “Hip-Hop is a competitive sport.”
There you have it – the juicy details of the epic rap feud between Kendrick Lamar, Drake, J. Cole, and even A$AP Rocky! From diss tracks to personal beef, this rivalry has kept the hip-hop industry on its toes. Tensions run high, and the lyrical sparring is as fierce as ever. The impact on fans and the industry is undeniable, with everyone picking sides and eagerly awaiting the next move in this rap battle royale. Will they bury the hatchet or take it up a notch? Only time will tell.
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