ICYMI: Kendrick And Drake Are Beefing BIG Time, So Let's Rank Their Disses
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The two superstar rappers have traded shots for over a month, creating an essential buzz that hip-hop hasn't felt in a long time.
So, with the content they're both serving up, the only natural step now is to rank each blow the rappers have made:
10."Buried Alive Parody"
Part of the rollout for his diss song, "Family Matters," this parody was featured on an Instagram post with Drake mocking Lamar, who was on the original 2011 track "Buried Alive Interlude" on Drake's Take Care album. He jokingly mocks Lamar's delivery of the song and raps, "You've always been a b*tch to me."
9."Taylor Made Freestyle"
This freestyle, which got posted on Instagram but deleted days later due to disapproval from the estate of Tupac Shakur, featured Drake using AI-generated voices in the first two verses, using the voices of Shakur and Snoop Dogg, two West Coast legends that have a heavy influence on Lamar, who is from Compton, California.
The freestyle was an attempt to get Lamar to respond quickly. Some were on the side of Drake doing this and viewed it as creative and something new, while others disliked the move due to the use of AI and believed songs should be original.
8."The Heart Part 6"
Drake dropped this diss record on a Sunday night to respond to "Not Like Us." While Drake has some highs on this song and shows his lyrical ability, there were some missteps, and the diss didn't hit like many intended to, mainly because the Toronto rapper used Lamar's signature "The Heart" series title.
On this diss track, Drake was more on the defensive than offensive, denying Lamar's claims of him being an informant and sexual predator. A line like, "I'm way too famous for the sh*t you just suggested," isn't the best rebuttal for those types of claims for anyone famous. However, Drake did say that he's been feeding Lamar false information about this beef, which is a strategic move, whether it's true or not.
7."6:16 in LA"
A good lyrical exercise, this song sounds like vintage Kendrick Lamar. He suggests in the song that there is a mole in Drake's camp, otherwise known as OVO (October's Very Own), and that someone in OVO is giving information to Kendrick.
6."Meet the Grahams"
This song feels like listening to a horror film. Kendrick talks to the Grahams, which is Drake's family. He's speaking to Drake's son, Adonis, in the first verse and his parents in the second verse, and alludes that Drake may be hiding an 11-year-old daughter in the third verse. Lastly, Kendrick speaks directly at Drake in the last verse and says his life is a lie.
Kendrick dropped this immediately after Drake dropped "Family Matters," which was a good chess move since fans were likelier to listen to the more recent song.
5."Push Ups"
This reply caught the world off guard since it dropped unexpectedly. Drake is airing out anyone who has a problem with him. While attention went to the primary opponent, Kendrick Lamar, Drake also took shots at Rick Ross, Future, the Weeknd, and producer Metro Boomin. A case can be made that the most memorable and funniest line in the diss track is, "Metro, shut your ho a** up and make some drums."
Drake has been the main center of attention in hip-hop for the last 15 years and is still the main attraction. It isn't difficult in that period to have enemies, whether over competition, women, awards, or people simply not liking you. But that hasn't stopped Drake from stepping up to the mic and going at everyone.
4."Euphoria"
This is Kendrick Lamar's official response to the "Push Ups" diss track. Though it starts slow and samples Teddy Pendergrass' classic track, "You're My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration," in the beginning, this diss track transitions to a more aggressive and uptempo beat after about the 54-second mark, and Lamar is officially ready for lyrical war.
From calling Drake a "scam artist" to giving an in-depth breakdown as to why he "hates" Drake, this song is 6 minutes and 24 seconds of a rapper telling another rapper why he has such a disdain for him, from the way that he walks, talks, etc.
3."Like That"
March 22, 2024, will forever go down in hip hop history as the "Diss Heard Round the World" when Kendrick Lamar made a surprise appearance on the Future and Metro Boomin album, We Don't Trust You, and ultimately called out Drake and even gave his friend and rap colleague J. Cole some jabs as well. "Motherf*ck the big three, it's just big me" will always be remembered.
But what I'll remember most about that night is being overly excited in my room as if I were the one who wrote the verse.
2."Family Matters"
It seems like almost everybody in hip-hop wants to go to Drake, but that's no problem for him. Drake is at his best when bragging and letting everyone know that he is on top of the rap game, no matter who likes it or not. Drake alleges that Kendrick abuses the mother of his kids. He also says one of his two kids doesn't belong to him, but it belongs to his longtime business partner, Dave Free. He also takes shots at his other foes.
The music video to the diss was a huge plus. Crushing the red family van seen on the album cover of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city was creative.
1."Not Like Us"
Having just released "Meet the Grahams" the night before, K. Dot decides to not only drop another song the next day but make a legit club record for everybody to dance to. With production from DJ Mustard, Kendrick goes full West Coast on this track and wreaks havoc.
This is the best song so far in this rap beef, and may ultimately give Kendrick Lamar the win in this historic rap beef if it were to conclude. Interestingly enough, Kendrick used the Drake formula by making a hit record with a catchy hook, which can be played everywhere, from nightclubs to television.
The final 55 seconds of the song have the masses in a chokehold. "Let me hear you say, OV-ho" and "then step this way, step that way" are easy to vibe and dance to.
Even those who aren't paying too much attention to what's going on in hip-hop are dancing to the record, which is a win. Very well played by Kung-Fu Kenny.
What do you think? What's been your favorite diss/diss response in this rap beef?
