Nearly three weeks after speculation and silence, Drake has delivered his much-anticipated response. Early this morning, a leaked track surfaced online, igniting debates about its authenticity. Was it genuinely Drake or an AI-generated replica? As the internet leaned toward its legitimacy, Drake confirmed it by sending the official version, now with an improved beat, to DJ Akademiks for a livestream debut.
Over a sinister, brooding beat—reportedly sampling Junior Mafia’s “Get Money” in its original form—Drake spends four minutes addressing the flurry of shots directed at him since the release of “Like That.” “What the hell is this, a 20 v 1, n-gga?” he quips, making it clear he’s been taking notes.
Unlike his usual penchant for subtlety, Drake opts for full transparency, naming names without hesitation. He calls out Rick Ross, claiming Ross’s chart-topping tracks owe their success to him. He accuses The Weeknd’s right-hand man, Cash, of reckless spending, and takes a jab at Metro Boomin, telling him to “shut your bitch ass up and make some drums.” Even Ja Morant doesn’t escape unscathed, as Drake raps, “Shout out to the hooper that be busting out the griddy/I know why you mad, I ain’t even tripping.”
Curiously absent is a direct mention of Future, though Drake responds to a line from “We Don’t Trust You” by saying, “I can never be another n-gga No. 1 fan/Your first No. 1 I had to put it in your hands.” He also alludes to the Rolling Loud stage, where Metro and Future debuted “Like That,” cryptically suggesting that things might shift “if your BM kiss and tell”—possibly referencing Travis Scott, who shares two children with Kylie Jenner.
However, most of Drake’s energy is reserved for Kendrick Lamar. He mocks Kendrick’s height, calling him a “pipsqueak” and a “so-called big stepper” with size 7 shoes. Beyond the juvenile jabs, Drake focuses on Kendrick’s business ties with Top Dawg Entertainment, alleging exploitation: “Maroon 5 need a verse you better make it witty/Then we need a verse for the Swifties/Top say ‘drop,’ you better drop and give him 50.”
Drake goes on to propose a revised Big Three lineup, placing himself alongside 21 Savage and Travis Scott, while relegating Kendrick to irrelevance. He even dismisses J. Cole’s praise for Kendrick’s “Like That” verse at the recent Dreamville Festival: “I don’t care what Cole think, that Dot shit was weak as fuck.”
Drake’s closing dare to Kendrick—“drop the bomb or shut your mouth”—hints at an ulterior motive. He alleges Kendrick has been sitting on a nuclear diss for years but hasn’t had the courage to release it. By throwing down the gauntlet, Drake appears to be baiting Kendrick into escalating the feud, confident he has more ammunition waiting.
Yet, Drake’s passing reference to Kendrick’s partner Whitney (“I’ll be with some bodyguards like Whitney”) evokes memories of his 2018 feud with Pusha T. That battle took a personal turn when Pusha retaliated to a mention of his then-fiancée by revealing intimate details about Drake’s family. Is Drake prepared for Kendrick to take things to a similarly personal level, or is he underestimating his opponent once again?
Kendrick’s Provocation
Three weeks earlier, Kendrick Lamar decisively ended his decade-long Cold War with Drake with a single verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s highly anticipated album We Don’t Trust You. On the track “Like That,” Kendrick declared his readiness to “choose violence,” calling for his adversary to prove he’s a problem. Though names weren’t explicitly mentioned, Kendrick’s reference to Drake’s For All the Dogs album and the song “First Person Shooter” left little doubt about his target.
“Prince outlived Mike Jack,” Kendrick rapped, a direct challenge to Drake’s self-comparison to Michael Jackson. The verse’s venom—delivered on a track sampling Three 6 Mafia and layered with Metro’s masterful production—set the internet ablaze.
The track also marked a new front in Kendrick and Drake’s storied rivalry. The pair’s relationship dates back to 2011, when Drake featured Kendrick on his Take Care album and brought him on tour. But tensions simmered after Kendrick’s now-iconic verse on “Control” in 2013, where he name-checked Drake among other peers. Over the years, the animosity has manifested in subliminal jabs, competitive bars, and moments of palpable tension—none as direct as Kendrick’s latest salvo.
The Bigger Picture
As the feud between two of rap’s titans escalates, their mutual collaborator J. Cole finds himself in a precarious position. Long seen as the bridge between the two, Cole has maintained friendships with both artists while steadily building his own case as the best MC of his generation. His verse on “First Person Shooter”—where he calls himself part of rap’s Big Three alongside Drake and Kendrick—may now read as naïve optimism in light of Kendrick’s dismissive “Motherfuck the Big Three, it’s just Big Me” line.
Adding to the intrigue is the role of Future and Metro Boomin. Future’s decision to host Kendrick’s diss on his album raises questions about his alliance with Drake, given their history of collaborations. Metro, for his part, has subtly shaded Drake in the past, further fueling speculation about his loyalties.
Meanwhile, We Don’t Trust You is earning praise as one of the year’s best rap albums, its brilliance overshadowed but not diminished by the beef. As fans revel in the drama, the music remains the ultimate victor—proving, once again, that no one stirs the pot quite like hip-hop.