Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake Rap Beef Explained

[music] Hello and welcome to another episode of Base News Network. My name is Sophie, aka Jonavarca, and I'm here with Cairo, aka punk revolution now. And today, we will be dissecting the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef. Hi Sophie. Hello. Are you ready to dive deep into Drizzy and K-Dot? Oh god. Are you ready to explore Drizzy? No, no not. I'm not. I was no. No, I'm not. I'm excited to, I'm excited to examine Drizzy's beef with K-Dot. All right, so for the folks who are new to this whole thing, Drizzy's Drake and K-Dot is Kendrick Lamar. And Drake and Kendrick Lamar are some of the most fire rappers to ever walk this planet, and they have entered into an epic battle, the proportions of which we have not seen, since, well. Maybe Star Wars Episode 3? Oh, yeah, yeah. All righty, so, so, okay, I do actually want to say, so Drake and Kendrick Lamar, this rap beef stuff, it's actually been a pretty high, a pretty high quantity of content coming out of it. And I'm sure everybody's seen some snippets here and there of people going crazy on Twitter and Instagram over there, whatever. But I will say one, first off, this podcast, we're going to go in order through each of the major events, we're recording right now on May 5th, by the way. Yeah, there could be more developments when this is uploaded. Yes. But I think this podcast, if you really are out of the loop, will be a good intro to it. And if you have been following, well, you get to hear our takes on it. And, second of all, I will say, I actually do think this whole thing, this whole hip-hop rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has actually been very high quality in terms of the music coming out and the entertainment. So, if you're not following it, I recommend maybe checking it out, because this actually has been quite entertaining from start to finish. Like, finally, some excitement in music, you know? That's literally how it feels, it's like, oh, my goodness, like an actual moment in culture that feels important. That feels real, that doesn't feel fake. Yes. Yes. The emotions coming through here are real and very, very fun and spicy. So, I guess we could start at the beginning. Okay, I was a whole detailed memo, basically, detailing the whole tee for me, for my little brain to comprehend, so it's very helpful. Why don't you- It's a little homework outline, a little- Yeah, he did it a little outline, so- Okay. So, I guess, well, first of all, say Drake and Kendrick, I think, based off what I'm picking up, like, they've been kind of for a long time, have been doing, like, very subtle jobs at each other, but it's never really boiled over into anything, seriously. But for the sake of this climax between the two, I'd say the story starts, they're climaxing. The climax starts, I think, or, no, the start of this epic saga, I think starts on with Drake and J. Cole dropping the song "First Person Shooter," which came out October of 2023. And in this song, J. Cole has a line in it about how, who were, like, the best three rappers? Is it Drake, J. Cole, or is it Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Drake? Or the, you know, it feels like we're the big three. Yeah. Okay, but is that true, though? Like, I mean, I feel like Kendrick's very good. Is Drake, like, is Drake actually, like, that could have a rapper, though? Like, I mean, aside from his recent, his recent, disc track. Hmm. That's a good question, 'cause I- Or is J. Cole, is J. Cole that good, either? I'm gonna start with Drake, and then I'll give you my thoughts on J. Cole. Okay. So Drake, you know, and just, like, kind of like a spoiler, like, like, at some point in this beef, there's so many songs in this beef I don't even know what is what. But I know at one point Drake literally says, like, in one of the lyrics is, like, Kendrick, if I was- if I didn't go into pop music and I just sticked with conscious hip hop, I would have all your fans. So, like, it's almost like Drake is literally acknowledging that, yes, his music is pop. And therefore, like, maybe it's less critically acclaimed. But if he chose to make, like, serious, conscious hip hop like Kendrick Lamar, he would have that same level of fame and- and like, quality. Is that true or not? I don't know. Interesting. Yeah. But I will say, you know, I- Drake was, like, really, really all over the radio huge when I was in- in high school with his- I like- take care was really big, and if you're reading this, it's too late, which were, like, I think quite good. I think quite good hip hop records and R&B records. So I will- I think objectively, Drake, and the- you know, even if we don't like his pop piece, you know, stuff that he's just churning out lately, the fact that he's able to churn all that out and stay, you know, so relevant, even if it's not my favorite stuff, it's still, like, it's still a talent in its own. Yeah. Yeah. But yes, I think Drake's never released anything- any record that, like, is as monumental as some of Kendrick's records, but- and then Jay Cole, I don't really have much to say. I- I guess it is a little funny that, like, you know, Jay Cole is trying to put him, Drake, and Kendrick as, like, the definitive pop group- I was, like, really? I was, like, I- where's Kanye? Yeah, it was definitely, like, a- it was definitely kind of a weird line. I don't think it's necessarily, like, mean, um, necessarily, but I feel- I feel like that was a cell phone. Yeah. Like, Jay Cole's part. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so that was that- that was, like, the initial line that, like, again, I don't- you know, I- I think, like, putting yourself in the- like, you know, the- the line is saying, it's not saying anything. It's just saying, like, that Kendrick is one of the best three rappers in the world along with myself and- and Drake as the line. It's not necessarily beefy, it's not necessarily a dis, but Kendrick did not like that line. I didn't want to get compared to Drake and Jay Cole. Which is- I think that's fair. Um, I understand. I understand, like- but, you know, I- I do think it probably came from a good place, but maybe it didn't. We did it. Maybe there's more to it than I didn't fully grasp. Because in March of 2024, so now we're getting- two months ago, uh, Future and Metro Boomin released an album, and it- one of the songs featured Kendrick- let me see what's- let me get the- I actually should get the song them up for the- the people who look listening once I get Future, Metro Boomin. There's so many different artists and songs involved in this beef. And hang in there, folks, 'cause it's- it's- even though there's a lot, it gets very spicy. This song is called, like- the song is called "Like That." Okay. And this is pretty, you know, pretty transparent shots fired, where Kendrick says- that was- Kendrick basically says- that was a sneak dis, that that was actually like a- like kind of a passive-aggressive sort of sneak dis. And that there is no big three, it's just the big me. Oh. And then- Yeah, I know, right? And then he explicitly disses Drake's album, "All the Dogs," which is the name of Drake's album, and says that, like, all those dogs are gonna end up in the pet cemetery or something like that. I don't know. That was like- but that was like a pretty objective, like, you know, you- you two are not as good as me, and I don't like your album Drake. All right, so- So a spief is getting- I would say that's where the- the- the- it really crosses into, like, shots fired. So it sounds like- It sounds like, like, publicly speaking, like, Kendrick kind of started it. I would say so, you know, I- like I said, I know this is- Like, I'm sure stuff goes on behind doors, I mean, I'm just saying, like, publicly, right? I would say so. I would say- I would say this is like the- I would say, like, the- the- the G-Cole line. I don't necessarily see that as something that Kendrick needed to respond to. So I would say, you know, Kendrick started it, but, you know, it's- it's kind of interesting because I just, like, I feel like this is just such, like, an organic escalation. Like every song that comes out in this beef just gets like the line gets pushed a little bit more and more and more. Which just reminds me a lot of like real world, like fights and wars, how like things kind of escalate, you know what I mean? - Yeah. - Like you have to respond for your honor, basically. You know what I mean? - Yeah, and I mean these are men, we're talking about men, they got a, they're famous men who are artists and they definitely have to like hold their ground and like, I mean, I don't know, I feel like wraps, the big part about wrap is like masculinity and like honor. So yeah, and that does come out, that does come through a lot in this beef for sure. So, so then, so then March 25th, which was like a few days after that like Kendrick verse comes out, Drake says while he's on tour, Drake says to the audience, a lot of people are asking me how I'm feeling. I'm gonna let you know how I'm feeling. Listen, the way I'm feeling is the same way I want to, I want you to walk out of your feeling tonight after your effing self. Because you know how I'm feeling? I don't know what that means. I got my effing head up high, my back straight. I'm 10 effing toes down in Florida or anywhere else I go and I know that no matter what. There's not a person on this earth that could ever eff with me in my life. And that's how I want you to walk out of here tonight. Okay. So just kind of like posturing, you know, like very macho posturing, you know, exactly. So that was, you know, so that made headlines. And then this is where things, I think this is where I wasn't really paying attention to that, but the next part in the saga is where I started paying attention because it gets quite funny. Or maybe I don't know if funny is there a word, it just gets bizarre. And that's with the J Cole stuff. So J Cole on April 5th, so this is like 10 days later or 11 days later, drops a mixtape titled Might Delete Later, which is a very fitting title. Yeah. And there's two things in this song, in this mixtape that stand out related to this beef. One is the last song on the album titled Seven Minute Drill, which is a diss track against Kendrick very explicitly. Basically just, you know, kind of a generic diss track, basically saying Kendrick's latest music isn't as good. He fell off and some of his music's boring and that J Cole is better, which is like really just so blatantly not true and like just kind of like. J Cole just wanted to be included. J Cole wants to be included, exactly. But then the other thing in the mixtape is the song Pi, PI, Pi. And there, it has these lyrics in it, which are referring to Kendrick. So this is really important. I'm seeing hints of a trans fella in Cancel Culture's vicinity. He's no killer. Trust me. Beneath his chosen identity, there's still a pussy period. That's just crazy and that is actually insane on so many levels. Yeah, it's just like these lyrics. Okay, so so there's a few things. One, so yes, J Cole is implying that Kendrick is a trans man. Two, obviously these lyrics are very transphobic. And three, the lyrics are just terrible and misogynistic. And the lyrics are just terrible. Like it's like, what does this, what does this even mean? What are you trying to say here, J Cole? You know, like if you're going to be embarrassing, you know, like it's stupid enough to be transphobic, but like you're using transphobia in a really stupid, like stupid way that's like, even if transphobia was like. It just doesn't even make sense though. It doesn't make any sense. Yeah, so I think it is worth noting here also, is that Kendrick Lamar and Kendrick's latest album does have a song titled "Entie Diaries", which is about Kendrick coming to love and accept someone in Kendrick's family whose trans. And that was a controversial song, but overall, like I think it's like a Kendrick's kind of like, showing like, allyship to trans people in that song all things considered. And maybe this J Cole, this is sort of like, poking at that, you know, which is really lame. Like, you know, that was like a personal song from Kendrick and you're responding to that with transphobia. I don't know, but it's just a really lame all around from J Cole. Yeah, I don't know. It sounds like he really wanted to be involved when he like did not need to be involved. Yeah, I agree. Like it's kind of sad because like the initial thing that kicked it off was that song or J Cole like said that they're the three big three. And then yeah, it's kind of sad like he wanted to be included and then he like once he wasn't, he was like, fuck you. Yeah, yeah. And then Kendrick's response to that lyrics from J Cole honestly was more focused on Drake than J Cole. So J Cole is kind of getting the most. J Cole's not even relevant. Yes, yeah. So yeah, I don't really honestly, I know you asked me when I thought of J Cole earlier and I just didn't even respond 'cause I really don't have very many thoughts. I've never found it that interesting, but I know a lot of people love him. So I'm sure there's good stuff in his discography somewhere. I haven't found it yet. So. All right, thank you. Thank you for the little aside. Yes. So that was an April 5th when that mixtape dropped. And then on April 8th, J Cole apologizes on stage in North Carolina. And says he feels terrible about dropping the disc against Kendrick and said it didn't sit with him right after like seeing the reactions to it. So I want to know, I don't think he actually apologized for transphobia, but he just kind of like walked back the disc and said he felt bad about it. That's like, why did you do it then? Yeah, the whole thing just feels so weird. And you know, I feel like with J Cole, I feel like J Cole, like the stereotype of J Cole is that J Cole sees himself as like a relatively like sophisticated rapper. And I think like a lot of like J Cole fans think of him as like a bit more on like the sophisticated side, more like artistic, I guess. So like Kendrick. Like a Kendrick or a Kanye, like I feel I see them as very artistic, wee. I would say that like, I don't know how else to put this, but like, J Cole, like J Cole has never, I don't think J Cole has ever accomplished anything as interesting, I don't mean that. I just mean like do his fans think of him like that. Like a Kendrick or a Kanye. Yeah, I think a lot of J Cole fans think of J Cole as like somehow like a conscious rapper that's like a little bit more intellectual than your average rapper. But like I don't like, I think it's just like, I think it's kind of a joke to like non J Cole fans because it's like, there's not much like, there's not much there to back up that kind of like, it's like almost like he has like the pretent, he's like almost like has the pretentiousness of that without actually delivering anything that's like quality. - Yeah, like Kanye definitely has that pretension, but then, oops, sorry, something fell off, I think. Like Kanye definitely has that like ego, but he usually can deliver. - Exactly, exactly. So yeah, it's like, I think a lot of people think of J Cole's music for lack of a better word is just boring. So anyways, so, but I guess the reason I brought that up though, it's just because like, I think like J Cole apologizing and backing out of this disc, I feel like he's just reinforces this like sort of, this sort of joke about J Cole because it's like, you know, trying to walk away and be the higher person, like take the high road and not engage in a B for whatever is like such a classic J Cole move, but it's actually, you know, to everybody who's like, who's not a huge J Cole stand, it just seems really kind of like pathetic, you know? - Interesting. - You know, you like throw punches and then like say, oh, I'm sorry, that was stupid of me. That was so lame and it's like, come on. Like, we don't want to, we don't want to see a fight. Like, give us a fight, you know what I mean? So, but yeah, I mean, you know, it was, it was super lame because it's just like, the song is about how, like the song that J Cole dropped is like going after Kendrick Lamar's discography for not being that good and then J Cole's like, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry Kendrick, your music is actually really amazing. I really look up to you. It's like damn. - Bro. - You got destroyed by Kendrick and Kendrick didn't even open his mouth. - For real? So, so far Kendrick's winning. - Yes, and J Cole, I mean, J Cole lost before the fight even started, you know? Where the transphobia too is, it's like such a huge L. All right, so next up we have, so on April 19th, Drake drops his diss track against Kendrick, which is titled Push-ups. And this song makes basically, I think the biggest thing going on here's like, making fun of Kendrick Lamar for being small, Take flight. like short. I feel like that's all they they gone on him for the most part. Yeah and I mean I will say at this point you know like there's no need to pull out the big guns because all Kendrick kind of said was like we're not you know we're not the top three artists I'm the best artist like it's like you know of course like of course he's gonna say that that's what like a lot of rap is about that yeah yeah it's like a battle for honor you know so yes it is kind of stupid but it's like kind of funny and it's like fun it's like oh my god yes it happened like no one cared about Jay Cole dropping his songs but then Drake does it and it's like yeah it's like you know when you're at the at the the rodeo and like the bull has finally been like become loose and you get to watch the show start you know what I mean what is it called with the the bull fighters I guess bull fighting yeah Matador Matador yes the Matador the Matador show has begun and it's a good and I also want to say like this is a good song for Drake I think all the songs in this beef are very high quality that's why that that's why the beef is good because it's producing like good content like music yes because like you know how we feel about music these days it's bad yes there's like like there's actual like energy behind because like these songs are not being written and released for the sake of like maximizing streams exactly you know exactly like this is like they know these they know this is going down in the history books so they want to like think artistically rather than like they're actually making each other better they are they are and that and and people are saying that because one like I said like Drake has gone in this pop direction I actually did not know Drake had it in him to release music that's like a little bit more like tough you know what I mean like it's like he's he's always like releasing you know like lately it's been you know just fun club pop rap music and now it's like he's getting a little bit tougher and like a little bit more mean and that's kind of fun it's kind of fun uh so pushups it's a good it's a great song actually I actually didn't listen to that one I forgot to listen to that one I listened to most of them in this thing but so it's a good one yeah yeah so and again just to like give you you know so everyone can listen and like the album cover is like a it's like a shoe size on the album cover which is like a small shoe it's like a basically small feet and then also in the song Drake also has like a like a like a dis in there against the against Rick Ross the weekend metro boomin in future and more so it's kind of like a not only is Drake coming out of the gate swinging he's also like a lot of other people are getting kind of looped in and I honestly haven't even I haven't even looked into all that stuff just because there's just so much other stuff going on but just to give you a sense of the amount of content coming out and it gets and I'd say that that we're just you know it gets it just gets it gets more crazy from here so that was it so then so we've so so just as a recap we had Jake whole drop a song apologize Drake dropped the song which is a little bit more you know more explicitly throng some punches and then before Kendrick even responds so so so so Drake's song push up came out on April 19th and on April 24th Drake drops the song titled Taylor made freestyle and Taylor is spelled like Taylor Swift and yes and this song is interesting for a multitude of reasons one it features eight the AI voices of Tupac and Snoop Dogg that's so funny to me I don't know why yeah it is funny and I mean that just the truth is it's like the voices do sound like if you listen to this without knowing it's AI you might I mean obviously you know Tupac's dead but you know it just it sounds like the voices sound pretty legit it's really funny it sounds like he's trying to like be backed up by like like legendary rappers like is that what he's doing yeah so Kendrick Lamar is a West Coast rapper he's from California right and yes and I'd say right now Kendrick is the I can't think of any other West Coast rappers that come anywhere close to the quality of Kendrick and that the fame of Kendrick so Kendrick is like right now the face of West Coast hip-hop and and Tupac and Snoop Dogg in the 90s were the like West Coast hip-hop legends I mean there was also like ice cube and stuff like that but anyways so so what what Drake is basically doing here is kind of like having like the legends like kind of like the gods of West Coast hip-hop come and tell Kendrick they're disappointed in him for for not responding because like because Kendrick has my eyes so yeah and Snoop Dogg's alive so like this yeah what the fuck I wonder what Snoop Dogg thinks you probably thinks it's funny and you notice it's he's probably he's probably high and he's like that's funny yes it which it is so there's that so the so he's like calling the gods of West Coast hip-hop to come shame Kendrick for not having responded yet to the disc and then um so the song title tailor-made freestyle is referring to one the fact like basically Kendrick a Drake is saying that the reason Kendrick hasn't responded to the disc is yet is because Kendrick wants to wait until after Taylor Swift's album the the tormented poet poet's department the tortured the tortured poet's department sorry I'm gonna get I'm gonna get in big trouble for that the torture is gonna come for you I know the tortured it's everybody already forgot about the album the tortured poets departments so so so so Drake is basically saying you haven't responded yet because you're concerned the tortured poets department is dropping and you don't want to get overshadowed by that that's honestly a really good it is a good it's great it's great you know that's a good one it's a good again a lot of quality stuff coming out through here it's a great it's a great song it's weird it's weird it has AI it's like obviously gonna get criticism for that you know it's like a lot of spiciness some some innovation whether it's good or bad is going on things things are occurring to say the least like some finally the envelope is being pushed envelopes are being pushed whether the good or bad envelopes will let you decide but they are being pushed oh yeah and the other thing too is Kendrick does have like a a verse like in one of Taylor Swift's really most like famous big songs bad blood yeah which I think is also kind of like poking fun at Kendrick that like Kendrick thinks of himself as like such a serious artist but then he's like doing this like you know and that it like launched his career yeah exactly so it's a little teasing there but then then the other kind of funny thing about this song is that the Tupac estate basically told Drake you have to remove this song everywhere because we don't give you permission to do this and he did and then he did so the song is like gone everywhere besides like you know you can obviously find it on youtube and stuff but like it's basically a deleted bullet basically a deleted song so kind of funny and weird too I saw speculation like clearly he's not oh sorry oh I was just gonna say I yeah I was seeing speculation on Twitter that Kendrick Lamar's record label is the one who who chased it down to make it get off taken off but I think that might be just BS yeah I could see the Tupac estate doing that yeah so what I was gonna say is that it's clear that like Drake actually doesn't care necessarily about like the streams because he put that out and I'm impressed because Drake usually seems like he does care about that yeah exactly there's so that's like this every step in this whole thing it just feels like that the the the incentives are just so focused on like quality over streams and it's like very very very fun and the thing is too like Kendrick Lamar you know he he doesn't release that often and whatever he does release it's a spectacle yeah so the fact that like and you know we have the Pulitzer yes exactly so we haven't even gone to this point yet but just spoiler or Kendrick is going to be dropping high quality and quantity stuff in this battle he literally dropped last night before I went to bed when we were talking about doing this episode like we talked about doing the episode before he dropped another diss track yes so so just as reminder so far we've got Jay Cole one track Drake a track and then Drake another track um but then Drake I sort of move that but point is there's been three three diss tracks against Kendrick and no response yet and everyone's wondering is he even gonna respond to this what's gonna happen and then on April 30th Kendrick Lamar drops his song Euphoria which is a song that's over six minutes long it has three different beat changes and it is so good dense and it's so good so not only did Kendrick not only did Kendrick drop but he dropped a nuclear bomb in terms of quality in terms of quality so definitely listen to this song like this is definitely a phenomenal song and honestly if the beef would have ended here I feel like people would already be saying this is like one of the most this exciting beefs and hip hop history. But we're just still just getting started. - Yeah, it's a big W, it's a great song. Basically what Kendrick is saying is like, he's just kind of making fun of Drake for being like lame, you know? Like this song, I don't think he has anything super juicy in it. But it's like saying like, you know, basically saying like, Drake, I mean, I feel like things I can really remember is like Kendrick basically says it's like, it's just really cringe whenever Drake says the N word. And Kendrick is like, I don't do explain myself. It just is that way because that's how it is. And you know, Drake is half white. Maybe that's a part of it. But I don't know, like that's not, that's a different conversation. I'm not gonna go into that. - Yeah, we're not gonna go into that. - Yeah, let me share my, let me share my very sharp opinions, not just kidding. So, but it's a great song. And it's just like, you could just tell that like Kendrick is like kind of like boiling with hatred towards Drake. You could just like, like you could feel it, you know? Like pretty, pretty explicitly. - I was impressed. Actually, no, I'm think, well, I was very impressed by it. But maybe not on Euphoria. The one he just dropped, we'll talk about that later. I just had a thought. But we'll talk about it when we get to the last, the latest update. - Okay, so yeah, everyone listening to Euphoria, I'd say, you know, even though I think like, pushups is like Drake's song, pushups is like the first like real quality song to come out of this beef with it's like, when he comes out of the gate, I think Euphoria is the first like outstanding song to come out of this beef. So that happens and then three days passes, or four days, three days pass and it's May 3rd. So that song came, Euphoria came out April 30th. On on May 3rd, Kendrick follows up with a second diss track, titled 616 in L.A. And in this song, he implies that within Drake's record label slash friend group, OVO, something that there's a mole working on behalf of Kendrick. - No, that's iconic. That's actually like, that's for me like the biggest W 'cause it's so, is this the one where the like, album cover is Drake's stuff, or is that the one before? - That one I think is, let me see. - I feel like an Euphoria actually. - No, Euphoria is not that. This is a picture of Drake's glove. - Oh, okay. Oh, I'm thinking of the different, the different. - Yeah. - There's so many songs. - Yes, and exactly, so many songs in all of them are really damn good. And this song is great too. And then another thing that's funny about this song, okay, so just, here's the lyrics about, so Kendrick says, have you ever thought that OVO was working for me? Fake bully, I hate bullies. You must be a terrible person. Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it. Can't Tutsi slide up out of this one. It's just gonna resurface. So Kendrick's basically saying, there's a mole in your friend group slash, OVO is Drake's record label. There's people inside your record label who are talking bad about you behind your back and are reporting information to me. - That's so awesome. - Getting, you know, getting spicier, you know, it's escalating for sure. - That is crazy. The idea that Kendrick would have a mole in Drake's friend group and that, one of Drake's friends would be doing that for Kendrick is really funny and makes Drake look really bad. Well not bad, it makes him look weak. - I agree, I agree. - That's like some, that's like some, the godfather type shit, I don't know. - Yeah, I know, it's like, it's like a movie. We're watching a movie unfold. So that was awesome, so that was on May 3rd. Oh yeah, another thing too is that song, 16 in LA where Kendrick implies that he is a mole. It's co-produced by Jack Antonov. - That's so insane. - Who produces like obviously a lot of Taylor Swift stuff. - Is this the one that's scary sounding? - No, nope, that one's coming up soon, we're not there yet. But you know, I kind of like, Kendrick saying, yes, this is Taylor made and I'm gonna roll with it rather than like feel insulted by it, you know, it's kind of like owning the Taylor Swift stuff. It was just probably a good idea. I think you probably, if you're in a beef, you probably want Taylor Swift on your side. - Exactly, exactly. - So it's a smart move. So then, so that was on May 3rd when that song comes out and then literally the same day, May 3rd, 14 hours later, Drake drops the song Family Matters. And this one really steps it up. So. - I was impressed. - I love this one. You know, it's interesting. I feel like I've seen kind of mixed feelings about this one and I know why I will get to that later. But I personally feel like a lot of you are overlooking the song Family Matters by Drake. It's also got three beats switches. Some of the beats on the song are really damn cool. Also extremely dense and also really cool to hear Drake rapping with a little bit more fire. And this song is actually kind of a bombshell. Like it's actually really, I'm like sure. - All the stuff is in there, yeah. - Yeah. So Drake says like, I'm taking the gloves off 'cause I guess like Kendrick, I don't, I think in Euphoria says something about Drake's family. I don't even know exactly what. But Drake's like, I'm gonna go out there. You're feeling, oh yeah, I don't know. Whatever, it doesn't matter. So the big things in here are that Drake I implies that one of Kendrick Lamar's kids is actually his and that the real dad is Dave free. So that's one kind of spicy kind of like jab. That's like a secret and now everybody knows about. And then the big one, if it's true. - If it's true, it might not be true. And then the big one is Drake says they hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen, the picture you painted ain't what it seemed. Basically saying, basically saying that Kendrick had beaten his wife. And there's lyrics in this song too about infidelity. And Kendrick obviously is like a, in his songs very, very, you know, conscious, moral, thoughtful songs. - Very like family oriented too. Like he talks with his family a lot. - Yeah, so it's kind of like, it's kind of like saying, you know, you're not what you say you are. You know, I think a lot of Kendrick's music does try to like own up to his flaws, but I don't think it owns up to his flaws to the point of like Kendrick beat his wife and hired a crisis management team. You know, that's like, that's a pretty, if that's true, it's a pretty big function. - Yeah, we don't know if it's true though. That's a thing. - We don't know yet. But you know, I would say it is quite shocking and honestly, you know, pretty low blows. You know, saying like, your wife is bigger than you. Like, is that what you hear? - So it's self-defense. - Yeah, exactly, exactly. So kind of still jabbing at his small size. And one thing though, let people are pointing out is that in euphoria, Kendrick has a lyric saying, don't tell lies about me and I won't tell true this about you. - See, that's where I'm low key like on Kendrick's side, even though like, okay, if this is true though, like obviously that's really fucked up. If Kendrick is meeting his wife, that's really fucked up. But I mean, when we get into the Drake allegations, like I feel like Drake's allegations are way more corroborated than like whatever he's saying about Kendrick. But I digress. - We'll get to that, we'll get to that because I do wanna talk more about that too. But anyways, I'm just gonna say like, I really liked this song. I wasn't expecting anything this high quality from Drake. It's weird, 'cause it seems like a lot of people don't care that much about this song, but then there's like a small vocal minority of people including myself who are like, hey guys, this song's actually really fucking good. But the reason- - Is it better than euphoria though? - Probably not, but- - But for Drake's graded on a curve. - Drake, yeah, exactly, guys, Drake just gotta be. That's awesome. (laughing) So that's like literally how it feels. Okay, so the reason why this song has gone so overshadowed is because if this song is a 9 out of 10, literally a few minutes after it drops, yeah. Kendrick drops the song Meet the Grams, which many people are saying is like the highlight, the climax, the masterpiece of the beef. - So far. - So far, we're gonna see what happens next. But a lot of people are saying like Meet the Grams is like one of the best hip-hop songs ever. It's amazing blah, blah. So like, I don't think so. I think that's like a lot of the hype, but I will say like, you know, so you have to understand though, like obviously if family matters drops, and then before people even have time to finish listening to it, there's like a song that Kendrick drops, that's like a lot more shocking. - And also like both of this test. The song titles are very similar because Drake's real name is Aubrey Graham. So Drake says family matters, so there's family, and it's about Kendrick and his family. And then Kendrick drops a song called Meet the Graham, which is about Drake's family. So it really does validate the mole, like if a mole told him that Drake was about to drop this and Kendrick came out and made this, which is really impressive that he made it so quickly. Like how are they making me so fast, or do they have them ready to go, or what, probably both things are true? I don't know. I don't know. It's a good question. I think honestly, if you have the motivation and the inspiration, you can pump out a really, really good song. Do you think any of them, do you think any of them use Chashi VT when they were writing? I think both of them have at least a team of people helping. Oh, true. Yeah. It's like pull up all this drama. Yeah, it's like, what's that show with the tree house, the kids in the tree house, and cartoon network? The five, oh, yes, I know you're talking about the five, like the spy kids, but it's not spy kids, but I know what you're talking about, that one cartoon. The something nine, I don't know. Spy kid, no, no, code name kids next door. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, they got a whole code name kids next door helping them. Yes, yes, and the kids are named one, two, three, four, five, the kids are literally named as numbers. So yes, they assembled the code name kids next door teams for each of these songs, I'm sure. Okay, so yes, so even though I think Family Matters is a great track with a lot of content we're discussing, we got to discuss and talk about did Kendrick literally actually be his wife? That's a thing we're talking about. No one has time to even talk or think about that because Kendrick responds with meet the grams, and yes, given the timing of the drop and the content of it being family-related in the drop, a lot of people are saying this does validate that Kendrick did, in fact, have a mole within Drake's friend group. And the album cover is a picture of Drake's stuff, including Ambien and all sorts of others. That is such an own, I can't, like that is so scary, but cool about, I don't know. Yeah, a lot of people do think this is proof that Kendrick does have a mole, but I do have another theory, which is that Kendrick maybe knew that Drake was going to bring up Kendrick beating his wife. So maybe Kendrick preemptively prepared this track to quickly pivot and distract and shift the conversation away from that? But that also proves he has a mole, though, right? Not necessarily. Well, I mean, I get that. How do you know that? He was going to say that. Maybe, maybe just Kendrick knew that, like, people in the industry knew, and he was like hoping it'd stay on the DL or something, and I mean, I don't know. Maybe not, maybe not. But, like, you're right. I guess he probably does have a mole because of the picture of the album cover. Yeah, how did he get that picture? Yeah, so there's a mole, but I do, I just want to say, like, I do kind of feel a little, some of the people are saying this is like a super bad ass move. There is a part of me that's a little uncomfortable with it because it's like, I think where everybody is collectively pivoting away a little bit too quickly from what Drake said in his song. But I digress. Meet the grams. So that's the song that Kendrick drops immediately after. And this is the one that everyone's saying is like a masterpiece. So this song is, the beat is like really creepy. It's like, has like that minor key piano and Kendrick sounds like super unhinged. And so, like Sophie was saying, you know, Drake's song "Family Matters", obviously going after Kendrick's family, Kendrick's song "Meet the Grams", obviously going into Drake's family. So we're getting into like really low-blow territory here. Yeah. And you know, like if you thought that Drake's song "Family Matters" was full of low-blows, Kendrick's song is like, it's almost uncomfortable to listen to, because what he's doing is going from one person and Drake's family to the next, wrapping directly to them. So the first lyrics to this song are, "Dear Donus, I'm sorry that man is your father." So "A Donus" is a reminder, is Drake's son, that was a secret until 2018, when Pusha T exposed the fact that Drake had a secret son named Donus to the world in a different diss track. So kind of like, you know, opening that wound up again. And Kendrick is literally saying throughout this like, that Drake, Kendrick is literally saying you'd be a better, like the world would be a better place if Drake wasn't alive, so you know, going to each of Drake's parents saying like, you know, you raised a monster and the world would be better. Like, Kendrick is literally saying, "I wish Drake was dead in this song." And singing it to like Drake's family member. So that's quite disturbing. And the two big things that we get out of this song are one, Kendrick claims that Drake has a secret daughter, I believe it. I believe that too. So it's kind of like a replay of the 2018 moment, except with the daughter, which is like a, "Whoa, oh my god, it happened again, moment, which is a lot of fun." And then two, Kendrick is really pushing that the OVO record label/tricks, like tight circle, includes people who are predators/petophiles/engaged and human trafficking. I believe it. So basically saying like, your house is due for a raid, like your house is going to get raided, like you're like, you know, Harvey Weinstein, you know what I mean? So free Epstein, rather. I do think that Kendrick references Weinstein, but whatever. Oh, hey, sorry. It's okay. Yeah. Each of these songs are like an essay in itself, so. So, it's pretty spicy, because I think everybody's just kind of like seen and heard, like these kind of like rumors and pictures of like Drake being a little suss here and there with like 18 year olds or people who are younger or whatever. No, like he was talking to Millie Bobby Brown and she's like 12 or however 14, really young. Yeah. She was 13. Yeah. So, you know, so, so because rumors are well documented and corroborated, well documented. Yes. Yes. So, it's kind of like a, you know, like it's like, it's like, it goes like to like the darkest places of like saying, you know, woman would be better off on this planet if Drake was dead, so they won't have to worry about like predators like him. And then like also like going after Drake's family. So it's like, you know, it's just like the darkest, scariest thing you can kind of think of. And everyone obviously is like, okay Kendrick one, Kendrick one is people are people are saying. And then, so that was May 3rd and then May 4th, so yesterday Kendrick did follow up with another song titled Not Like Us, which while I like it, I mean, I kind of felt like it was a little bit unnecessary, but basically like there's no new information that comes out in the song Not Like Us. He basically just calls him a pedophile like literally. Yes, exactly. So when meet the grams, Kendrick is like kind of suggesting that Drake like hangs out with predators and then in Not Like Us, Kendrick is explicitly saying, you're a pedophile. Did you see that album art? It's like a bunch of like predator markers in his house. Yeah, like predator markers on Drake's house. I will say, like Kendrick's album cover art or whatever is like really entertaining and biting. Yes, so lots of really good music. I mean, every single one of these songs that is like, literally a whole album is worth of like phenomenal songs. Well, like, yeah, for like they should just, they should just kiss and like make it a joint album. Well, you know, just kidding. I feel like when I was listening to this new one, I felt like Kendrick sounded so energized. Like like I don't know how he was rapping like that. Like it was so fast and irregular sounding like not in a bad way, you know what I mean? I agree. I saw some people on Twitter say and I agree with this statement that it's sort of like a palette cleanser while I meet the grams was like really dark and uncomfortable. Not like us was kind of like it had a little bit more of like a fun energy to it. And kind of like like more just like it's kind of like funny, you know, saying so Drake has an album titled "Style" certified lover boy in the cell phone, Drake says, Kendrick says that Drake is a certified pedophile. So, you know, it's like, it's a little bit more funny and light-hearted, but like obviously still like kind of serious subject matter, you know. Well, then he, and I, I feel like he gets even more explicit, like they, they all keep getting more explicit as they go on. Yes. So at this point, as of May 5th, that's where the beef stands. I think right now people are saying that Kendrick has won. I kind of agree. I was on the fence, but I agree. I think you're a Drakehead. I wouldn't say I'm a Drakehead. I just, I just kind of feel a little uncomfortable still with how fast the conversation, like, I, okay, I'll put it this way. I'm seeing a lot of people, like, I've seen like a lot of people on Twitter say like, hey, can we pause and talk a little bit more about what Drake said about Kendrick? And a lot of people are saying like, no, that's, there's no way that's true. Drake is a liar. Kendrick would never do that. And let's focus more on Drake being a pedophile. And you know, I understand like, you know, Kendrick is a better musician. Kendrick has outperformed in this, in this beef. I do, you know, I actually think that like, like, like what we were saying, like, the whole like Drake is a pedophile thing. Like a lot of the stuff that he's done is like well documented. And him having a secret daughter, that's not like, that's like, I don't think that's like a necessarily like a big concern. No, like, if anything, it's good that like, I don't know, like I feel like celebrity kids probably shouldn't be so public. Yeah, exactly. You know, Kendrick is saying that Drake's a deadbeat dad, but maybe just I believe it. Maybe he, he probably is a deadbeat dad, but you know, it may be the, maybe the daughter is a secret because it's, you know, you want to protect your kids from the spotlight. I don't know. So, but I guess the thing is, is that I feel like in terms of the, like the juice that's been dropped, like the, the details, the juiciness, this tea that has been spilled, I feel like the Kendrick beating his wife thing. That to me is like, hold up, like if that's true, I feel like that's like the darkest thing to come out of this whole beef. Why, because everyone knew Drake was a pedophile already? Well, I'm not actually convinced that Drake is a pedophile. I don't know, like, I guess that's like a big accusation. I'm not saying like, he definitely is, but like, I don't know, I, I've heard it from so many places and like I just, I think the proof is there, like, or like, like it's, it's a pretty like, people have been saying this for like a decade, like five years at least. I think there's smoke, but I'm not, I haven't seen like a fire, you know what I mean? I don't know. As a woman, like, I've just been seeing this like from other women, like a stuff, I don't know. I believe it. I know it's like wrong to like say it if there's no like definitive proof, but he was talking to Millie about some weird stuff and like, she's not alone. I don't know. I hear this from people all the time, like it's if this is like common knowledge. Hmm. Let's talk about the Millie Bobby Brown thing because I am, I am aware of that, but just for the audience who might not know. The Drake was texting Millie Bobby Brown when Millie Bobby Brown was like 13 and Drake was like, you know, probably 30 or something like that and, you know, according to Drake and Millie, it was just like friendly, but Drake was apparently giving Millie advice on boys. There's something like that. Yeah. Yeah. You know, and like, is it ever really appropriate for a man that aged to text a girl that age? No. You know? So it's like, it's definitely sus. But that's not the only like thing that's like been related to that claim. Has there been more? Oh, yeah. Definitely. Here. Like, let me, it's just it's been like, like people have been whispering about this forever. If Drake has, if Drake has, you know, actually, you know, engage, if Drake is actually, if Drake is actually, you know, I guess you'd say, you know, raped someone because that would be rape given the, given the, like the, like the rules and laws or if Drake is actually a pedophile. He was fondling and kissing a 17 year old girl in 2010. I saw that video, I'm actually going to go ahead and say, I don't think Drake did anything that bad in that video. Okay, but she's 17 though. I know, but like, like maybe she lied or whatever, but still, it's like a weird, but that was, but that was like, but at first they were, you know, he was like singing like a romantic song to her. And then afterwards was like, how old are you? And then she was like 17 and then Drake was like, oh my god, you know, and it was like, it was like kind of funny. Like, I don't think, like, I don't think Drake is like, yeah, I mean, I mean, like, you know, maybe she was like 17 and 10 months old. Like, like, I guess like, okay, I'll put it this way. Like, I think pulling a fan on stage and singing a romantic song to them, like, that's like a classic thing that musicians do. And just because this person that Drake pulled up was 17 rather than 18, like, I don't think that's like the difference between like a pedal, like, I don't think that makes someone to pedophile. Like, maybe it's like a little bit problematic. Maybe he should have been like a little-- He was texting Billie Eilish when she was underage too. Okay, so that's, well, you know, you know, just to play devil's advocate here, you know? Like, Billie Eilish is like extremely famous. And like, as if-- and I feel like it's important to like, network. I don't know. Like, he has a-- in his album, he has this lyric, she had big tits, like, Billie Eilish, but she couldn't sing. Okay, so that's not good. I mean, I think she was, like, finally she wasn't underage at that point, but like, still though. And you knew her when she was a minor, and then you like, wrap about her tits, like, that's what you're repeating me, I don't know. Yeah, I think-- But I'm just saying, like, this has been a-- like, people have been whispering about this for a long time. And like, there's so many blind items about it, not saying blind items are true, but they often are-- Yeah. Yeah. Like, it's just like a thing that, like, most people, like, agree is probably true. Not saying it is, but I don't know. Yeah, no, if it comes out that this is something that's, like, a pattern or, like, has definitively occurred, I will not be surprised at all. I will not be surprised at all. And I'm just saying, as of where things stand right now, there's a lot of smoke, but I haven't seen a definitive fire just yet. Well, here's my-- here's my thinking. Like, compared to, like, the amount of, like, speculation about Drake being, like, creepy to underage girls compared to, like, whatever Drake said about him being his wife. Like, there's way more, like, smoke on the side of Drake being creepy than on Kendrick's side. And I'm not saying-- I'm not saying it-- you know, what's probably true is, like, they're probably both weak and bad, but, I don't know, like, I agree, though, like, I do think where people are very flippant about, like, domestic abuse and, like, how men treat women. And I agree, like, we shouldn't ignore that, but, as far as, like, believability, like, I feel like Drake is less believable than Kendrick, but I still, like, I'm not, like, dismissing it outright. Yeah, that makes sense. And I don't think this is the end of it. Like, I'm sure there's going to be more information that comes out on one side or the other. You know, but, like, if the thing is, like, my-- what I think might be happening is maybe Kendrick has seen, hmm, maybe-- I just, you know, I-- maybe Kendrick has seen the same things that you and I have about, like, rumors, and it's just, kind of, like, playing that up and, like, getting people to focus on it more, which is actually a good thing. It's good to make people focus on things that they're ignoring. But-- It's possible. But maybe there's not new information, you know what I mean? It's possible, but, like, I could imagine that maybe Kendrick wouldn't know that stuff, like, if he's, like, in the industry. Yeah, I mean, I think you're right, you know, like, I think you're right, like, I'm just thinking throughout, like, music history, there's so many damn famous rock stars and rappers who are pedophiles, you know what I mean? Like, it's-- it wouldn't be the first time, and I'm not saying that makes it less bad. I'm saying it's, like-- Yeah. What are you saying? I'm saying, like, I'm saying, like, there's a hell of a lot of smoke is what I'm trying to say. Yeah, I don't know. It's just, like, I've been hearing about Drake, like, rumors from Drake about Drake from all sides. Like everywhere, like different, you know, different people, different like new sources, different like media Medium, you know, like I don't know. I just it feels like there's a lot of smoke Well, maybe a girl Twitter is different than boy Twitter. Yeah, I think that's probably what it is So maybe you know what honestly the more I think about it The more I'm kind of feeling like maybe you know, like I don't want to have to like play this game of like hmm What's worse being a pedophile they're beating your wife? Yeah, I mean like you know, like it's possible that both of the things are true Like it's possible that like drinks a pedophile and it's possible that Kendrick beat his wife like both things could be true like like I don't know like I these are very famous men And they have a lot of power so I don't know, but I Feel like what we should be judging it on besides like what the content like content necessarily like who who dropped the best music? Hmm Well, that's always gonna be Kendrick Yeah, exactly so therefore I feel like that combined with like they're being more evidence against Drake makes Kendrick the winner and like the fact that he did it also fast Yeah, I don't know I don't know and the fact that he has a mole like I don't know It's just more of like a like like looking at game-wise not morality wise But like if like you're looking at in terms of like strategy and performance like I feel like Kendrick like did better Hmm, I guess the way I feel about it is because I've already known that Kendrick is a much better rapper than Drake And I've already and I've already known that Kendrick is like a morally superior person to Drake the fact that Drake was able to put up Such a good fight. Yeah, I mean like like you know, he did tarnish my my the way I see Kendrick a bit and he did release music that was like almost on par with Kendrick and I'm like damn Drake actually like Put up a damn good fight, you know like it's it's like I almost like exactly if we're greeting on a curve It that's true. If we're greeting on a curve Drake won You know what I mean if we're if we're a great if we're greeting objectively Kendrick won so even on okay, but even though like Drake really mocked it out of the like he exceeded your expectations Was it still enough though gridded on a curve to beat Kendrick like considering the Output like the the the swiftness the pictures that he was able to acquire the fact that he's a mole Like do you feel like even all all that like Drake still like gridded on a curve one? No, it's just for me. It's just I feel like Kendrick overall even with the curve on Drake is like still outperformed But like to be different. I maybe I'll say you know Drake like just to say I can be different from everyone. I'm just kidding That was shady Shade Yeah, I don't know What do we know what do we know about that? What do we know? Oh, yeah, so now everyone's saying is that the plot twist at the very end is that Jay Cole won after all things Loki, yeah, even though Drake even though Jay Cole made a huge full lot of himself He still somehow came out on top because he backed out before it became a game of like Attacking people's families, you know what I mean? That's true, but they did both release some good music so they also won in that way and They're both benefit they're both benefiting in the way One society one. Yeah, so, you know by the time we release this episode It's possible like they'll have more songs out and there'll be more but you know for me like I Like Kendrick Lamar's music like I'm not a rap fan really, but sides like it is a little banks, but As far as like if like I had to say like a rapper that I listen to the most besides the Zalia banks It would definitely be Kendrick and I've like listen to all his albums. It's actually I've listened to all them except his new album newest album, which I heard was not amazing Anyway, so like and I know Drake's songs from just being a human being because he's so famous So it's like yeah, I have like a vague like I'm not like a Kendrick's Lamar like super fan I don't know everything about him, but like I know his albums pretty well But but what I'm trying to say here is like I'm not like super invested in like these people like as people as much as like actual rap fans are probably but This was like entertaining for me even if like I'm relatively like out of the loop with like the beef like drama Like in the rap community. I thought I feel like this is just overall very exciting thing for anyone to witness I Agree I agree. It's been very entertaining. Um, I guess you know, I think the thing that will be the definitive like Defensive factor of determining who's won this beef is like are there gonna be some receipts? You know, I mean are we gonna See some evidence here, you know, because if there's some evidence that either room can drop That'd be very funny. I wonder I wonder if Kendrick's wife is gonna come out and say like this isn't true Yeah, but even if she does say that that's not even proof that it didn't happen, you know Yeah I'm I guess I'm pretty glad well, you know, I don't know So I'm just I'm wondering like I just want I want to know more like I feel like Kendrick. Okay, like Kendrick dropping like there's sex There's like human trafficking going on with the address. Oh, I've been I've been hearing that too as a rumor for a while Okay, so sounds like Sophie knows more than I do on this because I actually Get into the blind items kio Okay, so you know, maybe blind items have been saying this for years All right, maybe I'm giving Drake a little bit too much benefit of the doubt and I mean again, like it's a rumor so it's like you can't just say like I would happen, but like I've been hearing with human trafficking stuff too Okay, well, let's let's move into our recommendations Oh, yes, you go first Oh Okay So I recommend I mean Well, I actually really like blades new albums speaking of hip hop. Oh actually Yeah, I think the new blade album is really great. I don't even know he dropped an album It's called cold visions It's interesting very blade title. It is it's interesting because I'm seeing it's pretty polarizing reaction to it some people are saying It's like absolutely amazing and blades masterpiece and others are saying they're not super into it. I agree with the first I think it's amazing. I think it's a really phenomenal. It's his best works so far I it's yeah, I would say yes And the reason is because it's so like musically aggressive but and like the music is more aggressive than what you normally hear from blade, but the lyrics are very depressed like dra a bit not drake blade sounds very depressed. He sounds like he is Like suicidal like he's explicitly singing about being suicidal and But he's also like cracking like a lot of like really funny like jokes. So it's like very playful It's like very sad but playful. It's just like packed with Emotion and energy from start to finish in a way that feels like Taking all the appeal of blade and it's kind of turning it up to a thousand in my opinion What so what is it called again? The album is titled cold visions Right um So I I really was thinking like what what am I going to recommend because I forgot to come up with something and I don't know You recommend you listen to people listen to Kendrick Lamar's distracts Hmm no, that does not count That does not count um I don't know I've been watching curb your enthusiasm finally for fun Have you seen it? I've seen episodes here and there, but I've never really dove into it It's it's it's fun. It's it's honestly like I like cringe comedy, but it's kind of hard to watch because It it's like frustrating like he just like Larry David just like makes the same mistakes every episode At least in the early season so yeah like But there's some really funny scenes like and um It definitely like I can doubt totally see how was a huge inspiration and they've said this like it's clearly been a huge inspiration on it's always sunny in Philadelphia which is one of my favorite shows ever and I can't believe Kai I was never seen really watched it not to be shaded shady but he's from Philly so originally so but anyway I see the I see the reference so clearly I feel like whenever I watch that show there's always like one or two or three scenes in every episode that's like makes me laugh extremely hard but for some reason I felt the urge to like sit down and watch it from like one episode after another you know what I mean it's just like is something good to have on while you're cleaning and preparing for your boyfriend to come to your home all right Sophie I think it's that's the episode and he lost thank you for cleaning I love the cleaning I love you love you too all right well thanks everyone for listening I hope this hope this helped are you team Drake or team Kendrick let us know in the comments let us know in the comments below this you give us our review and do yeah actually I think you can give feedback on episodes now on some things Spotify maybe pop Apple I don't know just see if you can do that and then leave your leave your comments below bye bye basics ever bye