After two and a half weeks of anticipation following the leaking of Drake’s “Push-Ups” in mid-April, Kendrick Lamar continued what he began two months in the past along with his pot-stirring “Like That” verse along with his new Drake response, “Euphoria.” Lamar’s haters’ anthem has electrified the web and put all eyes again on the 6 God to see how he’ll reply. However after one full official diss observe every within the beef, who’s main on our scorecards? Billboard Hip-Hop writers Mark Elibert and Carl Lamarre current each circumstances.
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Why Drake Gained Spherical One
Drake is a crafty and artful particular person when he’s locked in on a goal. He has a means of utilizing his sources in a means that has others come at him with heavy artillery, as one must do within the warmth of battle. His first diss observe on this hip-hop civil struggle, “Push Ups,” confirmed how good the 6 God is at taking middle stage to tear into his opponents. Kendrick Lamar caught essentially the most warmth on a document, and Drake did exactly what individuals wished of him in rap beef along with his longtime rival: minimize the subliminals and go on a direct offense.
Okay Dot formally began their long-simmering feud along with his explosive visitor function on “Like That” off Metro Boomin and Future’s collaborative effort, We Don’t Like You. There have been a number of traces that clearly referenced Drake, comparable to saying there’s no “massive three” in hip-hop when he’s the one GOAT, seemingly a shot at Drizzy’s J. Cole-assisted “First Particular person Shooter” the place the latter nodded to the hip-hop trinity. He additionally talked about Prince “outliving” Michael Jackson, one other assumed crack at Drake’s line on that very same music the place he mentioned he was one hit single away from tying Michael Jackson for many No. 1 hits by a male solo artist on the Billboard Sizzling 100.
Drake caught wind of the photographs Lamar took at him on “Like That” and responded just some weeks later with “Push Ups.” Most individuals didn’t anticipate Drake to reply on this method, as he and Okay Dot had a prolonged chilly struggle all through the 2010s and early ‘20s that by no means actually blew up the rivalry as massive as it’s now. Nonetheless, he used this chance to dip into his bag of tips to place out a worthy diss observe – one which has individuals paying consideration.
Drake’s creativity has been important in a number of of his rap feuds. On 2018’s “Duppy Freestyle,” Drake rapped, “Inform ‘Ye we acquired a bill comin’ to you/ Considerin’ that we simply offered one other 20 for you” and truly despatched an bill to G.O.O.D. Music in the course of his quarrel with Pusha T.
For the quilt artwork of his 2015 Meek Mill diss observe “Again to Again,” Drake used a picture of the Toronto Blue Jays’s Joe Carter hitting a series-clinching residence run in opposition to the Philadelphia Phillies within the World Collection. And he even dropped the music on the identical day the Blue Jays and Phillies performed in opposition to one another. Drake doesn’t do something by coincidence, and each transfer he makes is a possible checkmate – with “Push Ups” serving as his newest grasp chess transfer.
For starters, the title exhibits Drake’s knack for utilizing social media as a device, because it references a viral 2023 video of Kendrick doing push-ups in a park with The Boy utilizing that to ridicule Okay Dot, and declare he’s higher off doing that exercise as a substitute of giving him a lyrical train.
When listeners truly begin the observe, they’ll hear DJ Who Child’s iconic DJ tagline, which channels classic rap beef vibes. That “Whooo Child” tagline was the very first thing listeners heard echoing at the start of assorted G-Unit Radio mixtapes, the place 50 Cent and his crew routinely annihilated their competitors. By utilizing that tagline, Drake was letting his listeners know he needs all of the smoke with the DAMN. rapper and everybody else that dissed him.
Drake’s guile was even prolonged to the menacing manufacturing on “Push Ups.” The beat samples The Infamous B.I.G.’s 1997 observe “What’s Beef?,” through which the late rapper confirmed disgust along with his friends for not realizing what actual beef is, and as a substitute making an attempt to begin a feud on wax. Drake had already made a number of stinging assaults earlier than he may even rap his first few phrases on the music, which had listeners anxiously ready to listen to what he was going to say.
And with the bars, Drake left nothing on the desk – firing at Kendrick in a means we’ve by no means heard him do earlier than. All of the subliminals prior to now had been centered on Drake claiming he was lyrically higher and extra common, however “Push Ups” discovered the 6 God shining a light-weight on issues that folks haven’t usually mentioned about Lamar, comparable to hilariously making enjoyable of his quick stature and questioning his take care of Prime Dawg Leisure.
“You received’t ever take no chain off of us/ How the f–ok you massive steppin’ with a size-seven males’s on?,” Drake raps earlier than attacking Kendrick’s diminished stature in hip-hop’s hierarchy. “Pipsqueak, pipe down/ You ain’t in no massive three, SZA acquired you wiped down/ Travis acquired you wiped down, Savage acquired you wiped down/ Like your label, boy, you in a scope proper now/ And also you gon’ really feel the aftermath of what I write down.”
Drake even went so far as calling Lamar his baby in a intelligent flip the place he mentioned, “What’s a Prince to a king? He a son, n—a,,” a direct response to the pgLang rapper evaluating their profession trajectories to the aggressive ‘80s rivalry of Michael Jackson and Prince on “Like That.” So as to add extra gasoline to the fireplace, “Push Ups” is a catchy document because of Drake’s masterful hitmaking capability with infectious hooks comparable to “Ayy, higher drop and provides me fifty, ayy Drop and provides me fifty, drop and provides me fifty, ayy.”
It is probably not as hit-worthy as “Again to Again,” which was the primary diss document to obtain a Grammy nomination, however “Push Ups” will most probably get rotations in numerous golf equipment and on radio months from now. Severely, what’s extra annoying than constantly listening to a diss music geared toward you regardless of the place you go?
No matter what individuals really feel about Drake, he defended his throne and stood tall in opposition to Lamar and everybody else who known as him out over the previous couple of weeks that led as much as the graduation of this struggle. However regardless that “Push Ups” was a powerful response and should have given Drake the W within the first spherical of this hip-hop struggle, he must sustain this depth if he needs to come back out on high.
Drake acquired criticism in 2018 for not dropping a response to Pusha’s “The Story of Adidon,” regardless of rumors claiming he had one thing nuclear within the chamber. He could have gotten out of that with a slight dent in his armor, however the identical received’t occur this time if he doesn’t carry this power into Spherical Two. We don’t wish to hear that he discovered new inspiration and redirected that power into himself, as he mentioned in regards to the Pusha T beef on an episode of Maverick Carter’s interview sequence The Store in 2018.
He’s made it clear that he received’t be stopping his onslaught in opposition to Kendrick, as he did by dropping the AI-assisted (and since deleted) “Taylor Made Freestyle,” the place he tried to bait Kendrick into responding to “Push Ups” with pretend verses from Snoop Dogg and the late 2Pac. Many felt the transfer was intelligent, whereas others felt it wasn’t an actual response. However regardless, every transfer that Drake makes now needs to be higher than the already glorious “Push Ups.” If not, he’ll have one other L on his resume, and an excellent harder one to come back again from. — MARK ELIBERT
Why Kendrick Gained Spherical One
17 days. That’s how lengthy it took for Kung Fu Kenny to strike concern again into the hearts of hapless MCs and have all of Aubrey’s Angels squirming of their footwear. As a Drake fan, I used to be mortified – as a result of “Euphoria” is simply a snippet of Kendrick’s insanity. After the discharge of “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” this was simply Kendrick drawing first blood.
Although Kendrick savors the artwork of storytelling and engages in dad raps about being an all-world father determine, it doesn’t imply he can’t faucet again into the dirty menace he as soon as was when he nuked hip-hop with “Management” in 2013. “Euphoria” is baby’s play in comparison with the place Kendrick can nonetheless take it, and after the opening bell, I’ve him up within the scoreboard. And right here’s why: “Euphoria” was not only a music, it was a cultural earthquake about lastly crowning the King of all Kings on this illustrious Massive 3 Period that we’re presently in. Drake baited, Kendrick waited, and delivered the primary true haymaker of the battle.
With a Teddy Pendergrass pattern main the best way, Lamar initially lulled listeners with a peaceful supply at first of “Euphoria,” degrading Drake by calling him a “degenerate” and “rip-off artist.” As soon as he settled in and tailored to the beat switches, Lamar seared Drake with incendiary bars. Kendrick went on a callous assault on Drake’s character, strategically aiming to query his integrity as a father and his identification as a Black man. These jabs had beforehand unsettled Drake, significantly when Pusha T questioned his parenting throughout their 2018 feud. Kendrick’s resolution to carry Drake’s n-word utilization to mild was calculated, referencing Drake’s feud with Push. The Clipse rapper not solely discovered an previous picture of Drake in Blackface however used it as the quilt artwork for “The Story of Adidon,” the document that sealed Push’s victory. Drake’s biracial background additionally stays some extent of competition, as Rick Ross equally mocked him throughout their transient feud on his music “Champagne Moments,” repeatedly calling him “White Boy.” Whereas the racial callouts could seem harsh, rap purists contemplate them honest recreation within the battle of wordplay, making Kendrick’s jabs permissible in battle.
One other bar that most likely went over many individuals’s heads was when Kendrick mentioned: “I make music that electrify ’em, you make music that pacify ’em/ I can double down on that line, however spare you this time, that’s random acts of kindness.” in double-entendre type – additionally suggesting a child pacifier — speaks to Drake’s immature music and problematic courting historical past. Theories have swirled about Drake creeping on underage ladies, however whereas none of these rumors have been confirmed true, Lamar right here opts to “spare” him earlier than escalating issues.
What additionally makes “Euphoria” a extra sturdy reply is the excessive stage of punchlines utilized by Kendrick within the music in distinction to “Push Ups.” Whereas he isn’t thought of a punchline-first MC, Dot had an arsenal of bars scattered in his six-minute demolition of Drake, with some traces even requiring a second glimpse on Genius. “Yeah, my first one like my final one, it’s a traditional, you don’t have one/ Let your core viewers abdomen that, Didn’t inform ’em the place you get your abs from,” says Lamar about Drake allegedly getting beauty surgical procedure. There’s additionally a shrewd, however chilling name-drop early within the music: “Yeah, Cole and Aubrey know I’m a egocentric n—a / The crown is heavy, huh /I pray they my actual mates, if not, I’m YNW Melly.” Melly is presently concerned in a double homicide retrial, courting again to when he allegedly killed two of his mates in 2018. “Kendrick Lamar is one in all my favourite rappers so I really feel honored and appalled … I’m a family identify — only for the flawed s–t!!!,” he instructed TMZ following the discharge of “Euphoria.”
Whereas some could accuse Kendrick of recycling different lyrical assaults on Drake, his efficiency on “Euphoria” is a testomony to his Corridor of Fame-caliber. Not solely does he ship a six-minute lyrical tour de drive, however he seamlessly transitions between three completely different flows over three completely different beat switches, together with a nod to Drake’s signature supply. This efficiency solidifies his standing as a rap virtuoso on the battlefield, particularly when seemingly on the point of elimination. Based on the Compton MC, his fiery raid was solely pleasant fireplace, which makes his assault that rather more devastating. He admits to liking Drake’s “Again to Again” and being a fan of Drake when he’s at his most melodic (versus his most tough-talking). To indicate even this minimal quantity of respect amid lyrical warfare means Okay. Dot isn’t frightened about his adversary.
Lamar’s rebuttal additionally strengthened his comeback as a result of he handled Drake as in the event that they had been again within the playground. Anointing himself “the largest hater,” Lamar was curt in his response, rapping: “I hate the best way that you just stroll, the best way that you just discuss/ I hate the best way that you just costume/ I hate the best way you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct.” For a feud spanning ten years, it’s refreshing to lastly have some precise namedrops and unabashed photographs taken, with no bodily repercussions. With an electrifying efficiency that discovered three completely different variations of Kendrick keen to hunt and destroy, he made positive these 17 days between “Push Ups” and “Euphoria” had been well worth the wait. The cherry on high? Dropping it at 8:24 a.m. on West Coast time. The importance? The L.A. legend Kobe Bryant donned the numbers 8 and 24. Coincidence? I believe not.
Bear in mind, Drake requested for this model of Kendrick to come back out. On “Taylor Made Freestyle,” he punked him for allegedly pushing his diss again to permit Taylor Swift’s new blockbuster album, The Tormented Poets Division, to have all of the shine. Drake’s baiting hip-hop’s Boogeyman backfired and has given Lamar ample time to whip up a formidable diss that places the stress again on him. If Drake’s subsequent observe isn’t an atomic bomb, “Euphoria” might be the music to win Lamar the general struggle. — CARL LAMARRE
