Kendrick Lamar Took Shots at Two Superstars and Only One Answered

April 7, 2024 473 93 5

Kendrick Lamar captivated the rap world when he took shots at two of the biggest rap superstars around, but so far only one of them has really answered the call.

After K-Dot targeted Drake and J. Cole on his “Like That” verse a couple of weeks ago, J. Cole officially returned fire with “7 Minute Drill” on Friday (April 5). Cole’s fiery bars picked apart Kendrick’s catalog, as well as his cultural relevancy as an MC.

“I came up in the ’Ville, so I’m good when it’s tension/He still doin’ shows, but fell off like The Simpsons,” Cole raps. “Your first shit was classic, your last s**t was tragic/Your second shit put n***as to sleep, but they gassed it/Your third s**t was massive and that was your prime/I was trailin’ right behind and I just now hit mine/Now I’m front of the line with a comfortable lead/How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin’ with me.”

Drake Must Respond as Soon as Possible

While a Cole and Kendrick battle of the bars is a wet dream for lyrical rap fans, let’s remember that Kendrick’s “Like That” verse took some serious jabs at Drizzy, arguably more so than Cole.

“OK, let’s get it up, it’s time for him to prove that he’s a problem/N***as cliquin’ up, but cannot be legit, no 40 water, tell ’em,” Kendrick raps in the opening bars of “Like That.”

Elsewhere, he raps, “And your best work is a light pack/N***a, Prince outlived Mike Jack’.”

The latter bars refer to Drake’s current tie with Michael Jackson for most No. 1s ever for a solo artist and Drizzy’s Michael Jackson mention in “First Person Shooter.” Kendrick is saying that Prince outlived Michael Jackson, implying that these titles mean nothing in the grand scheme of life and death. As for the “40 water” line, this could be interpreted as a diss aimed at Drake’s loyal producer Noah “40” Shebib, who is known for relying on an “underwater” effect to make his beats.

Kendrick also continuously refers to Drake’s latest album, For All the Dogs, throughout the verse (“‘Fore all your dogs gettin’ buried/That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see Pet Sematary“), as well as the song “First Person Shooter,” which inherently is a Drake song even though Cole appears on it.

Where Is Drake?

Instead of responding, Drake has opted for subliminal jabs via social media and vague speeches.

“A lot of people ask me how I’m feeling,” Drake said during a recent stop on his It’s All a Blur Tour – Big as the What? “I’ma let you know how I’m feeling. Listen, the way I’m feeling, is the same way I want you to walk out of here feeling tonight about your f**kin’ self. ’Cause you know how I’m feeling? I got my f**kin’ head up high, my back straight, I’m 10 f**kin’ toes down.”

A few days later, The Boy wrote on Instagram, “They rather go to war with me than admit they are their own worst enemy,” followed by another post a few days after with a caption that read, “I could never sell ya’ll out to sell my latest work,” he typed. “Never do you bad out the blue but I’m down to make it worse.”

He then posted a picture on the Gram of him giving the middle finger to the camera on Thursday (April 5).

Now that Cole has stepped into the ring, Drake’s cryptic dances have gotten old. There’s no escaping the fact that Drake has a three-way rap beef on his hands, and his response is officially overdue. The pressure to deliver some detrimental bars is at an all-time high now that Cole has returned shots.

This means that Drake is tasked with delivering the fatal blow, not just to Kendrick but to his growing laundry list of opps coming out of the woodwork. It’s not an ideal spot to be in. Anyone who’s ever had to present a class project knows it’s always better to go first than last in case you flop. Drake has previously shown he’s up to the task via his beef with Meek Mill, but as shown by his feud with Pusha T, Drizzy’s also faltered. Will he make good on his responsibility to crush his foes? It grows more unclear by the day.