Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been involved in a public feud, with Drake expressing skepticism about Lamar’s ability to respond to his diss track, reportedly titled “Push Ups.” The song has been circulating online since April 13, but has not been officially released on streaming platforms.
L.A. radio personality DJ Hed criticized Drake for poking fun at Lamar’s manager, Anthony Saleh, and urged music commentator DJ Akademiks to repost his tweet. Drake responded by using him as a “They have nothing to drop” button[1].
Industry professionals have weighed in on the feud, with A&R Wayno arguing that Drake is on the clock and Lamar should respond. LunchMoney Lewis emphasized that rap beef is not necessarily about who responds the quickest, but about the quality of the diss track[1].
Drake has continued to tease a formal response record on his Instagram Stories throughout the week, sharing images of Lamar’s manager with captions such as “Wonder is today the day [turtle emoji]?” and “We getting in our bag or nah?”[1].
The feud between Drake and Lamar is not the first time the two artists have been involved in a public dispute. In the past, Drake has been criticized for not responding to diss tracks from Kendrick Lamar and Pusha T[2].
The use of reference tracks and co-writers in hip-hop has been a controversial topic, with some arguing that it undermines the legitimacy of an artist’s work. Drake’s willingness to use co-writers has been called into question, with some suggesting that it undermines the emotional connection that listeners have with his music[2].
Despite the controversy, Drake has remained a dominant force in hip-hop, with his music being featured on Sprite cans and his lyrics being compared to those of Rakim, Nas, and The Notorious B.I.G.[2].
The feud between Drake and Lamar is ongoing, with both artists continuing to tease and respond to each other on social media.