In the latest chapter of the competition between hip-hop giants, Kendrick Lamar He has launched “Euphoria”a topic in response to “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle” of drake, marking a new episode in the exchange of “tiraderas” between the artists. Lamar’s song responds to previous provocations from Drake, as well as others in the industry such as J. Cole and Rick Ross, who got involved after Lamar’s controversial verse in the piece “Like That” which is part of the most recent collaborative album by Future and Metro Boomin.
In “Euphoria”, Lamar makes a harsh criticism of Drake’s style, reiterating that it is far from representing what gangsta rap has created since its beginnings in the early 90’s. The rapper expanded his criticism of Drake, ensuring that the Canadian is not a true representative of African-American culture.
“You’re not a rap artist, you’re a hustler artist hoping to be accepted.”, “I know you’re a master manipulator, and a habitual liar too / But don’t tell lies about me, and I won’t tell truths about you,” “How many more black features until you finally feel like you’re black enough?” I like Drake with the melodies, I don’t like Drake when he acts tough,” are some phrases that Lamar shared in his new piece “Euphoria.”
At this point, the balance is in favor of the Compton native, since the last song that Drake released against Lamar had to be eliminated because it used the voice of the late Tupac with the help of artificial intelligence.
“Taylor Made Freestyle”the name of this song, quickly caught the attention of Tupac’s family, who threatened to sue Drake since he did not have permission to use the voice of the “California Love” singer, much less to insult Kendrick Lamar, who Over the years he strengthened a strong friendship with Tupac’s family.
Howard King, attorney for Tupac Shakur’s family, further argued that Drake had already been involved in a similar lawsuit, where he demanded that a song that used his voice be removed.
“You personally know well both the rights of publicity and the laws that protect them; and He also knows the damage that unauthorized AI impersonations can cause to artists” read the document drafted by King.
The relationship between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has been marked by increasing complexity and tension for more than a decade. The beginning of its history goes back to the album “Take Care” by Drake in 2011, where Lamar participated in the song “Buried Alive”. Although there initially appeared to be a fruitful collaboration, with Lamar joining Drake’s Club Paradise tour, tensions soon surfaced. In that same song, Lamar incorporated lines that revealed some irritation towards Drake’s success.
Despite the tensions, the artists collaborated again on “Poetic Justice,” a song from the album “Good Kid, MAAD City” from the sea. However, Lamar’s lines in “Control” authored by Big Sean put an end to any expectation of future collaborations between the two. Tensions escalated after the release of “Nothing Was the Same” of Drake and were evidenced in public statements and song lyrics that included subliminal messages and veiled criticism.
As mentioned above, this confrontation came to a head in March 2023 when it hit the platforms “Like That”where Kendrick did not hesitate to assure that there are not three greats in rap as mentioned (Drake, Kendrick and J Cole), but that he is the only one who is at the top of the genre.
“Fuck the big three, black, I’m just the biggest.”says Kendrick in this piece, where he also compares his rivalry with Drake with the one they experienced Michael Jackson and Princereferring to himself as Prince since he managed to live longer than the King of Pop.
