As users online pointed out, the last thirty days in hip-hop culture have mirrored Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Civil War. This can all be traced back to Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s bubbling stock pot of problems.
Every few days another one of rap music’s stars have either been reluctantly drafted into the war of words (Snoop Dogg and the estate of Tupac) or willingLu enlisted into the conflict (Ye, better known as Kanye West).
But the musicians’ latest round of diss tracks seem to be riddled with insider knowledge, which has left fans confused about several references. On Drake’s new track “Family Matters,” he cryptically named drop a few folks including one Fring, leaving listeners scrambling to decipher his lines.
So, Who Is Fring From Drake’s “Family Matters” Diss Track?
Outside of his ongoing feud with Kendrick, Drake admittedly has a lot of enemies. Instead of dedicating yet another track to the Compton native, Drake took jabs at another foe, Asap Rocky. When Drake rapped: “Ask Fring if this is a good idea the next time you cuddled in that bed again / She’ll even tell you leave the boy alone ‘fore you get your head split again.”
If this line was clear enough, the preceding bar, “Smokin’ Fenty ‘bout it, should’ve put you on the first one / Try get it in,” shoud’ve provided you with all the context you needed. On “Show Of Hands,” Asap joked with Metro Boomin and Future that he should have been included on the duo’s first joint project, We Don’t Trust You.
The most obvious reference in Drake’s lyric is Fenty, as it is Rihanna’s last name. Rihanna having dated Drake in the past and as Asap’s current partner as well as children’s mother for anyone who needed further assistance piecing everything together, there it is.
But exactly is Fring anyway? Well, Fring’s is a restaurant in Drake hometown of Toronto, Canada that he has publicly supported over the years. It might also have served as a pet name for Rihanna according to his 2015 conversation with New York Times’ T Magazine.
Given what Asap Rocky revealed about his past entanglement with the mother of Drake’s son Adonis, many find Drake’s remarks about Rihanna to be fair game.
Rihanna’s transition into motherhood has been a sight supporters have loved to witness. The “Umbrella” singer and her partner, fellow musician Asap Rocky’s family, could be expanding soon. Well, that’s what fans continue to speculate online.
However, the conversation grew from whispers to screams following a now viral clip of Rihanna at a Fenty Beauty event. Yesterday (April 26), while celebrating the latest of the company’s latest product, soft’lit naturally luminous longwear foundation, Rihanna seemed to fan the flames even more. Instead of downing the glass of champagne offered to her, Rihanna aired on the side of caution.
On the gold carpet, Rihanna pretended to take a sip. Now, users believe that she is secretly pregnant with her and Asap Rocky’s third child. Although neither party have confirmed yet along hinted at the expansion of their family, that hasn’t stopped users online from running with the assumption. View a few of their responses below.
“This lets me know Asap Rocky just wasting time and resources with his antics lately LOL,” joked another referring to the rapper’s lyrical back-and-forth with Drake.
this lets me kno Asap rocky just wasting time & resources with his antics lately lol
Rihanna has really tested the patience of her fans. The pop star’s last album was in 2016, as she has focused on acting, fashion, and motherhood in the years since. Fortunately, Rihanna seems to be back in album mode. She performed at Super Bowl LVII, and she talked about the making of her upcoming album during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight. Not only did the pop star confirm she had “hits” on deck, but she revealed that one of her main collaborators is ASAP Rocky.
Rihanna attended the Fenty x Puma Creeper Phatty Earth Tone launch event on April 17. It was during the red carpet event that ET asked her about her upcoming album, and the singer was surprisingly forthright with information. “I already got stuff that I feel like I could make hits out of,” she told the outlet. She also sidestepped the rumor that her sons, RZA and Riot, will appear on the album by saying “It’s up to them.” The biggest reveal came, however, when Rihanna talked about the father of her children.
She confirmed that ASAP Rocky was working on the album by saying they’ve debated which songs to include on which of their albums. “Me and Rocky are really trying to figure out who’s gonna use what because it’s so good,” she reasoned.
Rihanna and ASAP Rocky collaborating is exciting, if not unexpected. The couple have been dating since 2019, but the hiatuses both artists have taken means they weren’t together when they released their last albums, respectively. ASAP Rocky hasn’t dropped since Testing in 2018. Rihanna and Rocky have never been on a song together, either, despite the former appearing in the music video for Rocky’s “Fashion Killa” in 2011.
It makes sense that Rihanna and ASAP Rocky would collaborate on their comebacks, which is something Rocky discussed with Complex. “I’m always down to collab with my partner,” he confirmed. “[Rihanna] is a phenomenal creative. There’s a lot of things we’re going to collaborate on, from products for children.” Neither artist has a release date in mind, but it sounds like wait will be worth it.
On Wednesday, April 17, Rihanna attended the Fenty x Puma Creeper Phatty Earth Tone launch event in London. While there, she was asked about whether there were “any plans to have RZA and Riot” on her next album by Entertainment Tonight.
“It’s up to them,” Rihanna said. For reference, Rihanna shares RZA and Riot with ASAP Rocky. RZA will turn two in May, and Riot was born last August. So, if Rihanna is waiting for her sons to become old enough to make a conscious decision about wanting to be featured artists on her next album, fans will be waiting awhile.
With Entertainment Tonight, Rihanna continued to play coy about a release date (“I wanna know, too”) and teased the material she has in the vault.
“I already got stuff that I feel like I could make hits out of,” Rihanna told the outlet. “Me and Rocky are really trying to figure out who’s gonna use what because it’s so good.”
Watch the clip below.
Rihanna teases whether or not she plans to include her sons, RZA and Riot Rose, on her upcoming album. pic.twitter.com/jk2uNaEvgi
Uproxx had Aaron Williams and Philip Cosores on the ground at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California for Weekend 1 of Coachella 2024, and among their main takeaways was that the festival had “plenty of surprises.” In a literal sense, Coachella 2024 Weekend 1 staged several surprise guests who easily could have headlined their own sets.
Below, check out the best surprise performances from Coachella 2024 Weekend 1.
Billie Eilish With Lana Del Rey
Friday night’s (April 12) headliner was Lana Del Rey. Billie Eilish made a surprise appearance — although the rumor mill was busy earlier in the day, so it really wasn’t much of a surprise — during the set. They performed Eilish’s “Ocean Eyes” and Del Rey’s “Video Games” together. Eilish showered Del Rey with praise, telling the crowd, “This is the reason for half you b*tches’ existence, including mine.” (Eilish later held a surprise Coachella party of her own, where she debuted music from her forthcoming album, Hit Me Hard And Soft.)
Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish sing “Ocean Eyes” at #Coachella.
Elsewhere on Friday night, Shakira made a she-wolf entrance during Bizarrap’s set. Of course, she performed their Billboard Hot 100 top-10 hit “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” but she really stole the show by announcing her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour.
Becky G, Arcángel With Peso Pluma
Earlier on Friday, Peso Pluma and Arcángel released the video for “PESO COMPLETO.” It was all a set up for Pluma’s Friday night Coachella set, where Arcángel joined him for the live debut of the song. Becky G also joined Pluma to perform “Chanel.”
Olivia Rodrigo With No Doubt
It had been nearly a decade since No Doubt last performed before the iconic Gwen Stefani-led band reunited for Coachella 2024. The nostalgia-jammed set on Saturday night, April 13, hit all the right notes — including several “Just A Girl” callbacks (as chronicled by Billboard.) But one brand-new element for the ska band was inviting Olivia Rodrigo to the stage, where Rodrigo and Stefani sang “Bathwater.”
Juvenile With Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste is among music’s most ubiquitous collaborators, so he presumably had plenty of options when deciding who to bring out during his first-ever Coachella set. He landed on Juvenile and Willow to perform “Back That Azz Up” and “Be Who You Are,” respectively.
This one is mostly a joke, but we learned in 2023 that we are not allowed to ignore when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce appear anywhere. Swift is on her The Eras Tour hiatus, so she did not perform, but she was notably in the crowd (dancing, kissing, singing, swooning) with Kelce for Bleachers and Ice Spice. X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok house unlimited footage.
ASAP Rocky, Charlie Wilson, Donald Glover, And Kali Uchis With Tyler The Creator
It is truly Reneé Rapp’s world right now. She was introduced by the OG The L Word cast and brought out Kesha for an updated rendition of “Tik Tok” in which they shouted, “F*ck P. Diddy!”
Kesha was also spotted going down a gigantic slide with Paris Hilton, so that’s fun.
J Balvin has been a part of several notable moments in the past — as he shared on Instagram ahead of his set on Sunday, April 14 — so why stop now? The Colombian supernova was joined by Will Smith for an all-out performance of “Men In Black.” It was perfectly camp.
if I was dehydrated in the desert at Coachella and I saw Will Smith walk out in a Men In Black outfit I’d 100% think I was hallucinating pic.twitter.com/sNfKITDN4J
Justin and Hailey Bieber enjoyed Coachella 2024 from the crowd (and from Hailey’s Rhode pop-up) like everybody else — until Bieber (and Wizkid) made a surprise cameo with Tems on Sunday night for “Essence.” (Wizkid’s “Essence” featuring Bieber and Tems peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2021.) Bieber’s performance felt especially surprising because he has mostly kept a low profile since canceling his Justice World Tour in February 2023 after several postponements due to health concerns.
Tems, Wizkid and Justin Bieber perform “Essence” at #Coachella2024
21 Savage, ASAP Rocky, And Teezo Touchdown With Doja Cat
Weekend 1’s explosive finale came courtesy of Doja Cat on Sunday.
“This year, you brought a full-size Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton to your headlining set,” Uproxx’s Aaron Williams wrote in his review. “Bless you, you demented genius. You are the best.”
Doja also brought out 21 Savage, ASAP Rocky, and Teezo Touchdown. 21 was there to perform “N.H.I.E.,” his track with Doja from his American Dream album, while Rocky (“URRRGE!!!!!!!!!!”) and Teezo (“MASC“) each helped deliver live debuts from Doja’s Scarlet deluxe album.
While it is adorable to know that his mother and father firmly stand behind Drake, others such as NAV, Rick Ross, The Weeknd, Asap Rocky, and Ja Morant have all taken shots at him. Hell, following J. Cole’s apology to Lamar, supporters feel that he has even turned his back on Drake.
Following his set at Coachella 2024, fans believe Tyler The Creator has also picked a side. Yesterday (April 13), Tyler opened with an explosive stunt during his set. Viewers at home took to X (formerly Twitter) to rave about the stunt. After the clip went viral, others speculated that Tyler pulled inspiration from Metro Boomin’s 2018 album, Not All Heroes Wear Capes, cover.
Hip-hop editor Aaron Williams stressed the grandiose production in his review. “He shocked fans right at the outset with a high-flying stunt that saw him enter the stage like a human rocket blasting through the side of a camper van,” he wrote. “The move immediately set a tone that he somehow maintained through a procession of guests and a three-act set structure that demonstrated the thought and care he puts into all of his works.”
With Tyler The Recreator trending across the platform, others pointed out that he might have shaded Drake later in the set.
While performing alongside special guests Asap Rocky and Childish Gambino, users online claimed to have heard him say: “You know what’s sick? I used to hate that n****. I don’t know why; I gotta go to therapy to figure it out.”
However, it is unclear who Tyler was referring to. For now, Drake and Tyler’s friendship seems steady.
Tyler The Creator pulled out all the stops for his high-flying headlining set at Coachella 2024, opening with an explosive stage entrance and bringing out a slew of surprise guests, including ASAP Rocky, Charlie Wilson, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover), and Kali Uchis. During the set, he reminisced about his first playing Coachella back in 2011 with Odd Future and how chaotic that set was in comparison. In his own words: “I didn’t even know what Coachella was.”
On Saturday night, he fulfilled a decade-long dream of headlining (which included an undercard performance in 2018 that presaged his eventual top billing), incorporating a park ranger motif with a set designed to look like a desert mesa. Over the course of the show, he brought flames, fireworks, and a UFO that hovered over him and Rocky as they performed “Who Dat Boy” from Flower Boy and the standalone “Potato Salad.” Meanwhile, Glover popped out to perform a smooth rendition of his 3.15.20 track “Time.” Kali Uchis naturally showed up to sing hre chorus from their collaboration “See You Again,” while Wilson sat at a piano with Tyler to sing his part from “Earfquake.”
Tyler’s set certainly lived up to the hype. Then, near the end, he was blown off one of the buttes surrounding him and yanked off stage in another masterfully crafted stunt. And just like that, in the words of his Call Me When You Get Lost collaborator DJ Drama, he was gone.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar’slong-running beef that dates back to the latter infamous “Control” verse, which had the rap game in a frenzy, is now at its breaking point. Things heated up when Kendrick made a surprise appearance on Future and Metro Boomin’sWe Don’t Trust You track “Like That” and delivered several lines at Drake. They include: “F*ck sneak dissin’, first-person shooter, I hope they came with three switches,” “Motherf*ck the big three, n****, it’s just big me,” and “‘Fore all your dogs gettin’ buried / That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see Pet Sematary.”
Since then, Drake has hinted at a response to Kendrick’s disses, and today he finally delivered. Drake’s response seemingly leaked today, but the intention with the release became much clearer when Drake returned with the official version of the track (with some help from Akademiks). The track, allegedly called “Push Ups (Drop & Give Me 50)” (or something along those lines), aims at not only Kendrick Lamar, but The Weeknd, Future, Rick Ross, Ja Morant (allegedly), Travis Scott (seemingly), and Metro Boomin. It’s floating around throughout social media, so head over to Twitter/X if you haven’t heard it yet. Nonetheless, a lot is going on throughout this 4-minute track, so let’s break down which lines are disses and who they’re aimed at.
Kendrick Lamar
Drake and Kendrick’s beef goes back to the “Control” days (see the history here), so with years of animosity built up, Drake used this moment to fire off on Kendrick. The point is, there are a lot of lines directed at Kendrick. Check them out below:
A response to Kendrick Lamar’s Got 2TEEZ with me, I’m snatchin’ chains and burnin’ tattoos, it’s up” line on “Like That”:
You won’t ever take no chain off of us
How the f*ck you big steppin’ with a size seven men’s on?
and
I be with some bodyguards like Whitney
A possible claim that Kendrick Lamar allegedly had to give 50% to his former label TDE:
Extortion baby, whole career you been shook up
‘Cause Top told you drop and give me fifty like some push-ups, huh
Your last one bricked, you really not on sh*t
They make excuses for you ’cause they hate to see me lit
Pull your contract ’cause we gotta see the split
The way you doin’ splits, bitch, your pants might rip
You better do that motherf*ckin’ show inside the bitty
Maroon 5 need a verse, you better make it witty
Then we need a verse for the Swifties
Top say drop, you better drop and give ’em fifty
Claims that Kendrick is not in any “big three”:
You ain’t in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down
Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down
Wordplay with Kendrick’s former labels TDE & Aftermath:
Like your label, boy, you in the scope right now
And you gon’ feel the aftermath of what I write down
A response to Kendrick Lamar’s “Your best work is a light pack/N****, Prince outlived Mike Jack’, n****, bum” line on “Like That”:
What’s a prince to a king? He a son, n****
Another diss, this time aimed at Kendrick’s support in his hometown of Compton, CA:
Get more love in the city that you from, n****
Drake letting us know the beef did not start with “Like That”:
And that f*ckin’ song y’all got did not start the beef with us
This sh*t been brewin’ in a pot, now I’m heatin’ up
I don’t care what Cole think, that Dot sh*t was weak as f*ck
A request for Kendrick to drop his rumored diss at Drake:
You had a song for four years, drop that sh*t and shut your mouth
Future
Drake and Future were once frequent collaborators, but something went wrong in their friendship that led to a war of words that produced two albums and an Avengers-type formation of artists who also seem to have issues with Drake. After Future took aim at Drake on We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You, Drake fired off a bunch of responses on his new diss track:
A response to Future’s “You a n**** number one fan, dog/Sneak dissin’, I don’t understand, dog/Pillowtalkin’, actin’ like a fed, dog/I don’t need another fake friend, dog” line on “We Don’t Trust You”:
I could never be nobody number-one fan
Your first number one, I had to put it in your hand
Metro Boomin
Similar to Future, Drake and Metro were once frequent collaborators, but their relationship also burned to a crisp. There’s not too much directed at Metro on this track, aside from this line:
Metro, shut your hoe ass up and make some drums, n****
Travis Scott
With his two features on We Don’t Trust You, it seems like Travis Scott may have picked his side. Even before the album’s release, that seemed evident when Travis begged Future and Metro to play a preview of “Like That” during their Rolling Loud California headlining set. Drake seemingly caught on to this and issued a reply on his new record:
Rolling Loud stage, y’all were turnt, that was slick as hell
Sh*t’ll probably change if your BM start to kiss and tell
Rick Ross
Drake and Rick Ross’ friendship seemed like it would never break as the two delivered numerous collaborations over the years, including “Stay Schemin” and “Gold Roses.” Things have changed as Rick Ross not only hopped on Future & Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You track “Everyday Hustle,” but shared an Instagram Story of his driving with Kendrick Lamar’s verse on “Like That” playing. Naturally, Drake had some thoughts on that:
I might take your latest girl and cuff her like I’m Ricky
Can’t believe he jumpin’ in, this n**** turnin’ fifty
Every song that made it on the chart, he got from Drizzy
Spend that lil’ check you got and stay up out my business
Worry ’bout whatever goin’ on with you and (Uh)**
**The leaked version of the song had “Diddy” in place of “Uh.”
Ja Morant
This one seems a bit random, but it appears that Drake took a slight jab at Ja Morant after the former was seen with Brooklyn Nikole (Latto’s sister) Latto’s sister and Morant’s ex.
Ayy, shoutout to the hooper that be bustin’ out the griddy
We know why you mad, n****, I ain’t even trippin’
— The Pettiest Laker Fan (@ThePettiestLA) April 13, 2024
The Weeknd
Just like Kendrick, Drake and The Weeknd’s beef is more than ten years old, though they’ve seemingly attempted to patch things up over the years. This is not one of those times as The Weeknd fired off a few lines at Drake on “All To Myself” from Future & Metro Boomin’s We Still Don’t Trust You. In response, Drake dissed The Weeknd, his managers, and the whole XO label:
Yeah, I’m the 6ix god, I’m the frontrunner
Y’all n**** manager was Chubbs lil’ blunt runner
Claim the 6ix, and you boys ain’t even come from it
And when you boys got rich, you had to run from it
Cash blowin’ Abel bread, out here trickin’ (Out here trickin’)
Shit we do for bitches he doin’ for n****s (What the fuck?)
Jets, whips, chains, wicked, wicked, wicked (Wicked, wicked)
Spend it like you tryna f*ck, boy, you trippin’, boy, you trippin’
and
Hugs and kisses, man, don’t tell me ’bout no switches
Stay tuned for more as this rap battle is just getting started.
Drake’s got some “F*ckin’ Problems” lately. His most immediate appears to be that half the rappers who appeared with him on that song in 2013 seem to hate him now — or at least, that’s rap kayfabe these days. Drake’s feud with Kendrick has turned into a full-blown ambush, with ASAP Rocky and The Weeknd joining the festivities on Future and Metro Boomin’s new album We Still Don’t Trust You. Drake’s the Toranaga of hip-hop’s version of Shogun and at this point, it looks like Future is Kazunari, leading the rest of the regents against him.
However, unlike the Japanese feudal lord in that show, it could be argued that Drake’s brought a lot of this on himself. For instance, ASAP Rocky probably wouldn’t have thrown shots in his “Show My Hands” verse had Drake left well enough alone on his most recent album, For All The Dogs. In multiple songs — “Fear Of Heights,” “Virginia Beach,” and “Another Late Night” — he makes subtle references to his prior relationship with Rihanna and drops digs at Rocky for ending up with her in the end. Rihanna and Rocky share two children together and have been rumored to be either engaged or married for the past year. Drake also seemingly alluded to Rihanna during his tour for the album earlier this year.
On “Fear Of Heights,” Drake sings, “Why they make it sound like I’m still hung up on you? / That could never be / Gyal can’t ruin me / Better him than me / Better it’s not me / I’m anti, I’m anti / Yeah, and the sex was average with you / Yeah, I’m anti ’cause I had it with you / Okay, I’m auntie like your daddy sister / Auntie like a family picture / And I had way badder b*tches than you, TBH / Yeah, that man, he still with you, he can’t leave you / Y’all go on vacation, I bet it’s Antilles.” Which… come on, man. Do better.
It was all good just a couple of years ago, too. Drake was popping out at ASAP Rocky’s shows in 2019 and gifting him $150k chains in 2020. However, after Rihanna and Rocky went public with their relationship in 2022, Drake unfollowed the pair on Instagram, passive-aggressive millennials’ official signal that “we can’t be friends.” And Drake is nothing if not passive-aggressive.
Rocky appeared to hit back at Drake earlier this year as well, with fans interpreting lines from his verse on Kid Cudi’s album as shots at the Canadian certified lover boy. If 2 Chainz comes out of the woodwork to smoke his “No Lie” collaborator too, Drake’s going to need an intervention. Maybe Post Malone or somebody can be his John Blackthorne.
(@ThePettiestLA)