Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s bitter feud has become a ridiculous game of he said-she said. Overall, both artists leveled some heavy accusations at one another. Drake’s team has been incredibly vocal throughout all of this, and it has led to some debunking from DJ Akademiks. Meanwhile, Kendrick and his team have stayed quiet, which makes it difficult to truly debunk the allegations he made. Strategically, Kendrick has played this perfectly. However, that hasn’t stopped some people from coming out of the woodwork to pledge their allegiance to the Compton-native.
For instance, a rapper by the name of Coolee Bravo came out over the weekend and claimed to be a close associate to Kendrick Lamar. He did a Discord interview in which he made some interesting claims about Kendrick and his strategy throughout the beef. Moreover, he alleged that Drake and his team paid him $150K for some information. Coolee then goes on to say that Whitney Alford is currently with Kendrick in New York, and that he told Drake the opposite in an attempt to fool him.
This is a pretty massive accusation to make, especially since Kendrick has remained quiet. In fact, fans do not believe that Coolee Bravo is telling the truth. “Yeahhhh okay, I need a wire transfer screenshot or something,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Ain’t believing nothing without an invoice,” said another. The fans aren’t too sure about the credibility of Coolee Bravo, especially since Lamar hasn’t vouched for him, in the slightest. It’s all very bizarre, and with all of these characters making themselves known, fans don’t know what to believe anymore.
Let us know what you think of these claims from Coolee Bravo, in the comments section down below. What do you make of so many people coming out of the woodwork throughout this beef? Do you think all of this has gone down too much of a corny rabbit hole? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
DJ Akademiks has been a key figure in the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Overall, Akademiks has been live on stream every day since things escalated with “Euphoria” last Tuesday. It has been impressive to watch him move, especially since he got name-dropped by Kendrick on “6:16 In LA.” If any media figure has come away with the win in this beef, it has been Ak, even if he is a Drake stan. Ak has been adamant that Kendrick is winning, although he has been teasing something new from the Toronto megastar.
Last night, Kendrick Lamar found himself in the crosshairs of Drake fans. One page called King Jared found some old tweets that contain punchlines similar to those found in “Not Like Us.” This subsequently led to allegations that Lamar has been straight up stealing his bars from Twitter. While many believe these are purely coincidental, others are firm believers that this completely disqualifies Kendrick from the rap battle.
In the Via link below, you can see a clip from Ak’s stream last night where he speaks on the stolen bar accusations. Ultimately, Akademiks thinks that fans need to chill out and stop looking for things that don’t exist. He admitted that Drake fans such as himself just need to admit that K-Dot is a genius and that he got one over on Drake. To claim otherwise, would simply be a bit delusional. It was an admirable stance for Akademiks to take, especially when you consider how he has a direct line to the “God’s Plan” artist.
Let us know what you think of the allegations leveled against Kendrick Lamar, in the comments section down below. Do you really believe that he was lurking through Twitter to find some bars for “Not Like Us?” Or do you think that Drake fans are just trying to find a new angle? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
Questlove says no one is winning in the war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake and that the antics from the battle show that hip-hop is “dead.” He shared his take on the beef in a post on Instagram, on Tuesday, following a dramatic weekend that included both artists dropping several diss tracks aimed at one another.
“Nobody won the war,” he wrote. “This wasn’t about skill. This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary — women & children (& actual facts) be damned. Same audience wanting blood will soon put up ‘rip’ posts like they weren’t part of the problem. Hip Hop truly is dead.” In the caption of the post, he added: “Here We Are Now…Entertain us?”
Lamar and Drake have been beefing since the release of Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” back in March. On the song, Lamar called out both Drake and J. Cole for mentioning him on “First Person Shooter.” In the time since, Lamar and Drake have dropped several diss tracks aimed at one another. Last weekend, the drama peaked when the two dropped “Family Matters” and “Meet The Grahams” on the same night. Through the rest of the weekend, Lamar dropped “Not Like This,” which Drake followed up with “The Heart Part 6.” On the songs, both made vile accusations about one another. The drama has remained quiet in the days since as fans have been arguing over the winner.
Check out Questlove’s opinion on the beef above. Be on the lookout for further updates on Questlove as well as Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud on HotNewHipHop.
Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s explosive rap beef has taken over the internet in recent days, as well as the charts. The heated feud reached a peak on Friday night when Drizzy dropped “Family Matters,” accusing Kendrick of domestic violence, claiming that his fiancée might have a child with Dave Free, and more.
Less than an hour later, Kendrick fired back with “Meet The Grahams,” addressing several of Drake’s family members directly, starting with his son Adonis. Moreover, he states in the song that he thinks Drake should “die,” or at the very least, rot in prison. This took the battle up quite a few notches. Nearly everyone has picked a side in the viral debacle, though many are just happy to have gotten some new music out of it.
Kendrick’s “Not Like Us,” for example, currently sits atop Apple Music’s Top Songs chart. Coming in right below that is “Euphoria,” his initial response to Drake’s “Push Ups,” which sits at No. 9. Drake’s “Family Matters,” and Kendrick’s “Like That” collab with Future and Metro Boomin are at fourth and fifth. Clearly, hip-hop fans have been tuned in amid the back and forth, which has only grown more contentious over time. So much so that they’ve even kicked Taylor Swift out of the top five altogether. The pop icon is known to dominate the charts with nearly everything she puts out, making her pretty tough to beat. Her Tortured Poets Department song with Post Malone, “Fortnight,” now sits at No. 9.
What do you think of Drake and Kendrick Lamar taking over Apple Music charts with their diss tracks? Are you surprised they were able to kick Taylor Swift out of the top five? Who do you think came out on top amid their viral beef? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Vince Staples joked that Mustard pressured him into getting involved in the ongoing beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake in a post on Twitter, on Sunday. “This n***a Mustard in the studio tryna brainwash me so f*cc it if we beefing we beefing!” he wrote. “Who gon pop Shai Gilgeous Alexander for the West Coast?” Mustard responded to the post with a series of laughing emojis while sharing a picture of him in the studio.
Fans share plenty of laughs in response to the posts. “We are living through the funniest era in history im grateful,” one user said. Another added: “Vince getting too much money he got the ceo leg cross now.”
Vince Staples Attends Premiere Of His Netflix Show
Linking up with Mustard comes after Staples spoke with Long Beach Mayor Rex Richard about the state of hip-hop for a panel discussion on the city’s inaugural Youth Day. He explained that artists are getting priced out of their contracts with record labels and aren’t doing anything collectively to fight against the situation. “So then, we getting priced out of our contracts, we getting priced out of our imprints, there are no labels basically that are incentivized to sign Black music, and it’s happening in front of our eyes. And while Taylor Swift is fighting for people to be able to have streaming money, n****s is on the internet arguing with each other about some rap sh*t,” he said. Check out the posts between Vince Staples and Mustard.
Vince Staples Links Up With Mustard
Mustard previously teamed up with Kendrick Lamar for the rapper’s latest diss track, “Not Like Us.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Vince Staples on HotNewHipHop.
4Batz jokingly asked Kendrick Lamar to take a break from dissing Drake so that his debut project for OVO, U Made Me A St4r, could have some time in the spotlight. The new signee to the imprint made the request in a post on Twitter, Saturday. He wrote: “yo @kendricklamar I just dropped my tape my n***a can I get 24hrs at least [crying laughing emojis].” Shortly afterward, he deleted the tweet from the platform, prompting fans to theorize that Drake made the call. 4Batz dropped his new album on Friday, featuring a remix of his hit song, “Act II: Date @ 8,” which now includes a verse from Drake.
He isn’t the only one upset at Kendrick dropping. His fans have also been complaining on social media. “I know the spotlight is on Kendrick & Drake rn, but this 4batz album is surprisingly really good,” one user tweeted over the weekend. Another remarked: “Kendrick doing all this to stop 4batz from gaining traction.”
Despite Lamar stealing some of the spotlight, Denzel Curry made sure to promote 4Batz’s new project. He also retweeted the rapper’s since-deleted post about Kendrick’s diss tracks. “4Batz Dropped Btw y’all should bump his tape,” Curry wrote on Twitter. Check out that post below.
Denzel Curry Shouts Out 4Batz
Drake isn’t the only popular rapper to co-sign 4Batz in recent months. Back in January, Kanye West described the up-and-comer as one of his favorite artists. West ended up working on a remix of “Act III: On God? (She Like).” His song, ”act v: there goes another vase,” appeared on this week’s edition of HNHH’s “R&B Season” playlist. Be on the lookout for further updates on 4Batz on HotNewHipHop.
Kendrick Lamar is currently in the midst of a feud with Drake, and we all know that it has been a brutal one, to say the least. Overall, it started with the song “Like That,” where Kendrick proclaimed there is no big three. Subsequently, Drake dropped off “Push Ups.” The diss song was officially released today, and now, fans are waiting to hear from Lamar. There is this sense that he needs to drop a response, sooner rather than later. Otherwise, Drake will be able to claim victory, and that will be the end of that.
One podcast that has speaking at length about the situation is the Joe Budden Podcast. It’s been a huge topic of conversation, and there have been some theories about Kendrick and his song. According to co-host Ish, Kendrick does have something coming. In fact, the song is reportedly going to be a lot like 2Pac’s diss track towards Biggie, “Hit ‘Em Up.” Admittedly, Ish has not heard the track, but this is what he has been told by people close to the situation.
“Some people that have heard the Kendrick track, I heard that his energy is just something that’s going to be hard for Drake to match. They said he’s coming on some Pac ‘Hit Em Up’ energy,” Ish explained. If this is true, then the hip-hop world is for quite the wild ride. However, there is a chance the song just does not exist. We will just have to wait and see what Kendrick decides to do. As we know, he isn’t with the social media games like Drizzy is.
Let us know what you think about this situation, in the comments section down below. Now that Drake has officially dropped off his response, do you think Lamar is on the clock? If he does drop, do you think he will ultimately come out the winner? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
It’s no secret that Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That” verse brought about a great deal of drama, but according to Gillie Da Kid, he hardly scratched the surface. When the song first dropped last month, listeners were quick to note that the Compton-born performer took shots and Drake and J Cole, and were eager to hear how they’d respond. Weeks later, J Cole fired back with a diss track on his surprise album Might Delete Later, “7 Minute Drill.” Ultimately, however, he apologized and removed the song from streaming services. Last week, Drake’s response “Push Ups” leaked, reigniting all the chatter around the feud.
During a recent episode of Shaq’s The Big Podcast, Gillie Da Kid weighed in on the debacle, arguing that Kendrick’s verse wasn’t all that wild. Moreover, he doesn’t even believe it should be considered a diss track at all. He says that in his day, Kendrick’s infamous “big three” line would be deemed “corny” at best.
Gillie Thinks Kendrick & J Cole Were Too “Friendly” In Their Diss Tracks
“Let’s just be honest, bro, that’s not no diss record,” he began. “If that’s a diss record, that’s corny sh*t. The last time I checked, diss records went like this: ‘First off, f*ck your b*tch and the clique you claim….’” Gillie went on to quote other iconic diss tracks, emphasizing how their lyrics were far harsher than both Kendrick and Cole’s. “What is we talking about man? Diss records used to be like, “F*ck you, buddy….’ We’re living in a friendly culture, man.”
While plenty of commenters agree with Gillie’s take, others much prefer this version of rap beef, as it’s less likely to lead to violence. What do you think of Gillie Da Kid’s take on Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole’s diss tracks? Do you agree that they were corny? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
People who work behind the scenes often try to stay out of the spotlight. However, their modest popularity certainly does not diminish their importance and influence. One such figure is Cash XO, a luminary figure in the entertainment industry who manages one of music’s biggest stars, The Weeknd. While some are familiar with his name and works, a significant amount of people are unaware of who Cash XO is.
Following a name drop on Drake’s unconfirmed diss track, Cash’s name is currently making media rounds. Since the track was leaked, it has stirred up significant internet discourse. While the rappers Drake allegedly disses are easily recognizable, some listeners have wondered who the Cash he mentions is. Here’s a look at who Cash XO is, and why Drake supposedly dissed him.
Cash XO was born Amir Esmailian on December 28, 1983 in Tehran, Iran. At the age of five in 1988, Esmailian and his family fled the country due to conflicts arising from the Iran-Iraq war. They eventually made their way to Ottawa, Canada, where Amir Esmailian was raised. Growing up, he enjoyed music like most people. However, there was certainly no telling how much of a big deal he would end up becoming in the music industry.
At the age of 19 in 2003, he got his first significant job in the industry. He was hired as the head of street promotion for Capital Prophets label, kickstarting his career before his twenties. By 2007, he stepped into a managerial role, serving as co-manager for Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly. However, it was in 2011 that his life significantly changed after a friend shared some tracks by The Weeknd with him. Since then, Amir “Cash” Esmailian has built a reputable career and legacy with the singer.
As aforementioned, Cash XO first heard of The Weeknd in 2011. Soon after, he moved to Toronto, Canada to link up with the singer. Since then, Cash XO has managed the “Blinding Lights” singer and they have risen in the music industry together. They are both co-founders of XO Records which was established in 2012. In addition, Cash XO is a producer and songwriter. He has credits on songs by prominent artists, including The Carters, Future, and Travis Scott, among others.
Speaking to Complex in 2017, Cash XO said, “I live, breathe, sleep, eat, shit XO.” That just goes to show his dedication to both The Weeknd and XO Records. For his work and undeniable influence, Cash XO has been recognized as a power player in the industry several times. He made it into Billboard’s “40 Under 40: Music’s Young Power Players” list of 2015. In 2024, he was also one of the names included in Billboard’s “Power 100” list. Cash XO is an important figure in The Weeknd’s life, and has been instrumental in his ascent.
On April 14, 2024, an alleged Drake diss track titled “Push Ups” leaked online, leading to debates on whether the song is real or AI. However, since then, Drake has seemingly acknowledged that it was, indeed, his real response, even if it didn’t land an official release.
On the song, the rapper took shots at everyone, including Cash XO. “Y’all nigga manager was Chubbs lil’ blunt runner,” he raps, suggesting that Cash once used to work under Drake’s head of security. “Claim the 6ix and you boys ain’t even come from it/ And when you got rich, you had to run from it,” he continues, implying that, despite claiming Toronto, they didn’t actually come up from the city nor did they stay once they saw further success. Then, he drops specific names. “Cash blowin’ Abel bread out here trickin’/ Shit we do for bitches he doin’ for n***as… Spend it like you tryna fuck, boy, you trippin’, boy, you trippin‘” he spits, alleging that Cash wastes The Weeknd’s money on other men. Obviously, Cash XO did not diss Drake himself. However, it’s no surprise the manager has been dragged into it as feuds are very often messy and without rules.
In the entertainment world, drama often takes center stage, and few things ignite excitement like a good old-fashioned feud. Hip-hop stars aren’t exempt, and over the years, there have been many rap beefs between artists. From the most brutal diss tracks to heated Twitter exchanges, these conflicts captivate audiences and fuel tabloid headlines. However, amidst the chaos and clamor, some feuds have left fans questioning their authenticity. In detail, fans dissect lyrics, analyze social media interactions, and pore over tabloid gossip, reading between the lines and fueling conspiracy theories. While the authenticity of many hip-hop beefs is neither confirmed nor denied, the fans’ speculations often make sense, especially since some notable rap beefs have ended. Here are some of the hip-hop beefs that fans think were fake.
Eminem And Machine Gun Kelly
One notable Hip Hop clash recently between Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly. The origin of the conflict can be traced back to MGK’s tweet in 2012 where he commented about Em’s then-16-year-old daughter, Hailie. In the tweet, MGK said Hailie was “hot as f*ck,” and later events proved Eminem didn’t take the comment lightly. Subsequently, MGK alleged that Eminem had had him blacklisted from several radio stations because of the tweet. Afterward, in 2018, MGK threw shade at Slim Shady in the Tech N9ne song, “No Reason.” Interestingly, Em’s album, Kamikaze, was set to drop just a few months later.
On “Not Alike,” the Detroit rapper directly addressed MGK’s comment on his daughter. While some fans commended him for it, other listeners’ brows were raised at how convenient it was for him to respond at that time. With a new album out, many speculated that it was a promotion tactic to fan the flames of a beef that was actually nonexistent.
In 2015, Meek Mill started a fire on Twitter when he wrote that Drake “don’t write his own raps.” As expected, this comment quickly got under Drizzy’s skin. In fact, he got so heated that he responded with the diss track “Charged Up,” a warning shot to test the waters of their feud. However, it was the release of “Back To Back” that proved Drake didn’t need to rely on anyone else’s pen to get his bars off.
Following the release of “Back to Back,” Meek Mill finally released “Wanna Know,” replying to Drake. Meek Mill’s diss track did not garner the same level of attention and acclaim as Drake’s disses. However, it was enough to rile people up and make theirs one of the most talked about Hip Hop beefs at the time. Subsequently, their feud continued until 2018 when Drake called for Meek’s freedom. Then, they publicly commemorated the end of their beef when Drake brought out Meek Mill on stage during a concert in Boston. For something that seemed to be so serious while it lasted, fans thought it ended way too easily. This made many suspect that maybe the beef was never really authentic.
In November 2015, Metro Boomin took to Twitter to express his frustration with artists releasing too much music without proper quality control. While the producer didn’t mention any names, Young Thug caught the sub, believing Boomin was indirectly addressing him. Subsequently, the two got into an interesting back-and-forth Twitter spat that was almost believable. However, the pair had a collaborative mixtape that was set to drop soon, so their feud just seemed performative. Over time, it seemed to fizzle out, and the two continued to work together. Many Hip Hop beefs over the years have been as real as real can get. However, this one between Metro Boomin and Young Thug just didn’t feel authentic to fans.
Undoubtedly one of the biggest Hip Hop beefs in recent times, Cardi and Nicki have been at loggerheads for years. However, despite how authentic this feud seems, even getting physical once, some fans still have their doubts. Sometimes, perceived animosity between artists attracts more traffic than unity. Considering how much media coverage their beef gets, some fans believe that the two rappers continue to fan the flames just to remain on the headlines. Additionally, some have also noted that right before a major release from either rapper, something seems to go down between the two. While we can not confirm this theory, it is certainly an interesting one, and holds some plausibility.
Yes, these two Hip Hop legends have also contributed to the history of rap beefs over the years. However, many fans and critics believe that Nas and Jay-Z’s long beef was more of a strategic move to generate publicity. Building from a slow burn in the late ‘90s to a raging fire in the early 2000s, this feud utterly captivated audiences. It spawned many iconic diss tracks from the two, including “Takeover,” “Ether,” and “Supa Ugly,” among others. However, all good things come to an end. The curtains were drawn on this legendary feud in 2005 when the two publicly ended their beef at Jay’s I Declare War concert. If the speculations were right, then the two MCs won because they were both hot throughout the period of their beef.