Lupe also dismissed long-running speculation that he dislikes Kendrick Lamar. “I genuinely don’t have any issues, I really don’t,” he said. “I do not have a problem. No matter what was said in the past, what you think happened, what happened, what didn’t happen. I personally and professionally do not have a problem with my brother in arms, Kendrick Lamar.”
Just now on Spaces @JoeBudden and @LupeFiasco talked about Drake and Kendrick. Lupe says he loves Kendrick and Joe says he loves Drake. Both ask for the narratives to end. pic.twitter.com/TYXr1y8qkd
Perhaps Lupe was just too busy finalizing preparations for his new album, Samurai, and his upcoming Samurai tour, which starts in October. Or maybe he just tired of the conflict, as he pointed out during a separate Spaces chat that it undermined hip-hop as a whole to fight about who deserves to be “in” or “out.” “I don’t think we should be choosing who comes in and out and making decisions on that sh*t anyway… I think it is going to do more harm than good,” he said. “I think you are going to miss out on a lot of beautiful things because of it. I think you are going to ostracize people and like I said, there are going to be a group of motherf*ckers that you think you actually control and sh*t and its dudes doing 50 city tours who you ain’t never heard of. ‘Cause they like, ‘F*ck that dude. I’m finna do this because I love it.’ But now, they are the ‘out group,’ but they are selling more records than you and selling more tour dates than you. But you are the spokesperson for hip-hop? That don’t make no sense.”
While a huge part of the rap world has seemingly sided with Kendrick Lamar in his feud with Drake, there’s one cultural titan who isn’t letting their conflict get in the way of potentially collaborating with the Canadian hitmaker. 50, whose involvement in the vendetta has to date been limited to teasing his longtime rival Rick Ross for supposedly being attacked by Drake fans in Canada, shared a photo of himself hanging out with Drake at a club with a caption that suggested that they might be working together in the near future.
“Brain storming last night me and @champagnepapi gonna get the rolling,” he wrote. “Biggest ting on your TV.”
Of course, that prompted a bit of a backlash in 50’s comments section, with fans quoting lines from Kendrick’s infamous diss track “Not Like Us” and comparing the Toronto rapper to 50’s own onetime (possibly forever) enemy, Ja Rule. “Nah 50 he ain’t it,” wrote one fan. “That’s Kendrick’s Ja Rule.” Meanwhile, others cited 50’s connection to Dr. Dre, who co-signed Kendrick way back in the day and appeared at K. Dot’s Ken & Friend concerts to introduce “Not Like Us” — proving once again, that a lot of rap fans take this stuff WAY too seriously.
With 50 looking to expand his Power universe, perhaps the project they “brainstormed” on has something to do with Drake’s history as an actor and a producer — Top Boy crossover incoming? Now, that’s something worth getting excited about.
Yesterday (July 20), Lupe Fiasco found himself in the middle of a heated debate surrounding the war of words with a host of fans online. Continue below for a full run down of has users online in an uproar.
What Did Lupe Fiasco Say About Kendrick Lamar?
During an X (formerly Twitter) Space, Lupe Fiasco decided to share his thoughts on who can assume the role of gatekeeper to hip-hop culture. Many users took his statement to be a subtle jab at Kendrick Lamar. Read his remarks below.
If you want to start who is in and who is out, a process which I don’t agree with, and I think is bullsh*t, if you want to do that you should have a degree. You should have a PhD in hip-hop. If you ain’t got that, then I don’t think that you are qualified to and have the right to speak on of hip-hop. Just because you can rap, and you’ve sold a bunch of records, I don’t think at this point, and it’s to the point now that it is visceral, and it’s to the point where people are making decisions on it, and it’s hurting people and building up other people that it shouldn’t just be based on some n**** at a podcast… It should be stewarded by people who know what the f*ck they are talking about very very deeply and can write a book about it. But I’m being biased. I don’t agree with the process anyway. I don’t think we should be choosing who comes in and out and making decisions on that sh*t anyway… I think it is going to do more harm than good. And I think you are going to miss out on a lot of beautiful things because of it. I think you are going to ostracize people and like I said, there are going to be a group of motherf*ckers that you think you actually control and sh*t and its dudes doing 50 city tours who you ain’t never heard of. ‘Cause they like, ‘F*ck that dude. I’m finna do this because I love it.’ But now, they are the ‘out group,’ but they are selling more records than you and selling more tour dates than you. But you are the spokesperson for hip-hop? That don’t make no sense.
Lupe Fiasco speaks on rap culture and who has the authority to dictated it.
Kendrick fans saying he hating… people can say the same thing when it comes to Kendrick hating on Drake…let’s not do that that’s all I been seeing anytime someone say anything good about Drakepic.twitter.com/vxk1r5t7Qg
However, after the release of JT’s debut solo mixtape, City Cinderella, fans believe the beef has picked back up. Continue below for more information.
Do Nicki Minaj And JT Have Beef?
According to the Barbz themselves (Nicki Minaj’s super fans), the answer is yes. For years, Nicki Minaj has found herself at the center of multiple rap feuds (including Lil Kim, Remy Ma, and Cardi B). Due to that, Nicki has tried to keep her dislike for any other rapper private by never mentioning their name publicly.
However, around July 19, Nicki Minaj reportedly began unfollowing fans. Those, who claim to have been unfollowed, speculated that the reason why was due to their support of JT’s City Cinderella mixtape.
Not Nicki unfollowed me because I tweeted about jt I didn’t even know what was going onnn
Nicki unfollowed me.. I’m not even sure what I did but it’s okay I been needing to get off this app anyway. I have fallen short on my blessings while being on this app… & I have been struggling to leave it cause I love Nicki soo much! God bless you all IM OUT @NICKIMINAJpic.twitter.com/WvNT5zjTSF
The rumor continued to spread after Nicki Minaj held a broadcast on Stationhead. Attendees took Nicki’s vague message as a jab at JT’s previous negative remarks.
“But you also have to question why a person would go from unliking you to loving you,” she said. “Is that odd? Well, you don’t say.”
JT did all that Cardi dissing in hopes of getting the barbz support her album just for Nicki to say UNT UNT pic.twitter.com/dzzdkxC9JR
— Cardi B’s Generation (@cardisgneration) July 19, 2024
Neither Nicki Minaj nor JT has confirmed a falling out. So, for now it is all Barbz say, Juvie say.
While Kendrick Lamar’s thrashing of Drake may have taken top billing so far this summer, it’s not the only feud the Compton rapper has been involved in — or, at least, that’s what some fans want to believe. While Kendrick was whacking owls and dragging the good name of OVO through the Hub City mud, another blog era veteran, Big Sean, was quietly releasing new singles as he prepared to release his sixth studio album (and first in four years), Better Me Than You.
This sucked for Sean, whose new releases got overshadowed by all the commotion — a common theme for the Detroit rapper, who arguably deserved to be mentioned in the same tier as Drake and Ken at one time, if only because his output matched theirs for both quantity and quality for a while. But when he wasn’t being drowned in the deluge of new diss tracks, his own releases were being interpreted as bids to insert himself into the beef, with mentions of the so-called “Big Three” turning into sneak disses in the minds of fans who were by now primed to demand bloodshed (metaphorically speaking).
Starting with the kickoff of Big Sean’s album rollout, “Clarity,” fans seemed determined to find jabs in Sean’s lyrics. “I think where I lack most as an artist is consistency / I just haven’t had the energy to compete with enemies / Or y’all so-called ‘Bigger Three’,” he rapped. While more reasonable readings would consider this Sean’s generous assessment of his own career — that he could have been bigger with a more consistent release schedule — others saw an eagerness for war with his more popular counterparts, especially when, just two days later, Kendrick dropped “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin, declaring, “Motherf*ck the Big Three — it’s just big me.”
This might not have seemed like that big of a deal, but before either track came out, an old version of Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 DAMN. track “Element” leaked online, revealing a scrapped verse that dealt with apparent friction between the two rappers. “Big Sean keep sneak dissin’, I let it slide / I think his false confidence got him inspired / I can’t make them respect you, baby, it’s not my job / You’re finally famous for who you date, not how you rhyme,” Ken spat acidly on the old verse. While that version of the song never made it to retail, well… everything is forever on the internet (unless you wrote a post for MTV.com)
So why all the animosity to begin with? To find the answer, you’ve got to go back into blog rap lore about 10 years, when Big Sean was preparing to release his album Hall Of Fame. During the rollout, Sean shared a promotional single called “Control” on which he and Kendrick teamed up for a display of lyrical virtuoso that turned into something else entirely thanks to Kendrick’s penchant for playing with fire. As he would later do on “Like That,” Kendrick utterly stole the show on “Control,” naming names of those artists he considered his peers — and competitors — inviting them to catch his fade if they dared.
“I’m usually homeboys with the same n****s I’m rhymin’ with,” he allowed. “But this is hip-hop, and them n****s should know what time it is / And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Wale / Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake / Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller / I got love for you all, but I’m tryna murder you n****s / Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you n****s / They don’t wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you n****s.” The results were entertaining, but ultimately unsatisfying for those who wanted to see some high-level rhyme combat. It seemed like every rapper on the internet couldn’t help dropping a “response” — except for the ones Kendrick actually named.
Look, you can only get so far battle rapping. That’s been a truth of hip-hop since the ’80s. And you don’t get that big if you aren’t focused on making the best music and being about your business. So, it’s not surprising no one answered the call. However, Big Sean, who arguably suffered the worst from the verse (“Control” was cut from the album due to sample clearance issues) since he was basically “Renegaded” on his own track. He’s prickled a bit when asked about it; in 2017, he denied being “washed” by Kendrick on the song — an accusation he’s had to refute numerous times since then — although he denies being salty about it.
So, between getting overshadowed on “Control” — and in his career in general — by Kendrick and Drake, then Kendrick’s original “Element” verse taunting him for perhaps being understandably miffed about the situation, Sean does have reason to want to prove himself against Kendrick once and for all. That’s why fans think that, like with Drake, Kendrick has long-brewing friction with the Motown native that they could both be itching to resolve. And it’s why fans took Big Sean’s On The Radar freestyle admonishment about “finding someone to beef with” as a slight of Kendrick rather than its actual intended target: Sean’s former benefactor, Kanye West.
But there’s one other reason that they want to see a battle between the two: Because Big Sean could very well be one of today’s few upper echelon rappers who could hold his own in a rhyme fight with Kendrick Lamar. Drake got served. J. Cole bowed out. There are few other MCs at Kendrick’s level of mainstream popularity and commercial viability fans believe has the motivation or the skill to stand toe-to-toe with the Hub City native. Now, whether that’d be in Big Sean’s best interest is debatable; the scales are already tilted in Kendrick’s favor, Sean’s reputation as a rapper is respected but far from ironclad, and as Cardi B once said, “beef is bad for business.” But that won’t stop fans from clamoring for the next battle.
Uproxx cover star Latto has put everything on the floor when it comes to her foe Ice Spice. Anytime a subliminal was sent her way, the “Big Mama” rapper has stayed true to her motto, “Get in the booth, b*tch.”
However, when asked by Billboard if she would take on Ice Spice in a rap battle, Latto politely declined. This is quite ironic coming from the forthcoming season two judge on Netflix’s rap competition show, Rhythm + Flow. But in today’s (July 19) interview, Latto explained why.
“If I was to do [a battle], it would have to be with somebody I feel like I’mma go tit-for-tat with,” she said. “I really don’t mean it as shade. Would she even want to do that?”
Although Latto says she didn’t intend for the response to be shade, it can certainly be perceived that way. Latto doesn’t have any interest in a full on battle, but she isn’t above responding with a track.
On his official Instagram page, Drake uploaded an image of himself sporting a t-shirt with the line: “Rap is a joke.” Below the image, Drake added a cryptic caption.
“The pressure from being on top does more than just make your ears pop,” read the post.
In the comment section of Drake’s post, followers showed their support with uplifting messages. But over on X (formerly Twitter), users called out the “Family Matters” rapper for being a poor sport after losing the lyrical feud against Kendrick Lamar.
“He’s just mad he lost his rap beef. LOL,” wrote one user.
The $20 printed top is a signature merch item from Bay Area duo Rap Is A Joke (Frank Stacks and L-$) that creates parody pieces around hip-hop culture. Could this be Drake’s response to Kendrick Lamar’s “You think the Bay gonna let you disrespect Pac n*****” line on “Not Like Us?”
At this point, it’s pretty firmly established that Drake took the L in his back-and-forth with Kendrick Lamar earlier this year. Only Aubrey himself (or his staunchest online supporters) could make the argument that Kendrick did NOT run roughshod over Drake’s reputation with his flurry of aggressive diss tracks, which included the presumptive song of the summer, “Not Like Us.”
Fortunately for Drake, there is a path to redemption — at least, according to former Kendrick Lamar labelmate, Ab-Soul. The Carson artist, who is still signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and appeared in the “Not Like Us” video alongside the other original members of the label, shared his theory on Twitter (back to not calling it “X”).
“If Drake is the MC I imagine he can be,” he wrote. “Redemption is not off the table.”
If Drake is the MC I imagine he can be. Redemption is not off the table.
Of course, this is pretty much the crux of the divide between the two rappers, as well as being the main case against Drake from the majority of his critics over the past decade and a half. Drake spent his first two mixtapes, Room For Improvement and Comeback Season, courting the underground before blowing up seemingly overnight after the leak of a reference track of Drake’s song, “Brand New,” which he’d written for an unnamed R&B singer.
Since then, Drake has split his time on recordings between harder-edged, tough guy-style rapping (because the backpacker thing was never all that profitable) and brokenhearted crooning. In an effort to appeal to the zeitgeist, though, both his raps and his singing have taken on a manosphere-inspired, Red Pilled outlook, which has alienated a bunch of his most dedicated fans. Ab-Soul’s comments reflect a general vibe on rap discussion forums like Twitter that there’s a version of Drake that could potentially earn back his lost respect as a rapper, but he’d have to reject some of his biggest defenders, ditch the toxic attitudes, and start writing like his old rhyme heroes Phonte and Lupe Fiasco again.
It’s a bold theory, and I’m not sure it’d hold true in practice, but therein lies the rub: If skills sold, truth be told…
Kendrick Lamar took a few hefty swings at Drake’s OVO Sound’s mascot in the “Not Like Us” video. But last month (June 30), it appears Drake fans decided to throw a few punches of their own—at Drizzy’s foe Rick Ross.
While performing in Montreal, the “Champagne Moments” rapper and his crew were seemingly rushed after playing the chart-topping Kendrick track. Yesterday (July 4), Ross finally issued a response to the brawl.
“Aye man, I’m thinking about the event that happened over there,” he said. “When the first dude stepped up to Rozay, the lil’ short fat one that looked like Bam Bam Bigelow from wrestling. When he stepped up, I squatted down, and his eyes had told him what I said. Basically, ‘Boy, if I hit you, imma see everything you ate for the last two days.’ His balls dropped out of his ass. He never said another word, he did never did nothing. He was a straight busta. Then the n**** behind him said, ‘I know MMA!’ And then I got hit with a drink. I’m still convinced ain’t no n**** punched me. Somebody said, ‘Rozay, the n**** tried to punch you, he hit you!.’ I said, ‘Nah, he had to throw a drink.’ ‘Cause throwing a drink would have been way more disrespectful than screaming, ‘I know MMA!’”
Typically, being attacked would rattle anyone. But not in Ross’ case. In fact, he seemed amused more so than anything else.
Oy vey. Just when you thought Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out concert in LA finally brought the fractious energy of early 2024 to its natural conclusion, another one of the many, many examples of rap beef this year resurfaced over the weekend to potentially keep the bad vibes rolling into the summer.
According to fans attending Latto’s Birthday Bash concert in Atlanta, the “Big Energy” rapper teased the title of her next album during the show. It’s supposedly called Sugar Honey Iced Tea, and here’s why fans think it has to do with Ice Spice and her beef with Latto. Latto later seemingly confirmed that she does have something by that name “OTW” and with a CD emoji attached, it does appear to be an album.
A screen after Latto’s performance at Birthday Bash hints her album will be titled “Sugar Honey Iced Tea” pic.twitter.com/mLg4kxVM4z
16,000+ sold out in my city!!! Real tears watching all this footage!!! Im flooding today idc yall wouldn’t understand the feeling!!! Real Atlanta KNOW I put in overtime yall really watched me grow up SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA OTW pic.twitter.com/gahm08K1Xw
Obviously, the phrase “sugar honey iced tea” has long been used as an acronym for a certain bad word referring to poop. This is significant here because Ice Spice’s most successful Y2K! single this year so far has been “Think U The Sh*t (Fart),” which the Bronx native admitted is a diss song about Latto. While Latto already addressed Ice Spice with her own combative single, “Sunday Service,” fans have interpreted Latto’s album title as a direct response to Ice’s accusation, acknowledging that yes, she does think she is “the sh*t.”
Naturally, everyone is being very chill about this… oh, wait. No. Of course, they aren’t. In any event, you can watch Latto’s Birthday Bash in full up top, and check out just some of the reactions to her album’s potential title below.
Ice Spice and Latto having a dumb off. Ice Spice put her album title on the trash can on the cover. Now Latto is naming her album SHIT. You can’t make this up. https://t.co/XdgfOe3f7Dpic.twitter.com/a4xae79r8U
latto is so dumbbbbb. like does she not realize that naming her album s.h.i.t. does nothing but make her look like she’s keeping this one sided, tired, & washed beef going? pic.twitter.com/6oR1tADJer
storming last night me and @champagnepapi gonna get the 
rolling,” he wrote. “Biggest ting on your TV.”
that’s all I been seeing anytime someone say anything good about Drake
DAO
I didn’t even know what was going onnn
(@lovepopgirls) 
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(@lattosbardi) 