Believe it or not, the competitive nature of rap beef has played a crucial part of Hip Hop. LL Cool J vs. Canibus, 2Pac vs. The Notorious B.I.G, 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule, and the list goes on and on. But north of the border, Toronto rappers, Drake and Tory Lanez, spent time going back and forth a few years ago.
It’s no secret that Drake has immensely uplifted the Toronto Hip Hop scene. Since 2009, he has put Canada at the forefront and now, there’s a flourishing scene that’s getting the respect they deserve. However, there was a time when Tory Lanez was seeking validation from Drake. Although he emerged with great success, it took him years to receive an acknowledgment from his now-peers and Drake.
Tory first mentioned Drake back in 2010 as he was trying to break out of the Canadian scene and into the American market. Although they took shots at each other on wax, the two are finally friends. It’s a great thing for Hip Hop and for Toronto, as well. Let’s take a look at what happened between the Toronto standouts.
Tory Lanez Makes Drake an Offer
A video circulated on YouTube of Tory Lanez freestyling with the title, “Drake’s Lil Brother Tory Lanez Freestyle In The Room.” Fans went into a frenzy when seeing this but Lanez eventually cleared things up. He clarified that he is not related to Drake but did have a proposal for his fellow Torontonian. He offered Drake $10,000 to listen to his music. If he didn’t like it he could take the money. However, the So Far Gone rapper did not respond.
In 2015, Tory Lanez stopped by Sway in The Morning where he discussed Drake comparisons. He further addressed Drake during a freestyle on the show, rapping, “I know these niggas about to act scary/ T.O. nigga, only spitting without the Blackberry.” Tory Lanez references Drake’s infamous HOT 97 freestyle with Funk Flex where he pulled out a Blackberry to dish out some bars. Later that year, Tory tweeted that the nickname for Toronto, “the six” was “not cool,” which many perceived as another dig at Drake.
“Summer Sixteen”
The following year, Drake dropped “Summer Sixteen” and had a few bars for Tory on the track. Namedropping Tory’s mixtape series, The New Toronto, Drake raps, “All you boys in the new Toronto want to be me a little.” The 6 God continues to rap about his foe, ”Oh it’s your time now, yeah, that’s what everybody say… Say you seeing ‘bout it when you see me, man, y’all never home anyway”.
Drake continues to take shots at Tory Lanez, even mimicking the way he raps on his song, “Blow” before namedropping Lanez’s record, “Round Here.” ”Getting things done around here/how you let me run it down here/ I’m not even from around here,” Drake raps.
It seems like Tory Lanez was shocked after hearing the shots Drake threw at him. ”I don’t know what that man has against me. I’m getting money over here. I’m good, young. I’m finally in a position to feed my family. Please don’t try to take that away from me. All I want to do is rap. I’m a f**king Drake fan,” he told Revolt TV in 2016. “Drake could diss me 20,000 times and I’ll never diss him. I’m a fan.”
Tory and Drake Jabs
Shortly after “Summer Sixteen” dropped, Lanez put out a freestyle to “Uber Everywhere.” Here, he throws subs back at Drake as he seemingly references the “One Dance” rapper’s upbringing. “P**** boy, smack that smile clean off your face/ You don’t know no trap n*****, you don’t be around this way/ You some actor n**** boy/ I used to see you on the screen,” he raps, referencing Drake’s time on Degrassi.
In response, Drake switched up the lyrics to “Summer Sixteen” to take a direct jab at Tory Lanez on his tour of the same name. He raps, “All you boys doin’ fake Controllas want to be me a little.”
Although Tory caught strays, “Summer Sixteen” came in the midst of Drake’s beef with Meek Mill. Around that time, Lanez went on Snapchat to say he was good in Philadelphia, Meek’s hometown, unlike other rappers. Given the nature of their feud, it seemed like a timely response to Drake. However, he, once again, downplayed the severity of their feud during an interview with The Breakfast Club. Tory explained to DJ Envy that people from their camps would go missing if he and Drake had actual issues with each other.
Tory Benefits Off Of Drake
In various interviews, Lanez has taken the opportunity to talk about his then-nemesis. He suggested Drakee must’ve felt threatened by him musically to address him on wax. However, Tory seemingly got the last laugh during their beef. In a conversation with Forbes, Lanez claimed he made $20,000 from The New Toronto merchandise after “Summer Sixteen” dropped.
During an interview with Sway, Tory also explained why he remixed Drake’s “Controlla.” “I just like that song. That’s all it was. I’m not a hater. I’ve expressed this before. I’ve never been a hater. We like you. We just want to be #1. Is there a problem with that? Can I be the best? Can y’all watch me be great? Will y’all allow me to do that?”
Beef Rolls Into New Year
Tory dropped two mixtapes at the top of 2017, The New Toronto 2 and Chixtape IV. On “Drive You Crazy” off the former, Lanez throws a small shot at Champagne Papi. “I pray I never dress like y’all/ Only bird on my shirt is when I press that raw,” Tory raps, an obvious reference to the OVO Owl.
Then comes Drake’s “Do Not Disturb” from More Life where he subtly mentions Tory’s government name aan debut album, I Told You. “You overnight celebrity you one day star/ I swear I told you I’m in this bitch for eternity/ I am a reflection of all of your insecurities/ Behind closed doors a lot of 6 God worshiping/ Done talk now ‘cause there’s other shit that concerning me,” Drake raps.
Drake and Tory Make Up
In May 2017, their beef was finally put to an end. Drake and Tory Lanez put their issues behind them, confirming it was all love in the 6ix with a simple Instagram post. Word is that people on both teams encouraged the two to let go of the petty beef. After a phone call between the two artists, the two met up the following week in New York.
During his annual OVO fest in August, Drake brought out Tory Lanez and the two performed “Controlla.” The 6 God addressed their beef as he spoke to the crowd. “This guy right here, we had problems with each other and we hadn’t even met each other. I met the man and he’s a great guy,” he told their hometown.
[via]