Hip-hop is becoming more intriguing.
Late last night, as rap fans across the world waited to listen to Future and Metro Boomin’s much-anticipated collaboration album, “WE DON’T TRUST YOU,” they were met with a pleasant surprise on “Like That,” the sixth track on the record.
Nearly two minutes into the song, Kendrick Lamar blasts on the track with bars that are directly aimed towards his two biggest rap rivals, J. Cole and Drake.
Read these lyrics from the Compton MC and share your thoughts:
Yeah, get up with me, f**k sneak dissin’/ First Person Shooter, I hope they came with three switches I crash out like ‘F**k rap,’/Diss Melle Mel if I had to Got 2Teez with me/I’m snatchin’ chains and burnin’ tattoos, it’s up.
Later in the verse, Kendrick added, “Think I won’t drop the location? I still got PTSD/Motherf**k the Big Three, n***a it’s just big me/N***a bum/I’m really like that and your best work is a light pack/N***a, Prince outlived Mike Jack’ n***a, bum/ ‘fore all your dogs gettin’ buried/That’s a K with all these nines/He gon’ see Pet Sematary n***a, bum!”
Yeah, there’s no question that he’s talking about Drake and J. Cole, and all of hip-hop loved to hear it.
Let’s be clear, these bars aren’t the most impressive or extensive in the world, but they’re entertaining for fans because it’s evident who he’s referring to. If you know their history, the intended targets are explicitly clear this time around.
The bar that stands out the most is “Your best work is a light pack/N***a, Prince outlived Mike Jack.”
This is intriguing considering that Prince and Michael Jackson had a rivalry back in their day.
One user wrote on social media, “Kendrick references prince a lot which is crazy cus prince & Mike had a lil rivalry where prince was seen as the secluded one who would drop amazing projects & go back to his world and MJ was the star with all the hits.”
In many ways, Lamar and Drake are perceived in the same way. K. Dot is praised as being a more secluded artist who only pops out to release dynamic and unique pieces of art that are critically acclaimed.
Drake is celebrated for being the most popular rapper in the world and having no rival in the genre when it comes to making smash hits.
What about J. Cole?
While the bars for Drake are much harsher, K. Dot did not go easy on Jermaine. The bar where Kendrick raps, “Motherfk the Big Three, n*a it’s just big me,” is a reference to a line that Cole said on “First Person Shooter.”
Specifically, Cole rapped, ‘Love when they argue the hardest MC. Is it K-Dot?’ Is it Aubrey? Or me?/We the big three like we started a league.”
Kendrick makes it clear that there is no competition. It’s him, and only him at the top alone.
Where do we go from here?
Hip-hop fans all want the same thing: Music.
We do not desire a petty Instagram post from Drake or a subliminal tweet from Cole. They both need to get in the booth and spit some bars. Period.
K. Dot took aim at Cole and Drizzy on a song, so why not do the same in return?
Drake has shown that he’s more than capable of embarrassing a rival on a diss track and Cole’s lyrical ability can stand up to just about anyone, including Kendrick Lamar.
This rivalry isn’t violent. Nobody is going to get hurt physically. It’s a simple war of words. Whatever happens on wax will stay on wax.
These three each think they are the best MCs out, so why not prove it?
Even if a real-live lyrical battle among these three isn’t likely to take place, one can dream, right? And as a hip-hop fan, It’s an exciting feeling to see that the music is starting to speak for itself again.
