Il dissing Kendrick Lamar VS Drake: la Civil War del rap americano
Tutto quel che c'è da sapere sul mega dissing che sta scuotendo la scena rap americana. Dal diss di Kendrick Lamar in Like That, track nel joint album di Metro...
Il dissing Kendrick Lamar VS Drake coinvolge sempre più big della scena rap U.S.A., dopo J. Cole anche Kanye West e Rick Ross. È Civil War piena.
Qualcuno deve aver detto a Drake del commento di Salmo sui tempi dei dissing americani perché ha finalmente deciso di rispondere a Kendrick, non con una ma ben due diss tracks scomodando per l’occasione anche Tupac e Snoop Dogg.
Quindi sì, sembrerebbe che dopo un periodo di stallo, la terra abbia ricominciato a tremare per questa guerra civile tra i big del rap americano. Kendrick, Future, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross, J. Cole, Drake ed ora anche Kanye West… Non ci stai più capendo niente?
Ecco un recap del dissing più seguito del momento: la Rap Civil War di Kendrick vs Drake
22 Marzo - L’inizio: Kendrick Lamar dissa Drake e J. Cole
Tutto inizia quel tranquillo venerdì del 22 marzo. Esce il joint album di Future e Metro Boomin We Don't Trust You e tutti iniziano ad ascoltare le hit contenute, ma l’attenzione del pubblico viene catturata dalla track n.6 Like That feat. Kendrick Lamar.
È proprio Kendrick Lamar, nelle sue ultime barre, a scaricare una mitragliata su Drake e J. Cole accusandoli di aver fatto del dissing improponibile nella track First Person Shooter, contenuta nell’album For All The Dogs di Drake (ottobre 2023), e ristabilendo la gerarchia dei big three, un podio su cui J. Cole aveva provato a mettersi in cima come G.O.A.T., paragonandosi a Muhammed Ali.
“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,
but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali
Huh, yeah, yeah, huh-huh, yeah, Muhammad Ali”
- J.Cole in First Person Shooter
“Ah, yeah, huh, yeah, get up with me
Fuck sneak dissin', first person shooter
I hope they came with three switches
I crash out, like, "Fuck rap, " this Melle Mel if I had to
Got two T's with me, I'm snatchin' chains and burnin' tattoos
It's up, lost too many soldiers not to play it safe
If he walk around with that stick, it ain't Andre 3K
Think I won't drop the location? I still got PTSD
Motherfuck the big three, nigga, it's just big me
Nigga, bum, what? I'm really like that
And your best work is a light pack
Nigga, Prince outlive Mike Jack
Nigga, bum, 'fore all your dogs gettin' buried
That's a K with all these nines, he gon' see Pet Sematary
Nigga, bum”
- Kendrick Lamar in Like That
Insomma, si potrebbe dire che K-DOT non abbaia, ma morde e quando lo fa risponde ben sopra le righe, in questo caso, scatenando una vera e propria Civil War del rap americano per rispondere al leggero “diss” di J. Cole - a pensarci, anche Drake se la sarebbe potuta prendere con Cole per non essere lui il Muhammad Ali.
5 Aprile - J. Cole pubblica il surprise mixtape Might Delete Later, che include la diss track 7 Minutes Drill
Tutto tace per più di una settimana. Se è vero che noi italiani rispondiamo di botto -ed è vero, d’altronde, come dice anche Salmo, lui e Luchè hanno sfornato 6 pezzi in 3 giorni- gli americani devono essere abituati a prendersi il loro tempo e rispondere con calma.
Nella notte tra il 4 e 5 aprile, arriva a sorpresa la prima risposta a Kendrick Lamar ed il primo a rispondere è proprio l’autore dello “sneak diss” J. Cole, inserendo nel suo quarto mixtape Might Delete Later, un’ultima track on fire, 7 Minutes Drill.
7 Minutes Drill - La risposta di J. Cole al diss di Kendrick ed il ritiro, con tanto di scuse
Nella 12esima track della surprise-release, il fondatore di Dreamville records risponde al diss di K-DOT senza andare giù per il sottile.
“It's a cold world, keep the heat under your seat
I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissin'
You want some attention, it come with extensions
My dog like, "Say the word," he on bullshit, he itchin'
Done put in so much work in these streets, he got pension
I told him chill out, how I look havin' henchmen?
If shots get to poppin', I'm the one doin' the clenchin'
I came up in the Ville, so I'm good when it's tension
He still doin' shows, but fell off like The Simpsons
Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic
Your second shit put niggas to sleep, but they gassed it
Your third shit was massive and that was your prime
I was trailin' right behind and I just now hit mine
Now I'm front of the line with a comfortable lead”
- J. Cole in 7 Minutes Drill
J. Cole non perde occasione e nella breve track di outro, non solo avverte Kendrick che se cerca attenzioni ci saranno conseguenze, ma prova anche a ribadire la sua posizione di leader, smontando l’intera carriera di Kendrick e commentandola come inconsistente ed altalenante tra progetti classici, noiosi, esagerati e tragici.
C’è dibattito su quale sia l’album inteso come “first shit” nel dissing di Cole. Se da un lato infatti il primo album di Kendrick Lamar è Section.80, molti pensano che Cole intenda Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012) in quanto primo album di successo di Kendrick pubblicato con una major, un classico. Seguendo questo ragionamento, J. Cole continua descrivendo Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022) come una tragedia e rincarando la dose con un’opinione difficilmente condivisibile, ovvero che To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) sia un album noioso -anche se considerato uno tra i migliori album rap di sempre- e conclude con la riverenza a Damn (2017), ricordando però a K-DOT che quello è stato il suo punto d’arrivo e che ora è lui, mr. Dreamville, ad essere alla guida della scena.
Una risposta abbastanza moscia, che sembra essere un taglierino portato ad una sparatoria, e che deve aver dato molto da pensare al suo autore dopo essere stata pubblicata, tanto che, dopo appena due giorni, J. Cole decide di ritirare la track, annunciando la scelta dal palco del suo Dreamville Fest e descrivendola come “lame” (noiosa) con tanto di scuse a Kendrick.
“Negli ultimi due giorni mi sono sentito uno schifo… Il mondo vuole vedere il sangue, e mi sono comportato in un modo che spiritualmente mi fa sentire male. Penso che Kendrick Lamar sia uno dei più grandi rapper che abbiano mai toccato un microfono“
- J. Cole dallo stage del Dreamville Festival
Un bella ritirata, se non un harakiri, che (almeno per ora) mette fuorigioco J. Cole.
19 Aprile - Drake risponde a Kendrick Lamar (finalmente) e va in modalità rogue contro tutti
Con l’uscita dai giochi di J. Cole, rimangono sul ring Kendrick vs Drake, e se K-DOT è in silenzio stampa dall’uscita del joint album di Metro Boomin e Future, Drake invece ha preso il suo tempo e finalmente si è scatenato, pubblicando non una, ma ben due diss track.
Con la prima, Push Ups, Drake risponde al suo ex-protege con un dissing in cui lo prende in giro sia con reference abbastanza cringe e di basso livello (come la copertina ed il riferimento nelle lyrics alla dimensione dei suoi piedi…) che con mine ben piazzate riguardo a diverse questioni legate alla sua carriera. La prima è il riferimento al fatto che, prima che Kendrick fosse Kendrick, Drake che all’epoca era la big star, diede spazio a Kendrick includendolo nel suo secondo album Take Care (2011) e portandolo con sé in tour per il Club Paradise Tour (2012).
“I could never be nobody number-one fan
Your first number one, I had to put it in your hand
You pussies can't get booked outside America for nan'
I'm out in Tokyo because I'm big in Japan
I'm the hitmaker y'all depend on
Backstage in my city, it was friendzone
You won't ever take no chain off of us
How the fuck you big steppin' with a size-seven men's on?
This the bark with the bite, nigga, what's up?
I know my picture on the wall when y'all cook up”
Drake passa poi alla questione dell’accordo di Kendrick con la label Top Dawg Entertainment, con cui produsse dal 2004 al 2021, schernendolo sul fatto che dovesse dare alla TDE il 50 percento di tutti i suoi ricavi musicali e invitandolo a pubblicare il suo contratto, ad oggi ancora segreto, per smentirlo. Su questo punto ritorna più volte nella track, continuando a mettere il coltello nella piaga con la barra “Top say drop, you better drop and give 'em fifty”.
“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 shit
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”
Drizzy ne ha ancora e attacca anche alle collaborazioni di Kendrick con artisti pop (Maroon 5 e Taylor Swift) a sua detta scadenti. Ma sembrerebbe solo per smentire quanto detto da J. Cole nel 2019 e cancellare K-DOT dai big three, definendolo come ormai superato da SZA, Travis Scott e 21 Savage.
“You better do that motherfuckin' show inside the bity
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
Pipsqueak, pipe down
You ain't in no big three, SZA got you wiped down
Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down
Like your label, boy, you in a scope right now
And you gon' feel the aftermath of what I write down
I'm at the top of the mountain, so you tight now
Just to have this talk with your ass, I had to hike down
Big difference 'tween Mike then and Mike now”
Avendo finito con Kendrick (quasi), subito dopo Drake si scaglia contro tutti i rapper che in questo periodo si sono schierati con K-DOT tra cui ovviamente Metro e Future, ma anche The Weeknd, reo di aver partecipato ai due album di Metro Boomin e Future con diversi feat. e, col cuore infranto, anche contro il suo vecchio bro, Rick Ross.
“What the fuck is this, a twenty-v-one, nigga?
What's a prince to a king? He a son, nigga
Get more love in the city that you from, nigga
Metro, shut your ho ass up and make some drums, nigga
Yeah, I'm the 6ix God, I'm the frontrunner
Y'all nigga 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 niggas (What the fuck?)
Jets, whips, chains, wicked, wicked, wicked (Wicked, wicked)
Spend it like you tryna fuck, boy, you trippin', boy, you trippin'
Drizzy Chip 'n Dale, probably got your bitch Chanel
I just got 'em done, boy, don't make me have to chip a nail
Rolling Loud stage, y'all were turnt, that was slick as hell
Shit'll probably change if your BM start to kiss and tell
Hugs and kisses, man, don't tell me 'bout no switches
I'll be rockin' every fuckin' chain I own next visit, ayy
I be with some bodyguards like Whitney
Top say drop, your little midget ass better fuckin'
Ayy, better drop and give me fifty, ayy
Drop and give me fifty, drop and give me fifty, ayy
Niggas really got me out here talkin' like I'm 50, ayy
Niggas really got me out here rappin' what I'm livin'
I might take your latest girl and cuff her like I'm Ricky
Can't believe he jumpin' in, this nigga 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
Nigga, shout out to the hooper that be bustin' out the griddy
We know why you mad, nigga, I ain't even trippin'
All that lil' heartbroken Twitter shit for bitches
This for all the top dogs, drop and give me fifty, drop, drop
And that fuckin' song y'all got did not start the beef with us
This shit been brewin' in a pot, now I'm heatin' up
I don't care what Cole think, that Dot shit was weak as fuck
Champagne trippin', he is not fuckin' easin' up
Nigga callin' Top to see if Top wanna peace it up
"Top, wanna peace it up? Top, wanna peace it up?"
Nah, pussy, now you on your own when you speakin' up
You done rolled deep to this, it's not fuckin' deep enough
Beggin' Kai Cenat, boy, you not fuckin' beatin' us
Numbers-wise, I'm out of here, you not fuckin' creepin' up
Money-wise, I'm out of here, you not fuckin' sneakin' up
Cornball, your show money merch-money fee to us
I'ma let you niggas work it out because I seen enough
This ain't even everything I know, don't wake the demon up
This ain't even everything I know, don't wake the demon up
Drop and give me fifty, all you fuck niggas teamin' up”
Push Ups si chiude con la promessa di Champagne Papi di averne ancora e infatti qualche giorno dopo…
20 Aprile - Esce a sorpresa Taylor Made Freestyle, il diss in cui Drake scomoda Tupac e Snoop Dogg
La penna di Drake doveva essere evidentemente bollente perché solo qualche ora dopo il rapper canadese pubblica il secondo diss Taylor Made Freestyle, in cui scomoda addirittura due mostri sacri della West Coast come Tupac e Snoop Dogg.
[2Pac (AI)]
“Killuminati
Dons rise again
You can see it in my eyes again
Kendrick, we need ya, the West Coast savior
Engraving your name in some hip-hop history
If you deal with this viciously
You seem a little nervous about all the publicity
Fuck this Canadian lightskin, Dot
We need a no-debated West Coast victory, man
Call him a bitch for me
Talk about him likin' young girls, that's a gift from me
Heard it on the Budden Podcast, it's gotta be true
They told me the spirit of Makaveli is alive
In a nigga under 5'5", so it's gotta be you
I would beef the whole fuckin' game
It was me and Snoop Dogg, had my fuckin' shirt off in the House of Blues
K, you gotta fuck this nigga girl, he gotta get abused
All that shit 'bout burning tattoos, he is not amused
That's jail talk for real thugs, you gotta be you
Gotta leave this motherfucker broken and bruised before we really lose
You asked for the smoke, now it seem you too busy for the smoke
I won't lie, the people confused
Now you 'bout to give this shit another week?
And fall back to home girl who runnin' numbers up? I woulda refused
Fuck these industry relationships, she not in your shoes
You supposed to be the boogeyman, go do what you do
Unless this is a moment that you tell us this not really you
In that case, there's nothing left to say, I'll just pass it to Snoop”
[Snoop Dogg (AI)]
“Nephew, what the fuck you really 'bout to do?
We passed you the torch at the House of Blues
And now you gotta do some dirty work, you know how to move, right? Right?
I know you never been to jail or wore jumpsuits and shower shoes
Never shot nobody, never stabbed nobody
Never did nothing violent to no one, it's the homies that empower you
But still, you gotta show this fuckin' owl who's boss on the West
Now's a time to really make a power move
'Cause right now it's looking like you writin' out the game plan on how to lose
How to bark up the wrong tree and then get your head popped in a crowded room
World is watching this chess game, but are you out of moves?
Dot, you know that the D-O-G never fuckin' doubted you
But right now it seem like you posted up without a clue
Of what the fuck you 'bout to do”
[Drake]
“Yeah, unc', that's the truth
I'm definitely 'bout to come around the Lang gang and let my fuckin' bowel move
Shittin' on you niggas from a whole different altitude
High up in the sky like I'm Howard Hughes
The first one really only took me an hour or two
The next one is really 'bout to bring out the coward in you
But now we gotta wait a fuckin' week 'cause Taylor Swift is your new Top
And if you 'bout to drop, she gotta approve
This girl really 'bout to make you act like you not in a feud
She tailor-made your schedule with Ant, you out of the loop
Hate all you corporate industry puppets, I'm not in the mood
I love it when you niggas talk loose like I'm not in the room
Since "Like That," your tone changed a little, you not as enthused
How are you not in the booth? It feel like you kinda removed
You tryna let this shit die down, nah, nah, nah
Not this time, nigga, you followin' through
I guess you need another week to figure out how to improve
What the fuck is taking so long? We waitin' on you
The rest of y'all are definitely involved, y'all gettin' it too
Soon as you get the courage to drop, I'm out on the loose, on the loose
Yeah, shout out to Taylor Swift
Biggest gangster in the music game right now
You know, I moved my album when she dropped, I said that already
You know, she 'bout to milli' run through a Milly Rock on your head top, well
She got the whole pgLang on mute like that Beyoncé challenge, y'all boys quiet for the weekend, like
Dot, I know you're in that NY apartment, you strugglin' right now, I know it
In the notepad doing lyrical gymnastics, my boy
You better have a motherfuckin' quintuple entendre on that shit
Some shit I don't even understand, like
That shit better be crazy, we waitin' on you
Yeah”
Neanche da dire (ma per sicurezza lo diciamo), le due leggende non partecipano veramente alla track ma le loro voci sono ricreate da Drake con l’AI per prendere in giro il suo avversario esortandolo attraverso la loro voce a rispondere in quanto nuovo rep della West Coast, dandogli anche dei consigli su dove colpire per diventare “il salvatore della West Coast”. Una mossa astuta per anticipare alcuni temi su cui Kendrick potrebbe puntare nell’eventuale diss di risposta a queste due mazzate tirategli dal “fuckin' owl” e nell’outro lo esorta direttamente a rispondere. Cosa farà Kendrick Lamar?
Intanto qualcun altro non si è fatto attendere e ha risposto in tempi record. Salmo ne sarà contento (noi lo siamo)...
(back to) 19 Aprile - Rick Ross risponde a Drake con Champagne Moments
A poche ore dall’uscita di Push Ups, in cui Drake dissa tra gli altri supporter di Kendrick anche Rick Rossa, ecco che quest’ultimo pubblica la videoclip di Champagne Moments, la cui copertina raffigura un full-caucasian Drake.
Ed è proprio su questo, tra le tante frecciate, che Rick Rossa dissa Drizzy, il suo essere un white boy non adatto a questo gioco. Ad esempio, con la rima in cui lo accusa di essersi rifatto il naso per rimpicciolirlo.
“Fish tanks and marble floors, livin' big and bad
Niggas laugh until they hit with my official jab
Crack smoke is the exhaust from my pen and pad
Ghostwriters, they get to floss what you could’ve had
Record label takin' a loss, are you in your bag?
You a worker wantin' to chart, don’t make me laugh
Get to mine, tell by my watch, this a different time
Livin' fine, I'm gettin' high as your shit decline
Who believes he movin' keys in his Louis V's?
Run up on you and snatch your chain, watch you bitches bleed
Feel the pain or just describe where you really ride
Either you niggas gettin' money or ready to die
B-I-G or give a fuck if you Chi-Ali
You got it and you keep it tucked if you be by me
Do the job, better known as the Charles Schwab
Double R's spread through the yard, and I swear to God
Pop a Perc’ for the feel, go and count me a mil’
Kill you niggas for free, do it all for the thrill
Niggas leakin' they records when we speakin’ directly
If we keepin' it gangster, when you see me, you check me
White boy, I see you, I see you
Yeah, check
Gettin' bullied, don't walk up on me ’cause the clip is fully
Niggas pussy, don't want to push me, I'm like, "Really, would he?"
Like his moves, but he never had to fight in school
Always ran, another nigga had to write your grooves
Flow is copy-and-paste, Weezy gave you the juice
Another white boy at the park wanna hang with the crew
Pulitzer Prize winner switchin' up like dyed denim
Get incentives for all the killings while we ride rentals
Look me right in my face, he beginnin' to shake
Told you niggas "Stay schemin'," I predicted my fate
"Got more money than you," fuck you want me to say?
Fifty mil' for the crib, where you want me to stay?
I could shoot up the block, I got pictures to paint
Let you DM my ho, but got bitches you can't
Let you get on my songs, it was good for your face
Now, bitch nigga, it's on, ain't no room for debate
Pop a Perc' for the feel, go and count me a mil'
Kill you niggas for free, do it all for the thrill
Niggas leakin' they records when we speakin' directly
If we keepin' it gangster, when you see me, you check me
By the way, I got a lot of respect for a lot of rappers, but I got one guy
He's my favorite person to rap with on any song, his name is Rick Ross
(Maybach Music)
You ain't never want to be a nigga anyway, nigga
That's why you had an operation to make your nose smaller than your father nose, nigga
I unfollowed you, nigga, 'cause you sent the motherfuckin' cease-and-desist to French Montana, nigga
You sent the police, nigga, hated on my dog project
That wasn't the same white boy that I seen, nigga, when we were makin' them early records, nigga
When you were happy to be 'round niggas, seein' niggas holdin' them sticks, yeah
You owe motherfuckin' Stunna your life, nigga
Give Weezy some more money, nigga
Give Rap-A-Lot some more money, nigga
White boy
Yeah, biggest
It's Rozay, nigga
We can do it how you wanna do it, where you wanna do it, any time you wanna do it, I'm ready
I'm ready, white boy, huh?
I know you got your Dockers on with no underwear, white boy
Yeah, you had that surgery, that six-pack gone
That's why you wearin' that funny shit at your show, you can't hide it, nigga
White boy"
E cosa c’entra Kanye West in tutto questo dissing?
Molti potrebbero dire che Ye non c’entri assolutamente nulla, non interpellato e non attaccato, ma forse è proprio questo non essere considerato ad averlo triggerato e quando si discute di chi sia il number one, il G.O.A.T., ovviamente, Kanye West non può certamente rimanere a guardare.
Prima in un post su IG, in cui Kanye fa capire molto bene la sua posizione: “C’è solo un GOAT: io. Non a caso gli amici mi chiamano Ye”, dicendo di aver polverizzato sia Drake che Kendrick Lamar, poi al podcast The Download, scagliandosi con un remix di Like That ed un meme di dubbio gusto (classico Ye) contro il povero J Cole, per alcuni l’unico ad aver dimostrato un po’ di maturità. Una barra a caso? “Play J. Cole, get the pu**y dry”. Ouch Kanye, ouch…
Ora sta a Kendrick scegliere se e come rispondere. Lo farà nelle vesti della guida spirituale di una generazione o di gangsta rap della West Coast?
