Kendrick Lamar has been cooking up a response to Drake's "Push Ups," after the Canadian artist's fired back at Lamar's verse on Metro Boomin' and Future's "Like That."
Lamar threw the first punch when he declared himself the singular king of the rap game, knocking out J. Cole and Drake. "Push Ups" arrived two weeks later as Drake's official clapback at Lamar. The Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers rapper stayed quiet--until now.
On Tuesday morning, Lamar posted a new track titled "euphoria" to his YouTube channel. The video features a screenshot of the definition of euphoria, "a feeling of well-being or elation."
The song begins softly with Lamar cruising along on a chilled out first verse. "How I make music that electrify 'em, you make music that pacify 'em," he declares. Lamar is cool and collected, letting his words flow smoothly rather than fly rapidly.
Things kick up a notch after only one minute, with hard hitting production coming in as Lamar coos "Shoo, shoo, shoo" as horns blare underneath.
He enters into a fury of pure, unadulterated insults in some of the flashiest bars of 2024.
"Oh, you thought the money, the power or fame would make you go away?" chides Lamar. Drake has used wealth and celebrity as a tool for flexing in this ongoing rap beef, having publicized a conversation with Rick Ross where he brags about having millions of dollars. Lamar points out that riches do not make Drake any better than his industry contemporaries.
"Have you ever played, have you ever?" asks Lamar. Drake's ongoing feud with Lamar isn't the "Popstar" artist's first public conflict. In 2015, he went head-to-head with Meek Mill with diss tracks "Charged Up" and "Back to Back." On the latter, he famously asked Meek, "Is that a world tour or your girl's tour?"
Lamar also attacks Drake's public shortcomings as a father: "I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin' 'bout that."
In 2018, rapper Pusha T unleashed a fiery diss track at Drake called "The Story of Adidon." The song addresses Drake's mixed race heritage, but also points fingers about the rapper failing to acknowledge that he has a son, Adonis.
"We talkin' character, let me keep with the facts/You are hiding a child, let that boy come home/Deadbeat mothaf-a playin' border patrol, ooh," rapped Pusha T on the diss track. "The Story of Adidon" was considered the best song of 2018 by Noisey.
"Am I battlin' ghost or AI?" Kendrick later asks, pointing to Drake's "Taylor Made" which features A.I.-generated verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg. Drake has repeatedly been accused of using ghost writers, with Quentin Miller coming forward in 2015 to say that the rapper hadn't compensated him for verses.
READ ALSO: Tupac Shakur's Estate Threatens to Sue Drake Over AI Voice In Diss Track
"I know they call you the boy, but where is the man 'cause I ain't see him yet," says Lamar
Lamar doesn't hide his feelings, calling the rapper a "lame." He directly tells Drake that he hates him multiple times.
"I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk/I hate the way that you dress/I hate the way you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it's gon' be direct," he spits.
However, he does joke about how he likes "Drake with the melodies, I don't like Drake when he act/tough." Lamar follows suit of others who have mocked Drake for "acting tough" when he hails from a relatively comfortable life in Toronto, where he spent his time as an actor for the teen show, Degrassi.
For over six minutes, Lamar takes lyrical swings at Drake, hitting seemingly every corner of the rapper's life, career and persona.
"Euphoria" may very well be the final nail in the coffin of 2024's "rap war."
"Yeah, Cole and Aubrey know I'm a selfish n--/The crown is heavy," declares Lamar in another version of his original "It's just me" comment.
Meanwhile, J. Cole, who was originally mentioned in Lamar's "Like That" verse, has been enjoying peace away from the turbulent music scene. After posting a response to "Like That," titled "7 Minute Drill," he almost immediately apologized, saying it was uncool of him. While Cole catches a bit of collateral damage on "euphoria," it appears his time in lyrical combat is over.
As for Lamar? He's ready and waiting should Drake attempt to strike again:
"If you takin' it there, I'm takin' it further/Psst, that's somethin' that you don't wanna do."
READ ALSO: Drake Drops 'Push Ups' Diss Response on Streaming
