Drake became the biggest talking point of the weekend after rumors emerged that Kendrick Lamar and Future might have some beef with The Boy. However, the laundry list of Drake’s foes may have grown in the last few days, making the bench of rappers unhappy with the 6 God very deep and fairly daunting.
Fans spent their weekend breaking down Future and Metro Boomin‘s new album, We Don’t Trust You, which dropped on March 22. Kendrick Lamar’s much-discussed verse on “Like That,” which is included on the joint album, became a major talking point on social media shortly after the album dropped. K-Dot’s bars seemed likely aimed at Drake and J. Cole, but while the verse was exciting it didn’t catch rap fans completely by surprise. There are quite a few rappers that seem to have issue with Drake now, and many are pure speculative.
Drake and Metro Boomin’s Beef
It’d make sense Metro would package a Drizzy diss into his new album since the producer appeared to have some issues with the rapper in 2023. Metro had admitted on X, formerly known as Twitter, last year that he was disappointed about the lack of awards his 2022 album, Heroes & Villains, got versus Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss. Drake appeared to take this as disrespect, prompting him to call out certain “tweet-and-deleters” in a video before the year was out.
Metro tried to diffuse the situation by saying his issues with Drake were “not deep at all,” but Drake fanned the flames with another dig at Young Metro. Rumors also emerged that Metro was pillow-talking with a girl about his dislike for Drizzy, and that these words ultimately reached the Canadian rapper himself. None of this has ever been confirmed.
Beef With Kendrick Lamar
Rap fans also noted that Kendrick had been coming for Drake’s neck for a while now, maybe even dating all the way back to Kendrick’s “Buried Alive” verse in 2011. On the Take Care interlude, a young Kendrick admitted in his verse that an affiliation to Drake might not actually benefit him.
“So blame it on Mr. OVOXO/The reason why I’m breathin’ all the vanity I know,” Kendrick rapped at the time.
Listen to Drake’s “Buried Alive Interlude” featuring Kendrick Lamar
Kung Fu Kenny then officially kickstarted their dispute with his much-talked-about verse on Big Sean’s song “Control” in 2013. On the song, Kendrick calls out nearly every major rapper by name including Drake. The latter then made it worse by admitting he’s never felt threatened by the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper.
“I didn’t really have anything to say about it,” Drake told Billboard of K-Dot’s “Control” in August of that year. “It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that [Kendrick]’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic.”
A Beef With Future Began at Some Point
Well, the topic seems to have been revisited. After listening to “Like That,” fans quickly began scouring for other signs of 6 God friction within the We Don’t Trust You album. Everyone assumed Future had issues with Drake too based on his mere association with Metro since they have been working on a joint project for so long. Drake and Future were once the joint project kings, with What a Time to Be Alive in 2015. The two last collaborated on Future’s “Life Is Good” in 2020. Then somewhere along the lines Drizzy started working more with 21 Savage, which led to their Her Loss joint album and a tour together.
Rap fans then noted one verse in particular on Future and Metro Boomin’s album intro track “We Don’t Trust You,” in which Pluto spoke about “pillow talk.” Supporters believed this to mean Future and Drake may have some issues over a girl. This caused fans to go back into each artists’ vast discography to find other breadcrumbs that could help form a timeline of this alleged betrayal.
It didn’t take long before fans began viewing Drake’s For All the Dogs cut “What Would Pluto Do?” in a different light. Fans now think the track’s hook is a potential dig at Future’s behavior.
“Last time I saw her, she was f**kin’ with my n***a/So, the question is, the question is, ‘What would Pluto do?’ He’d f**k the ho, so I did it,” Drake raps on the song.
Listen to Drake’s “What Would Pluto Do”
Fans then continued to trace the timeline even further back and cited Drake’s 2022 track “More M’s” as a possible other dig at Future as well. This time, Drake spit bars about a rapper hooking up with a girl he was interested in. It didn’t help that N.O.R.E. had previously said Future was maybe already mad at Drake because of his Her Loss collab with 21 Savage.
“It makes Drake and Future’s album not as important, I would say,” N.O.R.E. said in 2023. “This is allegedly. This is all rumors. Never heard it from Future’s mouth, never heard it from Drake, never heard it from 21. But it’s an alleged, big rumor that’s goin’ on right now.”
Read More: Drake and Future Might’ve Had Beef for Years
Multiple Rappers Unfollow Drake on Social Media
Rumors that artists were unfollowing Drake erupted. On Saturday, The Weeknd’s signee Nav allegedly unfollowed Drake on social media that same day. The move thickened the plot even further considering Drake and The Weeknd’s history. Did this mean the “Crew Love” collaborators weren’t on good terms either? Drake then quoted Nav’s 2020 song, “Turks,” in an Instagram caption after news broke of the unfollowing. “I ain’t picking up I’m in Turks lil baby,” Drizzy wrote. The Weeknd also appeared on the song “Young Metro,” on Metro and Future’s We Don’t Trust You. Was this album a line being drawn in the sand?
After “Like That” dropped, footage of Future and Metro Boomin’s Rolling Loud California performance in early March was circulating. This was done to show that Travis Scott, who joined the duo on stage, was urging the pair to play “Like That.” Was La Flame against Drake as well? Considering Trav’s loyalty to Kanye West, fans believed this theory could make sense. Kanye and Drake have loathed each other for years now. Recently, Ye said “F**k Drake” on Instagram just this month.
Watch Travis Scott Encourage Future and Metro Boomin to Play “Like That”
As the internet continues to theorize, it was reported that Rick Ross also unfollowed Drizzy on social media. While no rivalry has been officially confirmed, the timing of these removals show something is definitely amiss.
Metro Boomin Tries to Put a Stop to the Rumors
Metro Boomin finally stepped in on Sunday (March 25) to try and quell any further speculation about all the talk of beef. The social media detective work had become increasingly far-fetched over the weekend, and the producer wanted fans to just enjoy the album.
“Yall n***as stop making stuff up for engagement and enjoy the music,” he commented on X in response to a fan’s latest theory that Drake and Future are beefing over a girl.
Drake expressed palpable frustration seemingly about the situation during his recent tour performance in Florida.
“A lot of people ask me how I’m feeling,” Drake told concertgoers. “I’ma let you know how I’m feeling. Listen, the way I’m feeling is the same way I want you to walk out of here feeling tonight about your f**kin’ self. ’Cause you know how I’m feeling? I got my f**kin’ head up high, my back straight, I’m 10 f**kin’ toes down. I know that no matter what, it’s not a n***a on this Earth that could ever f**k with me in my life.”
It remains to be seen exactly what comes from all these rumors and subliminal disses, but in the words of Gandalf the White from The Lord of the Rings: Things are now in motion that cannot be undone.
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