Drizzy and Kendrick Lamar might not be going “back to back” on tracks like last year, but the animosity is still in the air. Last month, on the track “Gimme a Hug” from his collab album $OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U, the Toronto native had some seemingly choice words for K. Dot (perfectly timed days after Lamar got off the Super Bowl stage).
“‘Cause if I die, it’s these n***** that become the sole beneficiary, And what the fuck are they gon’ do with it?, Have the girls up at 29 on stage twerkin’ with a dictionary? … They be droppin’ shit, but we be droppin’ harder shit … Fuck a rap beef, I’m tryna get the party lit,” Drake rapped on the track.
Lamar hasn’t directly responded to Champagne Papi’s comments about him on the album. Nevertheless, Drizzy used his newest visuals to throw even more shade at Lamar (and copy his drip).
Swiper, no swiping
The rapper dropped the IMAX-filmed music video for his hit song “NOKIA” on March 31st. Of course, there were plenty of beautiful women, grooving and gyrating. However, those online pointed out some significant similarities between what Drake brought to the table and what Lamar had already done.
The layout of some of the shots in the video is reminiscent of Lamar’s Super Bowl performance (even down to the “K. Dot Angels”), and eagle-eyed fans noticed some similarities between Drake’s moves and Kendrick’s choreography in the “squabble up” music video.
For cameos, Drake tapped Canadian NBA player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to appear as a guest star. SGA is one of the few ball players not on Drake’s opp list after DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook pledged their allegiance to Compton and “Not Like Us.”
Another similarity in “NOKIA” is the use of an owl. Drake appears to have reclaimed his OVO mascot, showing the bird free from the cage it was locked in during the “Not Like Us” visuals. There are also comparisons between a specific skyscraper shot and Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl commercial (he has publicly sided with Lamar and was at The Pop Out last June).
Even Drake’s longtime groupie DJ Akademiks called out the subliminals throughout the video.
“Is he trolling Kendrick? These two are going to be tied together like Siamese twins—both of them. Like Dot can’t get over it, but Drake kinda can’t get over it either,” Akademiks said on stream.
Kendrick fans say Drake’s been reading “How to Be More Like Kendrick for Dummies.” Nevertheless, “NOKIA” is still performing well on the charts as Drake’s latest hit.
