Although Drake has done his best to move forward with new music and put his feud with Kendrick Lamar behind him, the hate towards Drizzy still hasn’t died down. Despite releasing several new songs in recent months and giving the hip-hop community an intimate behind-the-scenes look at his life with his recent 100 Gigs album, it seems like Drake can’t do anything right in the eyes of some rap fans.
Drake haters won’t let him escape the Kendrick Lamar dispute
Immediately after his bitter rap battle with Kendrick Lamar, Drake announced in his Instagram story in May that he would put the drama behind him to focus on “good times” and “summer vibes.” After a few days of silence, Drake hopped on Sexyy Red’s “U My Everything” in late May. The song used Metro Boomin’s viral instrumental “BBL Drizzy,” which the producer composed to poke fun at The Boy for allegedly having plastic surgery. With “U My Everything,” Drake attempted to turn his trolling into a sense of empowerment, with mixed results.
“I really changed a lot of girls’ lives/They need a new body, they come to me, yeah/BBL Drizzy, they want a new body, they beg me for it,” Drake raps.
The song didn’t perform as well as a Drake feature usually does, peaking at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and failing to climb any higher in the weeks that followed. Fans also called the move “calculated” and mocked Drake for his apparent attempt to change history.
“With all due respect, Drake ruined everything for me with that BBL drizzle thing. Screw him.” one person wrote on X.
“Petition to remove Drake from Sexyy Red’s ‘u my everything’ ruins the song,” another added.
“Nah, it’s official. Drake has officially mastered the art of being cheesy.” wrote another“He thinks he’s part of the joke oh no,” another person noted, while another wrote, “He’s trying so hard to act casual about it.”
So Drake decided to give up on the feuds altogether and instead make good on his promise of “summer vibes.” In June, Drake referenced little-known Toronto rapper Snowd4y’s polarizing song “Wah Gwan Delilah.” The song was a parody of Plain White T’s 2005 hit “Hey There Delilah” and seemed to be Drizzy’s attempt to provide comic relief after such a bitter battle had seemingly gone nowhere. Many people poked fun at Drake, accusing him of trying to sugarcoat his bitter loss to Kendrick Lamar. The memes were also relentless, trolling Drake for using Jamaican dialect in his verse. Fans posted pictures of Drake with fake dreadlocks.
“What did Kendrick do to this man?” asked one user on X.
“Drake, say it ain’t so, Drake,” YouTuber No Life Shaq said in his reaction video.
Even the Plain White T’s expressed their disapproval in a reaction video to the song. The band’s lead singer shook his head in disappointment during Drizzy’s verse and even theorized that it could be the work of artificial intelligence.
Still, Drake was determined to put the feud to rest and just have fun. In late June, he recorded the songs “Hot Uptown” and “Uuugly” with pop singer Camila Cabello. The new music appeared on her new album C,XOXO. None of the songs landed on the Billboard Hot 100 and once again Drizzy was ridiculed.
“If it weren’t for Drake, the hot Uptown would honestly be a blast,” said one user wrote to X in August.
“Kendrick would sound better,” Another person said.
“Hot Uptown was good, but it flopped,” another user wroteAdd, “It’s going to take more than just good music. It’s going to take reparations. He needs his respect back and I don’t see how he can get it. I’m objective. Every angle Kendrick took against drake has destroyed his brand.”
In July, Drizzy tried a different approach and again resorted to his Honestly, forget it Bag for Gordo’s dance tracks “Sideways” and “Healing.” The tracks were received somewhat better. “Sideways” debuted at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, but even so, the song disappeared completely from the charts two weeks later.
Musically, Drake seemed to be flat. After his viral unreleased song with Lil Yachty “Super Soak” didn’t come out due to sampling issues, Drizzy went wild and released “100 Gigs for Your Headtop,” 100 gigabytes containing new music and a massive collection of behind-the-scenes video footage from the past few years. The release seemed to be an attempt to humanize Drake and give fans and critics a glimpse into the creative powerhouse who produced all the hits everyone knows and loves.
At first glance appears Longtime fans on TikTok are nostalgically recalling some of their favorite Drake moments Watch out, Nothing was as before, views. Others are sharing the footage with much praise, with one fan even going so far as to say that hating on Drake during the argument was a mistake.
The mood seemed to be turning in Drizzy’s favor, so on August 10, Drake attempted to capitalize on the positive momentum by releasing the three new songs from his 100-gig collection as a streaming offering. It remains to be seen how well each song will perform on the charts, but the reaction to “Blue Green Road,” “Housekeeping Knows” featuring Latto, and “It’s Up” featuring Young Thug and 21 Savage appears to be positive.
“That’s why he’s my (goat emoji),” one supporter said on TikTok before playing “It’s Up.”
While all of the above songs he’s released are objectively good tracks, there’s no denying that the feud still hangs heavy over 6 God’s every move. It even hangs heavy over his OVO team. PARTYNEXTDOOR is currently on tour, and every tour recap post on his Instagram is littered with at least a few comments in support of Kendrick.
“This is why Kendrick won,” one person commented on a post.
“Party at the party, he’s playing with his nose now” also seems to be a common comment, a reference to a line from Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” in which PND is accused of drug abuse.
Aside from releasing a ton of new music, Drake has also been doing humanitarian work this summer. On August 12, an article appeared in GQ Italy noted that 6 God and his team “mobilized” North American investors to donate over 40 million euros to a struggling Venezia soccer club, saving it from bankruptcy. Although it was a heartwarming gesture, the move has not garnered Drake any positive attention in the States, as trolling of the Canadian rapper continues unabated.
Not to mention, Drake made his move to Texas official on August 12, sharing a new ID and photo on Instagram. Fans again fueled him, and Sauce Walka called him out in an interview with The Breakfast Club because it does not support or allow Houston artists to perform.
So was Drake’s decision to stop speaking about the feud a smart move? The bitter irony is that Drizzy would likely have been met with the same level of hate even if he had said something. It’s also worth noting that there are entire online communities dedicated to criticizing Drizzy, downvoting every song he posts on YouTube and mocking him at every turn, no matter what he does. Some dedicated haters even go back to previous Drake songs and tear them apart. As Drake continues to try to move on from one of the most intense moments of his career, we hope that time really can heal all wounds.
Read more: 13 rappers comment on the overall outcome of the dispute between Kendrick Lamar and Drake
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