A video of Popcaan visibly upset and ordering his colleagues not to play Kendrick Lamar’s music in his presence is making the rounds on social media. In the video, Popcaan professes his loyalty to Canadian rapper Drake, who is embroiled in a lyrical dispute with Lamar that has escalated in recent months.
It shows Popcaan with a surprised expression on his face and a questioning voice: “Have I ever heard a Kendrick Lamar song before, right?”
Then he adds emphatically: “Huh? If there’s a game, skip the blood-slapping! I don’t want to hear that.
When one of his colleagues in the background mentioned that the song was playing on the radio, Popcaan immediately demanded: “Change the station!”
He also expressed his disrespect for Lamar’s music, stating that even though he is no longer part of Drake’s OVO band, Lamar’s music is not worthy of being played in his presence.
“I don’t know why they play Kendrick Lamar on your game. I don’t wanna hear no Kendrick Lamar, nigga. I’ve always been independent, but OVO did it the same way. Yeah, loyalty is my thing,” while showing off his OVO tattoo, symbolizing his loyalty to Drake’s label.
Popcaan and Drake have been musical collaborators and friends since August 2012, when they first connected in Canada. At that time, Drake’s team contacted Popcaan before his performance at Caribana and eventually invited him to attend the rapper’s annual OVO Fest in Toronto.
Major artists such as Nikki Minaj, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, 2Chainz, The Weeknd and Meek Millz took part in this event.
Previously, Drake had expressed his admiration for Popcaan, often tweeting the DJ’s lyrics and slang. After meeting Drake backstage at OVO Fest and later at an after-party, they had an instant connection, leading to discussions about future collaborations and Drake’s visit to Jamaica.
In 2019, Drake officially signed Popcaan to his label OVO. Before that, however, Popcaan had already appeared in various Drake projects, including the outro of the 2015 Know yourself and the leaked version from 2016 steeringamong other things.
In 2020, the two released their first official collaborations. TWIST AND TURN And EVERYTHING I NEED), published on Popcaans FIXTAPE Album. In 2023 they teamed up for We made itpublished on Popcaans He is big Album.
Recent tensions between Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in early May 2024. According to Time magazine, the two rappers exchanged a series of escalating diss tracks in which each made unverified claims about the other’s personal life, including allegations related to family and questionable behavior.
Drake responded in song on May 5, expressing his disgust at Lamar’s allegations, including claims of a secret child and inappropriate relationships, which Drake vehemently denies.
The history of the feud goes back to the time when Lamar was a rising star. Drake had supported Lamar early on and made him his Watch out album and includes it in his Club Paradise Tour 2012.
But in 2013, after the success of his debut album Good kid, mAAd CityLamar made it clear that he was aiming for the top. In a guest verse on Big Sean’s controlhe called out several rappers, including Drake, and said he wanted to outshine them. Drake downplayed the diss at the time, calling it an “ambitious thought.”
According to a BBC article, the ongoing feud, which initially involved Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, was sparked by a seemingly innocuous song lyric praising their careers. While J. Cole eventually backtracked, Drake and Kendrick continued to exchange increasingly personal and aggressive diss tracks.
Kendrick Lamar has had limited interactions with Jamaican artists, most notably his collaboration with Agent Sasco on “The Blacker The Berry,” a track from the rapper’s 2015 album Pimping up a butterfly. Yet despite Sasco’s commanding verse, which was instrumental in the song’s success, and Lamar’s performance of the track at the 2016 Grammy Awards, Sasco’s contribution is not mentioned in official releases.
He also worked with toast Singer Koffee, co-producer of the song Defend from their debut album, Gifted.
