The hip-hop community is experiencing a surge of intensity after Drake finally pushed the red button… or at least has his finger on the proverbial trigger. This could still just be a warning shot.
Either way, the gloves are finally off and the leaked diss song “Push Ups” has given fans exactly what they’ve been waiting for. After Kendrick Lamar kicked things off with his verse on “Like That” from Future and Metro Boomin’s album, We Don’t Trust You, the world has been paitiently waiting for Drizzy to respond. Well, a response was unexpectedly leaked on Saturday, causing an immediate seismic shift in the scene, with some even questioning whether the track was created by artificial intelligence (AI).
“Drake’s new diss track’s causing a firestorm online,” wrote TMZ shortly after it leaked. “… over the content and over whether or not it’s really the rapper — ’cause some fans think it’s AI-generated.”
Kill Bloodclot Bill
The AI-discussion dominated social media shortly after the leak appeared, but DJs like Akademiks and Whoo Kid streaming the “final mix” on their platforms made it pretty clear it was legit, if there was any doubt. Drake posting a screenshot from the movie Kill Bill to illustrate the notion of “him vs. everyone” further confirmed its legitimacy.
It wasn’t long before the focus shifted to how strong the diss was, with people like LeBron James and 50 Cent taking to social media to praise it. LeBron let off a series of fire emojis next to an (OVO) owl, while 50 made it clear he felt Drizzy had “smoked” everyone with a post on Instagram.
“All you 🥷’s got smoked by a light skinned Ni66a. 😳ðŸ¤LOL YALL BETTER GET HIGH AS A MOTHER FVCKER AND COME UP WITH SOMETHING! @bransoncognac @lecheminduroi”
50 is actually mentioned in “Push Ups,” but in a non disrespectful way. 50 has had some of the most historic beefs in hip-hop history (Ja Rule, Rick Ross, Kanye West etc.) so it’s more of a compliment, if anything.
“N***as really got me out here talkin’ like I’m 50, ayy
N***as really got me out here rappin’ what I’m livin’”
@champagnepapi / Instagram (April 14)
“I don’t care what Cole think”
It seemed like the so-called “Big 3 Beef” was actually starting to take shape on April 5 when J. Cole released his Might Delete Later mixtape featuring the “7 Minute Drill” Kendrick diss. But, to the surprise of pretty much everyone, he apologized on stage less than 48 hours later at his own event, Dreamville Fest. Cole addressed the crowd, admitting to feeling pressured to retaliate against Lamar.
“I felt conflicted because I’m like, ‘Bruh, I know I don’t really feel no way,’ but the world wants to see blood.”
It’s reminiscent of his reply to Kendrick’s “Control” verse, where he explained that he felt pressured to respond, with even his own mother asking him how he planned on handling it.
Cole’s Dreamville Fest apology also included regret for diminishing Lamar’s discography in his diss. “How many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest motherfuckers to ever touch a fucking microphone?” Cole asked, earning applause from the audience. He then expressed gratitude for being able to stand alongside Drake and Lamar as peers, and made it clear he wasn’t interested in being part of whatever the beef was becoming. He even removed the song from streaming platforms, but you can still find it on YouTube.
“…no longer in the first round”
A lot of people clowned Cole for bowing out of the feud—calling him J. Fold and saying he “Let Nas Down” again—but various media personalities, including Joe Budden, stood up for his decision, claiming it was the right move to make considering Cole’s feelings on the matter. Budden went on to suggest that he knew Drake was coming with something nuclear and that Cole made the right call by removing himself from the situation.
“Whatever little rappy shit you thought was going on, it’s not that and something’s coming,” Budden said on his podcast.
“I think that J. Cole knows that from either Drake, Kendrick or both. And it was time to bow out because we are no longer in the first round.”
Drake actually mentions Cole lightly in “Push Ups,” dismissing Cole’s claim that he was wrong about Kendrick’s discography, and stating that the beef with Kendrick goes back way further than “Like That.”
“And that fuckin’ song y’all got did not start the beef with us
This shit been brewin’ in a pot, now I’m heatin’ up
I don’t care what Cole think, that Dot shit was weak as fuck.”
Push Ups: Drop & Give Me Fifty
“Push Ups (Drop & Give Me Fifty)” takes direct or subtle jabs at several people with Kendrick, Future, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and Rick Ross getting the brunt of it.
Future gets a shot right out the gate with Drake telling him he could never be anybody’s number-one fan—a response to Future rapping, ““you a n***a number one fan, dog Sneak dissin’, I don’t understand, dog,” on the title track of We Don’t Trust You. The clapback also emphasizes that Future’s first chart-topping hit was his feature on Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy” off Certified Lover Boy (2021), suggesting he should be grateful to Drake. “Your first number one, I had to put it in your hand.”
He comes at Future a few times during the song, referencing the Freebandz rapper’s 2016 song “Wicked” and mimicking his flow from the song.
Drake then begins the long-awaited assault on Kendrick with notable lines like:
“Pipsqueak, pipe down
You ain’t in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down
Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down
Like your label, boy, you in the scope right now
And you gon’ feel the aftermath of what I write down.”
Kendrick is targetted throughout the lengthy diss, with there even being a possible reference to his wife, Whitney Alford, hidden behind a line mentioning the 1992 film, The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner.
“Hugs and kisses, man, don’t tell me ’bout no switches
I’ll be rockin’ every fuckin’ chain I own next visit, ayy
I be with some bodyguards like Whitney
Top stay drop, your little midget ass better fuckin’
Ayy, better drop and give me fifty, ayy”
Champagne Moments
Rick Ross, a frequent collaborator of Drake’s, might have expected to be on the Toronto rapper’s shit list after unfollowing @ChampagnePapi on Instagram earlier this year. The social media slight came shortly after the release of We Don’t Trust You, where Ross is featured on “Everyday Hustle.” On top of that, Ross posted a clip on Instagram of him listening to “Like That,” essentially co-signing it.
[Note: It’s unclear if singing along to the song during televised warmups is on the same level of disrespect, but LeBron seems to be in the clear for now.]
“I might take your latest girl and cuff her like I’m Ricky,” Drake spits, referencing Rozay’s past career as a correctional officer.
“I might take your latest girl and cuff her like I’m Ricky
Can’t believe he jumpin’ in, this n***a turnin’ fifty
Every song that made it on the chart, he got from Drizzy
Spend that lil’ check you got and stay up out my business.”
Never one to back down, Ross has already responded to Drake with “Champagne Moments,” and claimed he unfollowed Drake after the 6ix God allegedly sent a cease and desist order to French Montana. According to Genius annotations, the cease and desist was for a Metro Boomin collaboration for Montana’s Mac & Cheese 5 project.
Earlier today, Drake shared what appeared to be a text conversation with his mom, where she asked about Rozay’s claim that Drake had gotten a nose job. Drake assured it it was just nonsense churned up by Ross in a fit of racist rage, and that he would “handle it.”
“😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I would have got us a 2 for 1 deal if I went Ma,” Drake wrote to his mom in response to being asked about getting a nose job. “It’s coming from Rick Ross the guy I did songs with he’s gone loopy off the Mounjaro he hasn’t eaten in days and it’s turned him angry and racist he’s performing at proms for money it’s bad don’t worry we’ll handle it.”
A few days ago, Future and Metro Boomin released a follow-up to their album with We Still Don’t Trust You. On it, The Weeknd had some lines which have been perceived by fans as a diss to Drake, and OVO rapper Baka Not Nice.
“They could never diss my brothers, baby (Future)
When they got leaks in they operation
I thank God that I never signed my life away
And we never do the big talk (No, no, no, no, no)
They shooters makin’ TikToks”
Drake saved a few bars for The Weeknd and members of XO, questioning how often The Weeknd is actually in Toronto, among other things.
“Claim the 6ix, and you boys ain’t even come from it
And when you boys got rich, you had to run from it”
“If Young Metro Don’t Trust You…”
Last but not least on the list of main targets, Metro Boomin may find himself frequently reminded of “Push Ups”, with the sole bar referencing him directly quickly becoming a meme.
The line being, “Metro, shut your hoe ass up and make some drums, n***a.”
Shortly after the song leaked, his Instagram comments were flooded with people suggesting that Metro should, as you might have guessed, shut up and make some drums.
Given the escalating tensions between Drake and the producer over the past few months, his mention in the track comes as little surprise and some people actually think Drake didn’t include him enough. After all, he’s one of the main people pulling everyone together against Drake. That being said, he’s basically directly attached to all of Drake’s lines about Future / “Like That,” which are peppered throughout the track.
“Push Ups” is not currently on digital streaming platforms, but it is on YouTube, and it’s already the most viewed item on the Genius lyrics chart where you can find more insight on the lyrics.
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