Photo Creds: Nepal Myrtie
The greatest of all time, commonly referred to as the GOAT debate, is a constant source of discussion and debate across many industries. Whether it's sports, music, literature, or any other industry, the GOAT debate seeks to determine the most outstanding and influential individual within their respective fields. Recently, this debate inserted itself within the rap industry through three of the most influential names in rap. Drake, J Cole, and Kendrick Lamar have recently been clashing heads, fighting for the label to be crowned the greatest of all time.
Most people think this beef is recent, but that is not true. The “Cold War” between Drake and Kendrick has been heating up for about ten years now. In 2011, Drake evolved from “the next thing up” to a full-fledged superstar. Although he had incredible chart stats following his “Thank Me Later” campaign, critics questioned whether or not Drake could elevate his rap game to the next level. Drake dropped his “Take Care” album which had this small West Coast rapper featured on it, Kendrick Lamar. This album blew up almost immediately, shooting Kendrick Lamar into stardom.
However, in August of 2013, Lamar was already a household name. On Big Sean's “Control,” he called out Drake and J Cole, saying “I got love for ya but I'm trying to make sure your core fans never heard of ya, they don't want to hear one more verse or noun from ya.” Lamar kept his foot on the gas as he came again at Drake during the Hip Hop Awards cipher. Drake shrugged off both of these disses, saying that he didn't see them as disses but more as ambitious thoughts. From 2013 to 2023, there were some minuscule shots taken from both sides but nothing groundbreaking enough to invoke a big response from fans or the media.
On October 2023, Drake and J Cole made history scoring their first number-one hit together with “First Person Shooter”. The track was seen as amazing as two powerhouses of the industry shared the spotlight and boasted about being stadium-status rappers. However, J Cole hit a nerve on Lamar during his line “Love when they argue the hardest MC, is it K Dot? is it Aubrey? or me? we the big three like we started the league.” Lamar hated this line, as it made it seem to fans that the GOAT conversation was even a debate and that they belonged in a category with him.
Fast forwarding to today, Kendrick fired a full clip of shots at both Drake and J Cole on Metro Boomin’s “Like That”. Lamar said that he was the GOAT and that there wasn't a “big three”. This verse broke the internet and led to millions of fans calling for a response from both Drake and Cole. Cole responded first with his track “8 Minute Drill” which he later deleted. Cole claimed that it was untrue to his nature to beef for no reason and praised Lamar for his plethora of different accomplishments. However, Drake took the beef in another direction when on April 19, he dropped a groundbreaking track called “Push Ups”. This track mocked Kendrick's small stature, notably his shoe size with the cover art. Drake also called out Kendricks's contract with his notable line “Drop and give me 50” exemplifying how Lamar has to give 50% of his earnings to his manager.
No matter whose side you are on, or who you think the greatest of all time is, we can all admit it's amazing seeing three of the most musically gifted individuals go at it. The beef has been wildly entertaining, and lucky for us, it's not close to over. The rap industry has been split in half, each taking the side of a different rapper, creating an Avengers “Endgame” feel to the rap game.
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