Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Best Rapper of Them All?

As the world waits for Drake to craft a response to Kendrick, has anyone checked in on 21 Savage? He’s a child of divorce caught between Drake and Metro Boomin. In other news today:

• Billboard Hot 100 📈 

• Ye seemingly sides with Kendrick, who’s the best rapper of them all? 🥩 

• Ye defends his pronouns, says “Kanye West” is a slave name 😳 

• Industry Insights 🔎 

Billboard Hot 100

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking for this week. The Hot 100 ranks songs based on streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

“Carnivals” loses steam and drops to #5 this week, letting Jack Harlow take the #4 spot. Cardi B’s “Enough (Miami)” debuts at #9 in the Top 10. Meanwhile, Sexyy Red’s new song debuts at #23.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Best Rapper of Them All?

A rap civil war has begun thanks to Kendrick’s feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You, which was as surprising as it was annihilating. Choosing violence, “Like That” drew a line in the sand between hip-hop’s publicly appointed Big 3 rappers.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve already heard the breakdowns of Kendrick’s triple entendre I’m him verse, the rumors that Drake and Future are beefing over a girl, and the whispers of Metro not trusting Drake. 

The latest update is Ye seemingly siding with Kendrick by posting one of their tracks together.

If Kendrick let off another diss track produced by Ye with a feature from Pusha villain T, it would take this war to hate crime status, and Drake might need to become a protected person.

So, what comes next? The ball is in Drake’s court, this is more his fight than Cole’s, but you should know the stats before you pick a side (and stay there, as Metro said). The layered Cold War history between Kendrick and Drake gives you an idea of the odds, picks, and predictions heading into this war.

Kendrick Lamar’s Offense & Defense

August 2013: Kendrick initiates a back-and-forth with Drake by firing shots on Big Sean’s “Control.” This was more friendly fire than Kendrick's violence on “Like That,” but direct nonetheless.

Oct 2013: Less than a month after Drake responded on Nothing Was the Same, Kendrick uses the TDE 2013 BET Cypher to rebuttal. 

Oct 20213: “First Person Shooter” dropped, asserting J. Cole as “Numero U-N-O,” the duo of Cole and Drizzy as “big as the Super Bowl,” and the only two rappers deserving of the GOAT title. Defense loading. 

Nov 2023: The FPS music video is released. Drake recreates the iconic Messi and Ronaldo chess photo to position himself and J. Cole as the GOATs of rap. Once again, excluding Kendrick from the conversation to make it more about the Big 2. 

March 2024: Kendrick lay in the grass and plotted a proper, no-weak-shade response. “Like That” was the Trojan Horse of rap disses. It took his enemies by surprise, sneaking it into timelines on one of the most highly anticipated rap releases with the assist from Metro and Future.

Drake’s Offense & Defense 

Sept 2013: Drake seemingly responds to Kendrick’s “Control” on “The Language” from Nothing Was the Same. “I don’t know why that they been lyin/ But your shit is not that inspirin,” Drake said in his typical sneak diss language. 

Sept 2013: In an interview with Elliott Wilson, Drake complimented Kendrick and diminished his “Control” verse in the same breath by questioning its replay value or lack thereof.

Nov 2023: Drake follows up the release of For All The Dogs with Scary Hours 3 and says he’s “not into the lengthy, super-lengthy disappearances for the sake of mystery.” Fans theorize this might be a shot at Kendrick, who’s known to go incognito between albums.

March 2024: Drake gives a speech at his first concert post “Like That” diss and walks out to Future’s “My Savages.”

March 2024: Drake’s father posts a shady caption on IG about rappers beefing with Drake for sales. Yawn, Drake already ran this defensive play with the $100K bill for “promotional assistance and career reviving” sent to Pusha T and Ye in 2018.

Predictions, Picks & Odds

Spread: Kendrick -1 | Drake +1

Moneyline: Kendrick -the No. 1 spot | Drake -his dignity 

Over/Under: Over 4 diss tracks | Under 4 diss tracks

The way that Kendrick approached a response to “FPS,” along with his history, makes him the favorite to win for a few reasons. He’s risking the title of #1, but Drake’s dignity and respect are on the line.

The biggest criticism of K-Dot is that his music doesn’t have the replay value or hype factor of Drake’s club/radio anthems. Racking up 7.3M single-day streams on Spotify, “Like That” is projected to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 next week, making it the biggest rap song debut since 2020. 

Kendrick, Future, and Metro successfully staged a coup on the Big 2. Kendrick played to his strengths (bars on bars) and knew his opponent's weaknesses. By issuing such a straightforward diss, he’s forcing Drake to defend his reigning throne—without the bag of passive digs he loves so much.

“Like That” is projected to surpass the success of “FPS,” and it’ll be hard to top. If Drake responds, that’ll bring the total points in this war to 3. If Kendrick responds (his moves suggest he’s prepared for this), the total will be 4.

Ye Found His Pronouns, Says “Kanye West” is a “Slave Name”

Ye is tired of correcting his preferred pronouns. Since legally changing his name in 2021, he’s been victimized by the unshakable “Kanye West” moniker and would like the music industry to respect his decision.

In a letter obtained by TMZ, Ye’s chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, fired off a notice to streaming platforms, publishers, lyrics websites, and more, asking them only to use “Ye” going forward.

“Ye is one of the most recognizable people in the world, on par with presidents and popes,” reads the opening line. This change is crucial to reflect the “identity of such an enormously influential and historic figure.” Glad to see the size of his ego can fit on a standard 8.5x11 paper.

The most eye-catching part of the letter addresses the former “Kanye West” name. “He has on several occasions referred to it as his slave name. Ye is a black man in America who wants the right to full self-determination just like everyone else.”

In 2018, Ye spoke to Big Boi about the name that also lent itself to his album’s title. “I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible, it means ‘you.’ So I’m you, I’m us, it’s us.” FYI, it is not the most common biblical word.

• ScHoolboy Q explains why his joint album with A$AP Rocky was never released. “He got Rihanna, bruh, so sometimes I gotta get him back,” Q said on Drink Champs.

• Playboi Carti’s ‘Antagonist’ tour is officially canceled. After months of delays and postponed dates, tickets are being refunded, and no concert for Opium artists is in sight.

• Law enforcement raids Diddy’s properties in LA and Miami. He did not escape to Antigua via private jet and was not detained by the authorities.

Like sports? 🏀 🏈 Get up-to-date analysis and unique insight that’s actually interesting to read with the Playmaker Newsletter.