It was over before the winner’s voice was ever heard, if we're keeping things a buck. At 11:24 am on April 30, 2024, “his reply” finally arrived and the reactions were swift, universal... even as no one understood the true impact of its arrival. He hid the lopsidedness in plain sight. Dr. Evil Entendre.
In the two months since he began his Aubrey Graham assault, Kendrick Lamar has broken down and demoralized Drake and his legions of fans with every type of lyrical attack possible across four distinct tracks. The first two, 'Euphoria' and '6:16 in LA' were scathing, metaphorical and complex. The third, 'Meet The Grahams' attacked Drake's soul with a direct assault on his character as a man. The final parting shot, 'Not Like Us' attacked Drake's spirit and place in hip-hop, leaving behind a carcass that has now been picked over for weeks up to and including a July 4 video release.
While the 17-time Grammy winner is widely known for giving his listeners something to think through, there was no room for misinterpretation when he wrote one of the most repeatable bars in the entire battle with the rapping pop star Drake, quoting WWE legend and current NXT Senior VP Shawn Michael.
“Put the wrong label on me, I’ma get ’em dropped, ayy. Sweet Chin Music 'n I won’t pass the aux, ayy.”
There was no kayfabe break here. Lamar gave Drake a chance to keep it friendly despite his clear, decade-long disdain for what he sees as the latter watering down the essence of hip-hop in order to become a megastar. Drake refused and proceeded to get knocked off his perch.
Ahead of this weekend's dual PLE events with WWE's Money in the Bank and NXT's HeatWave, Michaels was asked about his inclusion in Lamar's finishing move as Not Like Us has become not just a song, but a Victory Lap, to borrow from the late, great Nipsey Hussle's catalog. The instant classic has dominated streaming platforms since it's release in early May. On Juneteenth, June 19, Kendrick hosted a showcase at the LA Forum where he united various factions of Los Angeles in a show of California unity that many are hopeful holds. It was streamed live on Amazon Prime Video and closed with not one, not two, not three, not four, but five different iterations of Not Like Us, each one throwing the crowd into a frenzy and each time paying homage to Michaels with the line.
For his part, Michaels is appreciative of being a part of this history.
"I always get a kick out of that. Whether it's that or athletes doing the crotch chop on the field or the court. Those are little moments that happen throughout your life where I get to sit back, Hunter [Triple H] and I talk about it all the time, we sit back and look at ourselves like, 'Wow, there was a time where we affected a whole generation of people.' Whether it's Taker [Undertaker], (Steve) Austin, Rock, Hunter, myself. Numerous people in the WWE. That's one of the things where, as you go on later in your career, it's one of those things where it kind of means a lot to you. You see certain people in the mainstream doing something that is a reference of what you did back in the day. For a moment there, you feel good about yourself. The great thing is, they're cool right now, so it gets you over with your kids on a huge level," he said on the NXT media call, as transcribed by Fightful.com.
In a way, the battle between Lamar and Drake has embodied wrestling theatrics. There's a bit of a smarks-vs-marks battle among the fanbases with those who are deeply invested in Drake winning not quite understanding how calculating and diabolical Lamar was in his assault tactics. The depths Lamar has in his arsenal probably make Paul Levesque and Tony Khan envious when developing storylines for their promotions. A quick example from Kendrick's first release, 'Euphoria' shows the intricacy.
- Lamar shocked the hip-hip community by dropping the response to 'Push Ups' and 'Taylor Made Freestyle' on a Tuesday morning. It's a play on one of Drake's early "stimulus package" features on I Love Makonnen's song with the catchphrase "It goes up... on a Tuesday".
- One of Lamar's issues with Drake is that he hops on up-and-coming artists songs and steals their sound and swag.
- The song was released at 11:24 am Eastern and was six minutes long. There's a Ginuwine song called 'So Anxious' that Drake has sampled the hook for twice in "Legend" and "Madonna" The hook? “Meet me at 1130- love it when you talkin dirty."
- The song title 'Euphoria' is a clear play on the HBO show that Drake is an executive producer of by the same name. The central theme of the show is the lives of high schoolers and the growing pains of sex and sexual identity.
- 'Euphoria's intro is the reverse playing of a scene from the 1978 The Wiz, a reimagination of The Wizard of Oz. The sample is of a discovered Richard Pryor saying to Michael Jackson, “Everything they say about me is true, I’m a phony!” Drake often compares himself to Michael Jackson, the King of Pop.
- The intro sample is from R&B legend Teddy Pendegrass' song called “You’re my latest, greatest inspiration.”
All of this was put into the first six seconds of the song. It was over before Lamar spit a single bar; Drake was clearly in over his head.
The following week of the other three tracks by Lamar, plus the "would've won any other rap beef" Drake release of Family Matters was akin to a storyline crossing over from Raw to SmackDown to a PLE event. Lamar dropped the video for Not Like Us, a song strongly accusing Drake of being a Canadian colonizer of American rap music, on Independence Day.
Lamar doesn't have a need to take Michaels up on his May offer.
A little Sweet Chin Music goes a long way.@kendricklamar, you and @Drake are formally invited to #WWENXT to settle this thing. I’m even offering my services to mediate. https://t.co/tN02NLq36X
— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) May 6, 2024
He already wears the championship belt.
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