The rapper Drake hated because of their flow: “At that point, you never want to use it”
Drake has experienced his fair share of rap beefs throughout his career. He’s clashed with Meek Mill, Pusha T, Kanye West, Joe Budden, Common, and most recently, Kendrick Lamar, the most well-documented feud of them all. In the early 2010s, he also voiced his issues with Ludacris.
Drizzy took shots at Luda for adopting the ‘Supa Dupa’ flow, which was famously used by himself, Big Sean and Nicki Minaj. “That flow has been killed by so many rappers,” he told AllHipHop, without calling anyone out at first. “I never want to use that flow again in life. I wanted to take if off my album, because I was like, ‘I shut ‘em down, Onyx.’ I hate the fact that that rhyme is still in there.”
The Toronto rapper credited Sean for popularising the flow, claiming he, along with Lil Wayne and Kanye, exercised it correctly. “To be honest, that flow, I trace it back to Big Sean,” he said. “That’s the first guy I heard utilise that flow throughout the duration of a verse. I’ll give him that credit. I think Kanye got it from him.”
“Me and Wayne found a dope way to do it. I don’t want to sound cocky, but the best way it’s been used was on ‘Forever‘. Those lines just all individually make so much sense. They’re all punchlines. Then a bunch of rappers started doing it and using the most terrible references in the world.”D
Drake then revealed he was talking about Ludacris specifically, saying, “I don’t want to offend somebody… I hate that rappers picked that flow up. I wish they had left that for people that know how to use it. [They go like], ‘It’s a parade! MACY’S!’ At that point, you never want to use it.”
The lyrics he quoted appear in Luda’s ‘My Chick Bad’ on 2010’s Battle of the Sexes album. He raps in the song, “Couple girlfriends and they all a little crazy/ Comin’ down the street like a parade, Macy’s/ I fill ‘er up, balloons/ Test her and guns get drawn like cartoons/ D’oh, but I ain’t talkin ’bout Homer/ Chick’s so bad the whole crew wanna bone her.”
After Sean echoed Drake’s comments, Ludacris came across their disapproval and responded with his song ‘Bada Boom‘, rapping, “Counterfeit rappers say I’m stealing their flows/ But I can’t steal what you never made up bitch/ Y’all some duplicate rap cloning n*ggas/ I manufacture you hoes, put on your makeup, bitch.”
Luda claimed Drake “apologised like a man” during an appearance on The Breakfast Club in 2015. Then, in 2017, the 6 God put their issues to rest publicly at the Billboard Music Awards while accepting an award for his Views album.
“Ludacris, we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I’ve always been a big fan of yours and I got a lot of love for you,” he said on stage in front of the audience. “I want to let you know that face to face, while I’m still here.”