Drake is not a battle rapper or exceptionally skilled as a war emcee. However, he consistently finds himself in situations where he is forced to go head-to-head with some of the best artists in hip-hop.
Despite being a lyrical lothario who raps about relationships and love, occasionally Drake (real name Aubrey Graham) switches his demeanour, becomes more aggressive and is willing to get personal if he feels another artist is disrespecting him.
From Meek Mill and Pusha T to Kanye and now Kendrick Lamar, the Scorpion lyricist regularly jumps into feuds but, more often than not, fails to come out looking like a champion and frequently finds himself looking like a loser.
When Drake first exploded onto the mainstream in the late-2000s with songs such as ‘Best I Ever Had’ and ‘Find Your Love’, he leaned heavily on the unique fusion of R’n’B and hip-hop. With melody-driven tracks lightly sprinkled with rap, Graham was perceived as a lover boy from the Canadian suburbs.
That said, irrespective of how many albums he has sold, when the Views musician battles against MCs from poverty-stricken areas with real street ties, it becomes evident that warring is not the Canadian’s forte nor an activity that helps his brand.
One of Drake’s big battles was his 2015 back-and-forth with Philadelphia emcee Meek Mill. During this period, Mill was engaged to Queens icon Nicki Minaj and a line that many considered a knockout punch from Drake was when he asked the ‘Ima Boss’ lyricist, “Is that a world tour or your girl’s tour?”
The internet was divided over the battle. However, Drake insisted he was the victor by performing his second diss track ‘Back to Back’ in front of a screen of Meek-dissing Twitter memes. Although Graham declared himself the winner, it was still a tight battle.
In 2015, Drake released a surprise mixtape in the form of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, and on the track ‘6pm In New York’, he aimed at his former Young Money counterpart Tyga as well as Jay-Z and Kanye West.
Aiming at Tyga, Graham rapped, “You need to act your age and not your girl’s age.” Talking about the relationship between Jay Z, Kanye West and Beyoncé, Drake rapped, “You rappin’ like the throne should be the three of y’all.” He also referenced West’s Yeezus track, ‘Blood On The Leaves’ rhyming, “I’m never ever scared to get some blood on my leaves.”
You can listen to ‘6pm In New York’ in the video below.
