Kendrick Lamar Responds To Drake With “euphoria” Diss Track, Calls Drizzy A “Pathetic Master Manipulator”
The Hip-Hop Civil War spearheaded by Drake and Kendrick Lamar continues. On Tuesday (April 30), the latter surprise-dropped “euphoria,” a direct response to the former’s “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle” releases from earlier this month.
The new YouTube drop opens up with a relaxed beat that is matched with an equally calm delivery from the Compton native. Kendrick makes it crystal clear he’s taking aim at Drizzy, as he references his early years as an actor, rapping, “Them super powers gettin’ neutralized, I can only watch in silence/ The famous actor we once knew is lookin’ paranoid, now it’s spiralling/ You movin’ just like a degenerate, heavy antic, it’s feelin’ distasteful… A pathetic master manipulator, I can smell the tales on you now.”
However, the mood shifts when the beat abruptly switches up a minute into the song. As the horns blare and the drums kick up a notch, K. Dot lets everything out. The “LOYALTY” spitter mentions how much he “hates” Drake, his “fake abs,” J. Cole’s involvement in the beef, and much more. Listen below.
It’s safe to assume “euphoria” is a recently recorded track, as Kendrick references the debacle between Drake and 2Pac’s estate over the use of A.I.-generated vocals of the late rapper in “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
“Somebody had told that me you got a ring, on God, I’m ready to double the wage/ I rather do that, than let a comedian ni**a make Pac turn in his grave/ Cutthroat business, you got sh*t,” K. Dot raps about the situation. After 2Pac’s estate threatened to sue the Toronto star, “Taylor Made Freestyle” has since been removed from all platforms.
Kendrick didn’t stop there. He went after Drake’s “accent” and name-dropped J. Cole as well. “You know I got language barriers, huh/ There’s no accent you can sell me/ Yeah, Cole and Aubrey know I’m a selfish ni**a/ The crown is heavy, huh/ I pray they my real friends, if not, I’m YNW Melly,” he raps, referencing the “Big 3” once again and claiming he is above the competition.
The entire back-and-forth was sparked by “Like That,” a diss track housed on Future and Metro Boomin’s collaboration album that saw Kendrick officially removing himself from the aforementioned “Big 3.” J. Cole fired back with “7 Minute Drill” a week later, and has since apologized and removed the song from all platforms. Drake threw his hat into the ring with “Push Ups,” where he spoke on K. Dot’s label situation and more.
Take a listen to “euphoria” above and revisit “Push Ups” and “Like That” below.
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