Riding high from Scorpion’s record-breaking release of over one billion streams in a single week, Drake shared a new freestyle rap that doesn’t mention any names but seems to call out past collaborators and mentors, Kanye West and Pusha T. Turns out, even after a 25-song album, Drake still has a lot to say.
“I can’t name a girl or a rapper I trust,” he raps, setting the tone for the freestyle he recorded for British rap channel Link Up TV’s Behind Barz series. Not being sure of who he can trust is a long-established theme for the artist. Considering the number of female artists whose music he sampled on Scorpion, it seems that there are some girls he can trust – at least to create good music – that he’s forgetting about.
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While his harshest words are for West, Drake doesn’t forget the recent drama with Pusha T. “Man start dissin’ and doin’ reposts,” is a line clearly intended for his frequent rival. You don’t just make a diss track revealing that Drake has a child without expecting to hear about it later. For Pusha T, making a whole song about Drake, you’d think he would at least get two lines in this freestyle.
The rap is short and gets right to the point. Borrowing some grime slang in the process, Drake saves his most honest rhymes for the last verse. “They wanna link when they got no chunes / They too worried about selling out shoes / I don’t give a fuck about jeans or crap / Or going to Milan, or going to the Met / I just wanna make these songs for the set,” he freestyles. While all his disses are unnamed, it sounds like he could be taking aim at Jay Z and Beyoncé with his mention of notorious fashion hubs and art museums. After all, The Carters just filmed an iconic music video at the Louvre and had some choice words for Drake on their recent album as well.
To be fair, freestyle might not be the most accurate term. His rap is smooth and calculated, something that likely came from a bit more forethought and revision than a rap off the top of his head. Clearly, he’s had West and Pusha T on his mind for a while.