When Pusha T eviscerated Drake on 2018’s “The Story of Adidon,” he set the bar for all future Drake teardowns. The blackface cowl artwork. Pusha’s methodical and theatrical supply, constructing flawlessly to the Adonis reveal and the mocking “tick, tick, tick.” A concise three minutes that completely cracked the picture Drake had been meticulously crafting all his grownup life, and which he has been desperately attempting to Gorilla Glue again collectively for the final 5 years. Kendrick Lamar’s “euphoria” shouldn’t be that—it’s six minutes of rambling over two of the worst beat switch-ups you’ll ever hear. However it’s humorous sufficient to earn Kendrick a nomination for hater of the yr.
There’s not a lot right here that’s not been mentioned about Drake earlier than, however the attraction is that it’s surprising to listen to jokes about Drake’s cosmetic surgery abs and Blackness from Kendrick’s mouth. He will get his arms dirtier than I ever thought he would. If he had bowed out like J. Cole (sensible man) after Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” troll job, I’d have understood. However Kendrick sounds actual energized all through the track’s three phases—from channeling Ghostface’s gutting of Motion Bronson by getting disrespectful over Teddy Pendergrass to busting out the Toronto accent voice work within the track’s sparkier finale. He appears like he’s been ready years for this second. “I hate the best way that you simply stroll, the best way that you simply discuss/I hate the best way that you simply gown,” he raps; cliché, however it works as a result of he appears like he actually means it.
However power can’t make up for punchlines that simply aren’t that tight or individually memorable. Kendrick is missing a knockout blow, the one line that pushes this beef previous fleeting spectacle. Too lots of the lyrics as an alternative depart me feeling like Huh? Was that humorous? “We hate the bitches you fuck as a result of they confuse themselves with actual ladies.” That might imply something. “What number of extra Black options ’til you lastly really feel that you simply Black sufficient.” Wasn’t Rick Ross simply saying that Drake obtained a nostril job to look much less Black? They actually ought to convene to make it possible for their puns are on the identical web page. “I consider you don’t like ladies, that’s actual competitors, you may pop ass with ’em.” the meat is operating low on materials when the homosexual jokes begin flying.
You’ll be able to really feel the stress weighing on Kendrick to make a diss observe that lives as much as classics like “Hit ’Em Up,” “Ether,” “Checkmate,” and naturally “The Story of Adidon.” He will get near that type of landmark second on the very finish, when he sings, “We don’t wanna hear you say nigga no extra” with contempt in his voice, adopted by probably the most fed-up “Cease.” It may very well be the road that the meat between two of the most important rappers of the final 15 years is remembered by—but in addition, Rick Ross has been beating this joke into the bottom for weeks now. I’m uninterested in it already. Which may be unfair, however in a 24/7 beef cycle, my curiosity on this circus has waned simply because it appears to be getting began for actual.
