Image via Complex Original
We all know it's coming.
As pressure on Drake increases, he's gonna have to take shots back. It's inevitable. Tossing off lines in interviews, about "ambitious thoughts" and a "moment to talk about"? OK, that was cool. But now his album's out. He's moving units. And Kendrick stays taking shots. The time is coming. Erykah Badu knows it. Complex knows it. What more do you need?
When Drake does decide to send shots—which, surely, must be inevitable—there are some things that he definitely should not do. We addressed those this morning. Drake definitely seems like the more vulnerable artist. After all, it's open season on the Canadian rapper on Twitter, and has been since he first arose as the monied son of Toronto's favorite teen drama. Stories about experience showers, his love of sweaters, everything else—it all makes him a pretty good target. By comparison, Kendrick Lamar is hip-hop's favorite son. Critically acclaimed, cosigned, lyrical, popular.
But although Kendrick Lamar seems musically bulletproof, there are a few openings Drake could exploit. We took a look at Kendrick Lamar's achilles heel. Here are 6 ways Drake could respond to Kendrick (And win!).
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Point out that Kendrick's last diss wasn't really all that clever.
"Sensitive"? "Pajama clothes"? Twitter goes harder on Drake on a daily basis. Those aren't exactly the kind of shots liable to get under someone's skin.
And then there's the whole thing about people in glass houses.
Bring out Kobe at the Staples Center and have him call Drake the King of L.A.
Best case scenario: this inspires Dr. Dre to pop his head up out of his groundhog hole and let us know it's only four more weeks til Detox.
OK, that's probably farfetched.
Point out how much he owes to Drake.
It's not just that Drake grabbed Kendrick for the Club Paradise tour, exposing the rapper to a much larger audience than he'd previously been exposed. It's not just the Take Care guest spot.
Kendrick Lamar's two biggest charting singles, his only two to receive plaques, both owe Drake a debt. "Swimming Pools (Drank)" is produced by Drake collaborator T-Minus, and the overall vibe is pretty OVO. "Poetic Justice," meanwhile, banked off of Drake's guest verse.
Get Nicki to make a diss record and just talk over the intro and outro.
Kendrick left Nicki's name off his list of targets on "Control." It was a little mystifying why; Nicki is surely as much a part of Drake and Kendrick's generation, even if she is a little older. But if she fired shots at Kendrick? Lyrical fireworks. Think about the chaos! Think of the thinkpieces!
The thing is, if anyone in hip-hop has the skills to battle Kendrick on a mainstream stage, it's Nicki Minaj.
Loop up a few seconds of Randy Newman's "Short People."
Kendrick is not very tall.
(Of course, Xzibit flipped this sample already.)
Accuse him of biting Zeldar from Devin the Dude album skits.
(This is what an innovator looks like.)
Devin the Dude's "Zeldar" bears a striking resemblence to Kendrick in his voice and flow. Very suspicious.