Shots Fired? A History of Drake's Subliminal Diss Lines

As he noted earlier this year on "5 AM In Toronto," Drake is proud of being one of the few rappers still known primarily for his music. That's true, we think, and something to be proud of. But it's not like Drake is above extracurricular affairs. In fact, lately, nearly every song Drake releases features a handful of rhymes that seem to address real-life affairs. The gossip-pages stuff. Subliminal taunting. Often vague enough so that it could be aimed at anyone. Some of those slick shots are about Rihanna (like that entire second verse on “Fireworks”), some are about other past flames. A list of Drake talking about his exes could run from here to Texas.

But seeing as how the new song “All Me,” which came out last week, contains a few lines that seem to be directed at certain Chicago rapper, today we’re more interested in Drake's relationships with rival rappers. Rhymes like, “Soap opera rappers all these niggas sound like All My Children” from 2011's "Headlines" could be about anybody. But lines like, "I’m just feeling like the throne is for the taking, watch me take it..."? Ahh, those are a bit more obviously directed. Let's take a look back at some of Drake’s finer lyrical barbs with Shots Fired? A History of Drake's Subliminal Diss Lines.

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"The city's mine like Oklahoma's a Sooner state/And we're gonna have to cross paths whether soon or late/So, why don't you walk up in the spot using less strut/You ain't Morris Chestnut, you lighter and less cut/And lets be honest, by now you should be your own scholar/You still a protege, that's the reason I don't holler."

Song: Drake "A Scorpio's Mind" (2006)
Potential target: Aristo
Shots fired? Probably

Most rap fans who aren't from Canada or into Degrassi weren't up on Drake in early days of his career. Which is all good since there wasn't that much material worth checking out (except for "Try Harder" off Room For Improvement, that song is amazing). So fans can get a pass for snoozing through Drake's totally forgotten beef with local Toronto rapper Aristo. Aristo's claim to fame is basically being the guy Drake beefed with before he was famous. They traded subliminals back in forth for a few years until Aristo got at Drake on a track called "Good Morning" followed by Drake ending Aristo's career with a diss song called "Good Riddance." We're probably not even aware of all of Drake's lines that could be aimed at Aristo, but one thing's for sure: There's definitely a reason why Canadian beef isn't as popular as Canadian bacon. It's lacking in flavor.

"And I feel like lately it went from top five to remaining five/My favorite rappers either lost it or ain't alive."

Song: Drake "Dreams Money Can Buy" (2011)
Potential target: Kanye West & Jay Z, Pusha T
Shots fired? Yes

On May 20, 2011, Drake awoke from his post-Thank Me Later slumber to let the world know "comeback season" was upon us by releasing "Dreams Money Can Buy." The song made it clear that despite his achievements, Drake sought to achieve greater heights-to get to the level of the GOAT rappers. That's why his line line about his favorite rappers losing their mojo sounds a lot like it's directed at Jay Z and Kanye West.

They are both certainly two of his favorite rappers: Kanye has obviously a huge influence on Drake's style and Drake once said he'd probably cry when Jay dies. However, four months before this song dropped Jay and Kanye released their lackluster single to Watch The Throne, "HAM," which might have made them seem vulnerable in Drake's eyes.

Meanwhile, this line could have also been about Pusha T. Drake once admitted to buying a microphone autographed by Pusha T on eBay back in the day, but two months before this song came out Pusha T dropped his Fear of God mixtape which failed to garner enough buzz for him to get his album rolling. Push may have actually taken offense to the line as well, as he later took subliminal shots back at Drake while freestyling over this very beat saying, "The swag don't match the sweaters."

By this time, Drake was overdosing on confidence and maybe feeling himself a little too much, thus began his long line of subliminal shots.

"I'm just feeling like the throne is for the taking, watch me take it!"

Song: DJ Khaled f/ Drake, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross "I'm On One" (2011)
Potential target: Kanye West & Jay Z
Shots fired? Yes

By the time "I'm On One" was released, three things were well known: Drake was dropping an album that year, Jay Z and Kanye were also dropping an album that year called Watch The Throne, and the battle for best rap album of the year would probably come down to the Take Care vs WTT. That's why this is probably Drake's most blatant subliminal ever. Was there any way Drake could make a reference to taking a throne and it not be seen as a shot? Umm no, not likely.

"Certain rappers would call me to say 'What up, though?'/I used to brag about it to my friends/And now I'm feeling like all of these niggas cutthroat/And maybe that's all they do is just pretend."

Song: Drake "Club Paradise" (2011)
Potential target: Kanye West, Jay Z, Diddy
Shots fired? Maybe

This is obviously a shot, but at who? To interpret this line you have to consider: Who would Drake brag about talking to to his friends? Limiting it to only artists he's worked with, we'd guess Jay Z, Kanye, Diddy or maybe all of them. They all have the legendary status that would impress your friends, all worked with Drake at one point, and are ruthless enough to leave an artist hanging (just ask anyone who's been on The Roc/G.O.O.D./Bad Boy). We can't help but lean towards Diddy though, since on the previous line Drake says, "And I would never make up names for myself/Then change the names that I just gave to myself." Still, even that seems like a long shot since Drake has worked with a ton of other artists. So we'll leave this one open for interpretation.

"Couple artists got words for me, that's never fun/They say it's on when they see me, that day don't ever come/I'm never scared, they never real, I never run/When all is said and done, more is always said than done."

Song: Drake "Club Paradise" (2011)
Potential target: Beanie Sigel
Shots fired? Yes

Being a rich and famous rapper ain't all fun and games. After Drake's debut album made him a huge star, haters started coming out of the woodwork. One of them was Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel. Pissed about words he felt Jay Z directed at him on Drake's "Light Up," Beanie said he would "smack the shit out of Drake's bitch-ass" in an interview. Other artists dissed Drake around the same time (Lil B, Lil Kim) but Beanie's threat was the most direct. And just like Drake said in the next line, more was said than done—to the best of our knowledge, Beanie has never actually smacked up Drake.

"Man all of your flows bore me: paint drying/And I don't ever be tripping off of what ain't mine/And I be hearing the shit you say through the grapevine/But jealousy is just love and hate at the same time."

Song: Drake f/ Chantal Kreviazuk "Over My Dead Body" (2011)
Potential target: Ludacris
Shots fired? Possibly

In retrospect, it definitely seems like this is about Ludacris. Ludacris and Drake got into a minor beef after Drake made fun of Luda's poor use of the hashtag flow on "My Chick Bad" and Luda later dissed Drake and the flow's originator Big Sean on "Bada Boom." So when Drake employs the hashtag flow to diss a nameless rapper's rhymes, and then claims he never trips over what doesn't belong to him (Drake always gave Big Sean props for inventing the flow) it sure sounds like he's talking about Luda. But remember: Drake's Take Care (which is where he spits the aforementioned lines) and Luda's 1.21 Gigawatts mixtape (where Luda disses Drake) actually came out the same day. Then again, the "hearing what you say through the grapevine" makes us think maybe Drake had binoculars and saw the whole thing coming?

"You niggas getting older, I see no threat in Yoda."

Song: Drake f/ The Weeknd "The Ride" (2011)
Potential target: Jay Z
Shots fired? Maybe

What other rapper is old and wise and green (with money)? Survey says: Sean Carter.

"Please pardon my brother, he's just angry at you niggas/Who dont have your heart in your rap shit and got too fucking comfy."

Song: Lil Wayne f/ Drake & Jadakiss "It's Good" (2011)
Potential target: Jay Z
Shots fired? Yes

Lil Wayne and Jay Z have engaged in a cold war for the past few years (read all about it here) but the animosity really came to the forefront on "It's Good" when Wayne rhymed, "Talkin 'bout Baby money? I got your baby money/Kidnap your bitch, get that 'how-much-you-love-your-lady' money," which referenced a back and forth between Jay and Cash Money head honcho Baby. But before Wayne got on the mic, Drake asked for forgiveness for his brother before saying Jay was too comfy and didn't have his heart in the rap anymore. Wait, shouldn't Drake have asked for forgiveness for his line too?

"And good ain't good enough, and your hood ain't hood enough."

Song: Meek Mill f/ Drake & Jeremih "Amen" (2012)
Potential target: G.O.O.D. Music
Shots fired? Yes

By the time "Amen" was released, three things were abundantly clear: Drake probably wasn't going to drop an album that year and would instead just murder guest verses, G.O.O.D. Music was gearing up to release their first group album, Cruel Summer, and whatever tension Drake brewed up with his subliminals the year before had only emboldened him. This didn't come off like Drake's best jab at first, but when we heard Cruel Summer it turned out to be quite on point.

"We don't dress alike, we don't rap alike/I shine different, I rhyme different/Only thing you got is some years on me/Man fuck you and your time difference."

Song: French Montana f/ Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne "Pop That" (2012)
Potential target: Jay Z, Pusha T
Shots fired? Maybe

By this time, we'd come to expect Drake verses to have a few subliminal shots. So this could have been just another aimless diss from Drake, but it's certainly a shot at veteran rappers and there's two veteran rappers who he always seems to be taking shots at (we'll give Kanye the pass here because Drake's honest, emotional rhymes are a lot like Kanye's) . However, if this was in fact about Jay, it was the likely his last shot at the Brooklyn rapper. Since the release of this song, fewer of Drake's lines seem directed at Jay and he was recently seen in the studio working with him.

"If you was doin' 16s when I was 16, and your shit flopped and you switched teams, don't talk to me, my nigga."

Song: On Stage Freestyle
Potential target: Pusha T
Shots fired? Yes

In May 2012, a beef between Pusha T and Lil Wayne erupted when Wayne dropped the forgettable Pusha diss song, "Ghoulish." While the rap world was preparing for a full on battle, Drake went on stage when his Club Paradise tour stopped in Washington DC and spit this line during a freestyle. Considering that a) beef was popping off at the time, b) Drake was 16 when Clipse's debut album, Lord Willin, dropped in 2002, and c) Pusha did in fact switch teams to G.O.O.D. Music after years of frustrating sales, there's really no other way to take this line than as a shot at Push.

"Make you think about all of the niggas you've been leading on/Make me think about all of the rappers I've been feeding on/Got a feeling that's the same dudes that we speaking on, oh word?"

Song: A$AP Rocky f/ Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar "Fuckin' Problems" (2012)
Potential target: Chris Brown
Shots fired? Maybe

It's hard to listen to this line without having Vietnam style flashbacks to the melee at New York's W.i.P nightclub between the entourages of Drizzy and Chris Brown. The June 14 R&Beef allegedly started with a note from Drake to CB saying, "I'm f***ing the love of your life" (classy move!) and this subliminal is pretty much on the same note. To break it down for y'all, the line reimagines a convo between Drake and Rihanna, most likely over a glass of merlot and surrounded by exquisite stuffed animals, wherein the two superstars realize that RiRi is leading on Chris Brown, and possibly Meek Mill, at the same damn time that Drizz is out-rapping them. While the song was released on October 24th, Rocky claims it was recorded before the incident, while all the men were on the Club Paradise tour. So it could just be a coincidence, or an early example of the tensions that lead up to the brouhaha.

"It bothers me when the gods/Get to actin' like the broads..."

Song: Rick Ross f/ French Montana & Drake "Stay Schemin'" (2012)
Potential target: Common
Shots fired? HELL FUCKIN YEAH

In late 2011, Common dropped an aggressive track (well, aggressive by his standards) called "Sweet" where he went at an unnamed rapper. It was assumed that Common was just spitting standard braggadocio—but then the Chicago rapper went on Sway In The Morning and revealed the song was indeed directed at Drake. And thus, the beef was on. Drake unleashed his monster "Stay Schemin'" verse, Common shot back rapping over the same beat ("You Canada dry"), and eventually the two met at the 2012 NBA All Star Game in Orlando and shook hands. An anticlimactic ending to the greatest rap beef to involve two rappers who don't eat beef.

"Give these niggas the look, the verse, and even the hook/That's why every song sound like Drake featuring Drake."

Song: Drake "5 AM In Toronto" (2013)
Potential target: Everyone he's worked with the past few years
Shots fired? Sure sounds like it

These past few years Drake has shaken up the rap game so much that if a rap song is a hit it's either his song, a song he's on, a song that sounds like a song he'd make, a song from someone in his camp, or it's just a Flo Rida song. [Sigh.] So when he took this wide ranging shot on "5 AM" it sounded like it could be directed at anyone from A$AP Rocky to 2 Chainz to French Montana—all of whom Drizzy has blessed with a hit. Notice how no one Drake has worked with seems pissed about it though. Maybe it's just like he says: They need him more than they hate him so he's got them all on safety. Lesson here Drake: Next time just keep the hits to yourself.

"Some nobody started feeling himself/A couple somebodies started killing themself/A couple albums dropped, those are still on the shelf/I bet them shits would have popped if I was willing to help."

Song: Drake "5 AM in Toronto" (2013)
Potential target: The Weeknd
Shots fired? Maybe

This song was loaded with subliminals but this line stuck out. When we first heard it we would have bet everything we owned that it was about The Weeknd. Even after Drake denied he had any issues with the Weeknd we totally didn't believe him. But then Weeknd told us that he and Drake are totally cool and we were even less sure. And finally, just last week, Weeknd and Drake took a picture together in the studio, ending all the rumors of their feud. So now we don't even know what to think. Except that if this line was about the Weeknd, it would make a lot of sense, seing as how his Trilogy has failed to move even 300,000 copies.

"I do not fuck with your new shit, my nigga, don't ask for my take on it."

Song: Migos f/ Drake "Versace" (2013)
Potential target: Kanye West
Shots fired? Possibly

You know whose old shit Drake really fucks with? Kanye's. Add that to the fact that this song came out just days after Kanye released Yeezus—an album that alienated many fans of his older material—we can't help but think that this just maybe might be about Kanye.

"I'm just as unforgiving as most niggas/You bit the hand, now starve, it's not a joke nigga."

Song: Drake f/ J. Cole "Jodeci Freestyle" (2013)
Potential target: The Weeknd
Shots fired? Maybe

Seriously, how can Drake spit lines like this and still be cool with The Weeknd?!?! Maybe there's other guys in Drake's crew that he's fallen out with recently that we're not aware of, but this totally sounds like it's about Weeknd. It's almost as if Drake spits these lines just to make us needlessly speculate. Ugh. Rappers, man.

"See I can still talk keys without pitching 'caine."

Song: Drake f/ J. Cole "Jodeci Freestyle" (2013)
Potential target: Pusha T
Shots fired? Maybe

Pusha has voiced his disapproval of rappers who never sold cocaine rapping about selling cocaine, and he named his last mixtape Wrath of the Caine. And with the history of unpleasantness between these two, it seems likely that that's what was on Drake's mind.

"I heard your new shit, nigga hated it/Damon Wayans told me don't play that shit...Y'all don't fuck wit' us and we don't fuck wit' y'all/It's no different over on this side, goddamn."

Song: Drake f/ 2 Chainz & Big Sean "All Me" (2013)
Potential target: Kanye West
Shots fired? Maybe

As with Drake's line on the "Versace Remix," we can't help but think of Kanye when we hear this. Maybe it's a stretch. But hey, Kanye recently dropped some new material and some of his fans do hate it. So there's that.