If you haven’t been paying attention to what’s been going on in the ever-changing world of Hip Hop, let me bring you up to speed.
Drake’s attracted the attention of yet another rapper trying to dethrone him from his position as ‘That Guy’ in Hip Hop, nothing new to be honest. This time it’s Slaughterhouse’s Joe Budden. Here’s my message to Mr Aubrey Graham:
“Do Not Engage! I repeat… Do Not Engage!
No one is checking for this beef apart from Joe Budden fans, you have nothing to gain from going toe-to-toe with a man who has nothing to lose. “
Joe Budden hasn’t had a hit in a long time, but his rap skills have certaintly not diminished during those years of mainstream inactivity. Battle rapping is Joe’s bread and butter, he’s not only capable of holding his own in battles… he thrives off it!
So how did this all start? Well If you listen to what Joe Budden would have you believe, this is a response to Drake’s song ‘4pm in Calabasas‘. I listened to the song when it first came out and there were definitely more than a few shots fired at Diddy, a few strays in the direction of Chris Brown, but shots at Joe Budden? I really doubt it!
But to be fair, we’ve all been in situations where someone has said something disrespectful knowing that only YOU would be offended (or even realise it!), so I’ll give Joe the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Listen to him break down the subliminal disses he thinks were aimed at him in the video below.
Honestly, I think that Joe is just starting up a beef out of nowhere to reignite mainstream interest in his music, and maybe he’s even envious of Drake reaching heights he could only dream of using a style that he was known for prior to Drake bursting onto the scene. For those of you who don’t know, Joe was pretty much Drake before Drake was… he was the blueprint… releasing emotionally transparent tracks about his battles with drug addiction, his love life and the turmoil in his family, really just bearing all for his art.
Ironically Joe Budden has taken a page out of Drake’s book when it comes to handling rap beef. Just like Drake did in his battle with Meek, Joe has dropped two diss tracks (so far). The first one ‘Making of a Murderer Pt. 1’ was the set-up much like when Drake dropped ‘Charged Up’, just a simple flex of his lyrical muscles, enough to get the people talking but no where near lethal enough to call in the coroners. And If the first track was Joe trying his hand at a ‘Charged Up’, then second track, ‘Wake’, was definitely his attempt at a ‘Back To Back’!
The song’s artwork down to it’s lyrical content all point to a VERY calculated attempt at dismantling Drake’s career, criticising him for everything from avoiding Pusha T, using ghostwriters and stealing songs from his OVO artist PARTYNEXTDOOR.
And for those of you who can’t be bothered to listen to ‘Wake’ in depth and find the most scathing lines themselves (which is probably most of you), here’s a link that does the work for you!
How Much Of A Threat Is This To Drake? Well, that really depends on how much of a threat Drake allows it to become. He said it best on ‘4pm in Calabasas’, “I got a lot to lose ’cause in every situation I’m the bigger artist, always gotta play it smarter”. Beefing for the sake of beefing is pointless for Drake, it’s time consuming and for the most part benefits the other artist more than it does him. In the case of his beef with Meek Mill he was battling for his credibility; recognising the potential damage that ghostwriting claims could do to his standing at the top of the rap game, he knew he had to act quickly. But this time, he probably doesn’t need to act at all.
Joe Budden is by far a more crafty opponent than Meek was. Meek’s diss tracks all threatened to take it to the streets, Drake’s never claimed to be about that life so if anything it made it look like Meek couldn’t handle the heat on wax and resorted to the street as a back up. Joe on the other hand has done his research, he’s got dirt on Drake and has got the advantage of a head start in the beef.
On a lyrical level most people would agree that Joe Budden would body bag Drake, but these beefs aren’t just about about lyrics anymore. They’re about catchy songs that can get the people moving in the club and trend on social media at the same time. Basically the song’s got to be a ‘Back To Back’… which we can safely say probably won’t be a problem for Drake.
Where Do We Go From Here? My money is on Joe to keep dropping diss tracks and Drake to keep serving up subliminals. Joe’s first diss track ‘Making of a Murderer Pt.1’, suggests that a part 2 is in the works as well, or maybe even a trilogy.. the guy’s got a lot of time on his hands! Whilst Drake has shown time and time again that he’s not one for ‘knee-jerk’ reactions, so don’t be too surprised if he just waits for this all to blow over.
Either way we’ve still got a long way to go with this one…
Should Drake be worried about Joe Budden? Do You Think Joe Budden Will Drop Another Diss Track? Should/Will Drake Respond?
As Usual Comments Are Encouraged!
Also, check out my other blog post on Hip Hop Beef: Jay Z vs Funkmaster Flex – Who Wins?
barzino's blog 