This rap battle is nothing but old school vs. new school and everything that comes with it. In 2018, social media triumphs over almost anything. The more fame, or infamy you gain on social media the better. However, was that the case after Pusha’s response to Drake’s “Duppy Freestyle?” Old-schoolers may say Pusha shredded Drake to pieces bit-by-bit while the new school begs to differ.
Both sides have a compelling argument.
Drake is as strategic as they come and that’s how he’s made his career. He has traits of an elite pop-star, R&B artist, and rapper, which makes him so unique and frankly, legendary. He’s a master of evaluating the moment and manipulating what he can in order to gain more notoriety doing what he does.
In “Duppy Freestyle,” Drake rapped over a smooth, elegant instrumental that tantalized his fans while slipping in passive, mild insults Pusha T’s way. Most notably, targetting his talent, his fiancé, and drug dealing affiliation. It was smooth, if I may say so myself, and I’m sure everyone outside of Pusha’s immediate circle assumed he wouldn’t come back at Drake as hard and epic as he did.
To some, Drake’s freestyle won over Pusha’s because he dropped a diss within a song that could still be a hit and that’s where the new school correlation comes into play. On multiple occasions, we’ve seen where Drake rides whatever wave is highest. In this case, he knew how to best reach his fans; with a full hit. Not just a diss track.
Whether you believe “Duppy” was better or “Adidon,” you’d be a fool to say Pusha T didn’t respond in a powerful and effective way.
Pusha dug so deep in “The Story of Adidon” that he made people forget temporarily, how much they adore Drake. This was the first mortal moment in Drake’s rap career. He’s always subject to criticism and temporary humiliation but this…this is something different.
“Cleaned her up for IG…baby’s involved. It’s deeper than rap.”
Pusha T hinted towards Drake’s ‘secret’ child, which affects him in multiple ways. That’s an allegation that Drake turned down on Thursday, stating he’s “financially supporting” his alleged child and the mother, Sophie Brussaux. Drakes words in his latest single “I’m Upset,” has been twisted completely after Pusha’s comeback. In the song, Drake ranted about gold-diggers: Women taking advantage of him to level up in life but these new accusations show that Drake isn’t necessarily innocent.
The most demoralizing part of “Story of Adidon, though, was the photo of Drake in blackface. Unfortunately, that’s a real photo of Drake, taken by David Leyes. He backed the photo with the “it’s an artistic statement envisioned by Drake,” excuse.
“I really need to understand what makes you take a photo like that,” said Pusha on The Breakfast Club. “I’m not ready to excuse that.”
Sitting back and really consuming both messages, these rappers had solid disses. Pusha got the best of Drake in this case because he hit Drake with multiple haymakers. In essence, Pusha was Thomas Hearns and Drake was Floyd Mayweather, unintimidating but crafty.
Drake denied the most publicly embarrassing statements from Pusha on Thursday night in a statement but his fans want him to clap back. Let’s hope this feud continues because, you know, rap beef has always been a thing.
