The long-simmering beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake came to a head when Lamar dropped a few lines in a guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s hit “Like That.” This ignited what has become the widest-reaching rap beef in years. J. Cole even recorded a diss track about Lamar, only to retract it and apologize – a move that is fairly unprecedented in hip-hop. The whole saga is traced in the latest episode of the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast.
Following the initial diss by J. Cole, Drake’s “Push Ups” leaked last weekend, leading to some confusion about its authenticity. It was officially released on streaming services shortly after. Rick Ross wasted no time in striking back with a brutal diss track, “Champagne Moments,” which he claimed to have recorded on the same day. It is expected that Lamar will come back with his own full track in response. The podcast episode delves into the drama, its roots, and predicts what could happen next.
To listen to Rolling Stone’s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, you can download and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or other podcast platforms). The archive includes six years’ worth of episodes featuring in-depth interviews with various artists such as Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Questlove, and many more. There are also episodes covering genre-spanning discussions and debates with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.