Just Listen HipHop | Underground And Mainstream Hip-Hop Releases

The hip-hop world is reacting wildly and quickly to Kendrick Lamar‘s latest Drake diss, the Mustard-produced West Coast banger “Not Like Us.” While the jury’s still out on who officially won, the Toronto superstar sure has a lot of pressure and things to answer for, as does his Compton counterpart. No one will forget or avoid predator, domestic violence, deadbeat, or false paternity allegations forever. With this context in mind, Everyday Struggle saw a reunion recently, as DJ Akademiks invited Joe Budden to speak over the phone during his stream and discuss this new song. Their thoughts may surprise you, but the overall verdict is an impressed one.

“Does that matter, though?” DJ Akademiks asked Joe Budden about the claims that Kendrick Lamar and Drake have launched at each other. Budden proposed that both being right about “tea” and speaking on it openly and confidently are important metrics to judge this by. Ak added that Kendrick was able to match Drake on the “club record” front, and both commentators had high praise for each MC’s tactics and playmaking. The streamer asked if this was a specific advantage for the West Coast, and the podcaster thinks that’s a valid claim that helps Mr. Morale’s case on the cultural front.

DJ Akademiks & Joe Budden Discuss “Not Like Us”

Then, DJ Akademiks and Joe Budden discussed whether even responding to Kendrick Lamar’s predator allegations would be a good move for Drake. They conceded that K.Dot has an advantage in that regard, especially since Drizzy said that he would take a vacation. “The best thing for Drake to do is find an out,” Budden remarked, but “going on vacation” would be admitting defeat and puts Kendrick in a position to bomb him as much as he wants. Still, they also acknowledged that the OVO mogul is too big of an artist with too big of a fanbase to really fall off completely.

Ak Reacts To Kendrick Lamar’s New Drake Diss’ Cover Art

Also, DJ Akademiks and Joe Budden theorized as to whether Drake emptied his full clip, but thought that maybe targeting the other rappers on the sidelines in this feud indicates otherwise. Budden even said that he’s happy with how this beef is now and would be satisfied if it’s over, which surprised Ak. With both MCs garnering more takes from the culture and their fanbases, it’s still not a lost battle. But the dynamics for this war and the angles these artists are playing from seem different with every round, so we’ll see what happens.