Drake and Kanye have collab multiple times before this
In October 2016, five months before the release of Drake‘s mixtape, More Life, Drake released two singles, “Sneakin” featuring 21 Savage and “Two Birds, One Stone.”
Before those singles, in the summer of 2016, Drake and Kanye West were both on tour around the same time, in fact they even made guest appearances for each other at a few shows. In the meantime, former GOOD Music artist Kid Cudi was in the midst of breaking away from Kanye’s label and went to criticizing both Drake and West on his Twitter, stating “Everyone thinks they’re soooo great. Talkin top 5 and be having 30 people write songs for them.” Both Drake and Ye responded during their live shows, with many dismissing Cudi’s action as a “desperate cry for attention.”
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The ‘Two Birds, One Stone’ track, samples Cudi’s “Wild’n Cuz I’m Young” song, fueling speculation that this was indeed a diss track meant mainly for Cudi. On the track Drake reflects on his life and takes subliminal aim at many rap and hip-hop targets with a barrage of lines over a chill drum beat instrumental. The song was even produced by famous artist/producer, and GOOD music founder, Kanye West. Drake’s line “you were the man on the moon, now you just go through your phases” seems to be a direct shot at Cudi, who had released two very popular Man on the Moon albums and would relate to the “desperate cry for attention’ take.
Other subliminal shots seemed to include lines at Meek Mill and Pusha-T (a rapper in Kanye’s own label) with lines like “But really it’s you with all the drug dealer stories that’s gotta stop though, you made a couple chops and now you think you Chapo.”
We certainly know Kanye enjoys stirring the pot. In 2018 Ye produced Pusha-T’s Daytona album which had many shots at Drake throughout. Nonetheless, the rap game is full of subliminal shots, back and forth drama, and friends can become foes and foes can become friends. With Kanye and Drake being two of the most polarizing artists of this generation, in their own unique ways, their susceptibility to rap beef is more understanding.
Fast forward to present day, Kanye and Drake are linking up to squash the beef at a “Free Larry Hoover” concert in Los Angeles on December 9th.
