After stepping away from social media for a few weeks, Kanye West ended his hiatus to promote his entry into the lyrical feuds revolving around Drake. To his fans’ surprise, he finally dropped off his “Like That (Remix),” which name-drops the Canadian rapper and J. Cole.
The anticipated track premiered on Justin Laboy’s subscription-only YouTube series, “The Download,” amid social media users reacting to Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” on Saturday (April 20). In the snippet he shared, “You know we had to get the hooligans up here, we gon’ take this p**sy n**ga out. Yo, Dot, I got you.”
In part, he rapped, “Pluto sent the drones, it hit like Metro beats/ It’s a wrap for n**gas, where’s Lucian? Serve ya’ master, n**ga/ You caught a little bag for your masters didn’t ya’, lifetime deal, I feel bad for n**gas/ Y’all so outta sight outta mind, I can’t even think of a Drake line/ Play J. Cole, get the p**sy dry, play this s**t back 130 times.”
One reaction to the record read, “They done woke up the BEAST! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back ‘Old Kanye’ now known as ‘Ye.’” Several other comments online applauded the production quality. “Only Ye can make a diss song [that] sound like he recorded it in heaven,” wrote a fan on a clip of the track circulating on YouTube.
The original Metro Boomin and Future tracks incited excitement for a rap infinity war of sorts. On his “Like That” appearance, Kendrick Lamar took aim at the game’s “big three,” whom much of the Hip Hop community seemed to agree included Drake and Cole.
The two subliminally called-out emcees responded on wax, the Dreamville Records huncho with the since-deleted “7 Minute Drill” and Drizzy on “Push Ups” and, as of this weekend, on “Taylor Made Freestyle.” Even Rick Ross enjoyed a week or so of taunting the For All The Dogs artist with “Champagne Moments (Drake Diss).”
Kendrick has yet to deliver a response, despite the resounding display of anticipation from his fans and contemporaries.