Atlanta rappers vs. the world, or nah?
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Atlanta rappers Quavo and Future are caught in a complex web of rap beefs involving Chris Brown, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Future and Rick Ross.
Catch up quick: Drake is reportedly at odds with several rappers after J. Cole dropped "First Person Shooter," wherein J. Cole declares himself, Drake and Lamar rap's "Big Three."
- Future, Lamar and Metro Boomin shot back with "Like That," wherein Lamar says "it's just big me." More diss tracks were later released between the artists.
Zoom in: Quavo and Chris Brown also exchanged diss tracks this month, and now a photo is going viral from a recent Quavo show in Connecticut showing a small turnout.
- Fans speculate Brown had something to do with the low attendance, but there's no evidence Brown caused it.
Fun fact: Drake hired drummers to perform outside of Magic City in Atlanta to troll Metro Boomin. Drake told Metro to "play some drums" in his latest diss track "Push Ups."
The intrigue: Drake also used artificial intelligence to add Tupac Shakur's vocals into a Lamar diss track on April 19. Drake later removed the song from his online profiles after Shakur's estate threatened to sue Drake.
Yes, but: Philly rapper Gillie Da Kid called the Lamar-Drake-Cole beef "corny" compared to the more famous feuds in hip hop.
What they're saying: "The songs don't not move the needle to the extent classics like 'No Vaseline,' 'Hit Em Up' or 'Ether' did," says Axios pop culture maven Troy Smith. "Still, these are the top hip-hop stars going at it. So fans are going to pay attention."
The bottom line: Pitchfork writer Alphonse Pierre calls the collective frenzy an "artificial and desperate" attempt at relevancy among what The Guardian calls "a lot of rich guys arguing."