On Wax: Drake Vs. Pusha T, Kanye West & More

Drake vs. Pusha T: Verdicts

Hiram

There’s no way in hell that Drake vs. Pusha T isn’t going down as one of the greatest rap beefs of our time; definitely of this generation. Drake learned very fast that Pusha isn’t Meek Mill. Although “Duppy Freestyle” was pretty good, it played out how we’d expect a Drake diss to go. Let’s question your drug dealing past, and let’s gloat about how much more successful you were. Drake’s clever wordplay and punchlines are effective, and to respond with about 12 hours is respectable; going on a week… nah. Drake actually sending an invoice just shows the kind of person Drake is: petty. Pusha felt Drake went below the belt when Drizzy mentioned Pusha’s fiancé in the most boof line of Drake’s beef:

“And I’ma let it ring on you like Virginia Williams”

According to Push, that crossed the line, and rightfully so Pusha unloaded on him with “The Story of Adidon.” Push absolutely rips Drake a new one, going after him, his mother, his father and his best friend. Not to mention he revealed Drake has a son (technically still alleged) and found a picture of Drake in blackface. Drake has only responded to the blackface with an Instagram story. Anderson .Paak’s observation made me laugh, and with that I think Drake needs to prove himself. Scorpion better be great, or he’s gonna fall, just like Wayne, 50 Cent, Ja Rule and Nelly. I can’t wait to see Drake at the 6:30 spot of the second KAABOO stage in ten years.

Dyllan

Shaking up hip-hop the way it needed, Pusha T went for Drake’s head in “The Story of Adidon.” Holding no punches, Pusha T would go forward putting Drake’s ghostwriting allegations aside to speak on his personal life, revealing Drake to have a son. To avoid turning this into a gossip page, I’m going to keep it strictly about the beef. Man-to-man, keeping the beef about hip-hop, it was weak on Pusha T to do something with such bad taste. Lyrically it’s a track that is bound to jaw drop anyone, and for those who are aware of Drake, it sounds like Drake. Good or Bad? Well, that’s a question of morals. Do I wish to win so much that my enemies family is not safe when no blood is to be shed? I would say for Pusha T this was the case. Drake failed to respond to the diss track before the weekend. J. Prince of Rap A-Lot said he actually reached out to Drake, and told him to take the high road by not responding. Who knows maybe the “Duppy” track did more damage to Push than we thought.

Kanye West Releases ye

After much anticipation, Kanye West has released his eighth album, ye. As a Kanye stan, I really have a lot to say about the album. Yeezy is known for being innovative and ahead of the curve. Unfortunately, ye feels like B-Sides to The Life of Pablo. He revealed in an interview with Big Boy that he scrapped the entire album he was working on after the TMZ interview. Kanye made this album in a month. This feels like the most last minute project ever. I commend Kanye showing vulnerability on this project, but it feels incomplete. If Daytona proved anything, it’s that a seven-song album can feel satisfying, unfortunately, ye doesn’t do that. It’s not to say every track is bad, as a matter of fact, every track is at least decent. However, only two songs really feel great on this album: “No Mistakes” and “Ghost Town.” Both of those are the legendary music I expect from Ye. “All Mine” feels like a cool club song, but feels like a wasted spot. I respect “Violent Cries,” however, it’s a weak closer, which adds to the incomplete feelings of the album. I also respect the track,”Wouldn’t Leave,” yet “I thought About Killing You” and “Yikes” are easily the weakest tracks on the album.

Kanye has something to say, but sadly his new songs feel less important than his other tracks. While his new album has poetic elements, the spoken word feels really dragged out and they feel like generic trap bangers with a little Kanye flare. Overall, this is easily Kanye’s worst album, although it does give a great glimpse of the older artist’s current life and feelings. We just have to take it for what it is.

Mac Miller Returns with 3 Singles

After a rocky first half of 2018, Mac Miller bounces back with three new tracks. Two are more of the jazz/R&B style rap we’ve seen, while the other is a nice trap banger: “Programs” is one of the best songs Mac has dropped in the trap style of hip-hop with plenty of great lines and a charismatic vocal performance, which make for a great record; “Buttons” is classic Mac track with a catchy hook and a killer boombap beat— he murders this track; and “Small Worlds” might be the weaker of the three tracks, but it isn’t by any means bad. Hopefully, a new Mac Miller project is approaching.

MadeinTYO Returns with 2 Singles

Other than features, MadeinTYO hasn’t dropped his own music in a while. However, the 2017 XXL freshmen returned with two new bangers. The first is titled “Ned Flanders” and features A$AP Ferg, which they have great chemistry together. The other track is titled “Club Close,” and may be overshadowed due to the other track having a feature, but both tracks are nice additions to MadeinTYO’s discography.

Chief Keef Gets Shot in NYC

After arriving in New York, shots were fired at Chief Keef, but the rapper did not get hurt. He seemed to have dusted the event off with silence and a smile in a TMZ interview.

Lil Uzi Vert Runs Up on Rich The Kid

The Plug Run is in full effect as Rich The Kid attempts to avoid the climax of his beef with Lil Uzi Vert. Little is known about why, but truthfully doesn’t matter. Uzi is out there to settle it with a classic one-on-one, but it didn’t look like Rich The Kid was willing to keep the same energy as his diss tracks came in person. Artist to artist, Uzi wins, and the only area where Rich really succeeds is he is able to put people on. Uzi doesn’t have that. At the end of the day, like most beefs, let’s hope these guys get passed it, returning to music that their fans love.

Black Thought Drops 9th Wonder Produced EP

One of the most renowned lyricists, Black Thought, has dropped a new EP, Streams of Thought Vol. 1. Most of the Ep’s production is handled by the legendary 9th Wonder, while the last track is produced by Khrysis. Black Thought shows off his lyricism, alongside his conscious agenda. Whilst Black Thought handles himself well, the features from Rapsody, Styles P and Kirby are nice. If you like your hip-hop with bars and boombap beats, look no further.

Until next time, it’s On Wax.

-Dyllan E. & Hiram