For someone who has fallen off his game as much as he has, Lil Wayne might have found himself in the midst of a battle he can’t win.
Pusha T, the former member of Clipse who is currently signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music roster, released a new song Wednesday, titled “Exodus 23:1,” which will presumably be a feature on the upcoming G.O.O.D. Music album, “Cruel Summer.”
On the track, Pusha T takes subliminal shots at Drake, who is signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money label. Pusha raps, “Contract all f—ed / Explain up I guess that means you all f—ed up / You signed to one n—a that signed to another n—a that signed to three n—as / Now that’s bad luck,” in reference to Drake being signed to Lil Wayne and Birdman’s Young Money crew.
Lil Wayne, having heard this, tweeted Thursday, “Fuk pusha t and anybody that love em.”
This “beef,” if it ever even gets to that, is not without precedent.
Most recently, Common, who was part of the G.O.O.D. Music family, and Drake exchanged jabs over remixes of Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin'” in January. In 2006, Lil Wayne and Clipse also engaged in a brief bit, but it was squashed when Lil Wayne was jailed for eight months in 2010.
Pusha T has even taken shots at Drake before. In September, he released a freestyle titled “Don’t F— With Me,” in which he says about Drake, “Rappers on their sophomores, actin’ like they boss lords/ Fame such a funny thing for sure, when n—-s start believing all them encores.”
Whether this escalates to a full-scale beef between Pusha T and Lil Wayne remains to be seen, but if it does, I’ve got my popcorn ready and I’m placing my bets on Pusha T, who is probably the most proficient pure rapper on G.O.O.D. Music. If the label had to choose anyone to put the gloves on, he’s probably the best bet.
Think about it: West is more about production and his lyricism has never really been particularly hard. Common is a great lyricist, but like West, has never been particularly hard, either. Kid Cudi isn’t even really a rapper, 2 Chainz would just make double entendres about condiments, Big Sean only talks about ass, and CyHi Da Prynce … well, nobody likes him.
The problem for Lil Wayne is that he has fallen off in catastrophic manner. Since being released from jail, his output has been underwhelming at best. Despite strong sales, 2011’s “Tha Carter IV” was nothing short of trash. His performance on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards was an absolute train wreck, thanks in large part to his leopard-print jeggings.
By and large, Drake is carrying the label right now. I say that knowing full well that Nicki Minaj is riding quite a wave of success. I just refuse to acknowledge it in my heart.
Lil Wayne’s only advantage here is that he and his label are a sales juggernaut, which is what the label hangs its hat on. Because of that, it’s easy to foresee the general public taking Young Money’s side in a beef with G.O.O.D. Music, because, for all intents and purposes, West is still seen as the villain by many after his run in with Taylor Swift at the 2010 VMAs.
Right now, Pusha T would have the advantage in a beef. He has Clipse on his resume, which is far more impressive than anything virtually anyone on Young Money has ever done, and is on top of his game lyrically. Five years ago, maybe Lil Wayne would have a better argument.
The question is, though, will it ever come to a full-scale beef? And will Drake defend himself or will he let Lil Wayne do all the talking for him?
For Drake’s sake, he probably shouldn’t. Drake is far too soft to beef with anyone, and his “beef” with Common was proof of that.
I say it will never happen. The Common-Drake beef was seemingly over before it started, with the two later squashing their issues. Last summer, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne also exchanged shots around the release of “Watch the Throne,” but it never amounted to anything.
I’m willing to bet West won’t let his label brawl with Lil Wayne’s. He’s friends with Wayne, and, for the most part, has never been about beefing. That he let Common engage with Drake is a bit of a surprise, though it was presumably OK’d to get some publicity for “The Dreamer/The Believer,” the album Common was about to drop.
If it does happen, however, Lil Wayne and his Young Money counterparts are in for a “Cruel Summer” indeed.
