(If you're only interested in hearing Drake's diss, click here to skip to where you need to be.)
First off, what's with niggas dissing niggas on tracks with other niggas who have nothing to do with it, and aren't at all involved? That's lame. If you're gonna diss somebody, stand on your own and diss them, don't sandwich it in between 2 irrelevant verses on someone else's project. The only way that's acceptable is if it's a quick jab (i.e. the possible slight jab Jay-Z took at Lil Wayne on H.A.M.), so that's a strike against Drake.
Okay, now let's get into these bars:
Drake's Verse
(Drake's lyrics come courtesty of KillerHipHop.com and fixed by me)
It bothers me when the Gods get to acting like the broads
Guess every team doesn't come complete with niggas like ours
That's why I see no need to compete with niggas like y'all
I just ask that when you see me you speak up, nigga that's all
Don't be duckin' like you never wanted nothin'
It's feelin' like rap changed, there was a time it was rugged
Back when if a nigga reached it was for the weapon
Nowadays niggas reach just to sell they record
Spaghetti Bolognese in Apollo Lounge
Me and my G from DC that's how I roll around
Might look light, but we heavy though
You think Drake will pull some shit like that, you never know
Million dollar meetings in Apollo Lounge
Me and my man Oliver North, that's how I roll around
Shorty wanna tell me secrets 'bout a rap nigga
I tell a bitch it's more attractive when you hold it down
Kobe 'bout to lose a hundred-fifty M's
Kobe my nigga, I hate it had to be him
Bitch you wasn't with me shooting in the gym
(Bitch you wasn't with me shooting in the gym)
Tell Lucien I said fuck it, I'm tearing holes in my budget
Bag her like we in Publix, and take her ass out in public
Ordered it a filet, tell her butterfly it, she'll love it
She used to soda and nuggets, she really just out here thuggin'
I'm just hittin' my pinnacle, you and pussy identical
You like the fuckin' finish line we can't wait to run into you
But let me get my mind off that
Young rich muthafucka getting mine off rap
With my niggas
Very well done overall, but you can see where this verse being a feature conflicts with it being a diss for Common. The actual disses were strong, but the other non-Common related lyrics outshined them, if you ask me. The part about Kobe was strong, the part about hoes telling rapper's secrets was strong, the part about homegirl being used to soda and nuggets was strong, and I don't even know what Apollo and/or Appolo Lounge is, but I'm sure we'll hear a bunch folks talking about it now that Drake rapped about it, like they did with Moscato after Drake mentioned it on Say Something.
I love the verse, but Drake needs to stay on topic in future disses, or at least not make the other portions better than the main course. Strike #2.
Oh yeah, and stop trying to act tough, Drake. You're Drake. That's strike #3.
Now on to Common's diss to Drake:
(Common doesn't start rapping until deep into the track, so feel free to click here and get to the fucking point.)
I can't go a step further without talking about Common's diss song artwork. What the fuck is that shit?! How small was the original file where it's all pixelated and fucked up after being stretched to 540x329? This track couldn't just be released without artwork (if he is indeed responsible for it...which I hope he isn't and a fan created it)? That's the second strike against Common right there (the first was obviously starting this "beef" to get some buzz).
Another strike against Common is the fact that he put his verse waaay at the end of the song and made us wait for it. Nigga, just get the beat and spit your shit at the beginning, don't make us listen to the whole song again just to get to your 16.
Now that I got that off my chest, let's go to the lyrics:
Common's Verse
(Common's lyrics come courtesy of RapGenius.com, again fixed by me)
My motto is: Chicago, bitch
Everybody know you sweet, what the problem is?
Don't play dumb, I'm the one that acknowledged it
Son of a bitch, I imagine what your father is
She said, "How you make your opponent
The rapper of the moment?" His style, he don't own it
Acting all hard when he hardly like that
You gon' mess around and make me catch a body like that
Ohhhh! Don't do it
Because every song you make Joe is really ho music
I heard you said you wasn't a bitch because you sing
You a bitch because you cling like a bitch that's eighteen
Can't say my name, but rap about a nigga's wife
You so black and white, trying to live a nigga's life
I'm taking too long with this amateur guy
You ain't wet nobody, nigga, you Canada Dry
Short, but also nicely done...well besides the slightly off beat delivery of the last punchline. Don't get me wrong though, that Canada Dry line was still the hardest bar spit by either.
After what Drake did, it's commendable that Common actually focused on Drake for the entirety of his verse. The only part I don't get is why Common is trying to accuse Drake of not saying his name when he started the "beef" while not saying Drake's name on Sweet? Yeah, he acknowledged who he was talking about on the radio with Sway, but that came after how many months and countless interviews denying it was aimed at anyone? That's lame, and a fourth strike against Com.
And The Winner Is...
Dark skinned brothas! In this battle over nothing by these 2 light skinned niggas, the obvious winner is dark skinned dudes. Not only are they helping promote a dark skinned man's music with their bickering (in this case Rick Ross), but they're making all my dark skinned brothas everywhere look good. This is just more proof that light skinned niggas will never be back in style.
Now, who's ready to start the "Stop Light Skin On Light Skin Crime" campaign with me??
(Side note: If I really had to pick a winner, it would be Drake. Nope, not for his verse, but for the simple fact that Common started it, and comes off looking the worse in the end. Common is a legend and shouldn't need petty riffs with guys like Drake to promote his music.
And besides that, it's so many actually wack rappers Common could've called out for ruining Hip-Hop that it makes me sick he decided to pick on Drake. He can't call out 2 Chainz or Future for making terrible music, but he can call out Drake? And that's so laaaame.)
