It’s been over a month since arguably the most popular beef in the current Hip Hop landscape started. On March 22, Kendrick Lamar shook things up when he took shots at Drake and J. Cole on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.” Since then, many other artists have had their go at Drizzy. But Drake’s more than held his own, firing back some shots of his own.
On April 15, a supposed diss track from Lamar was leaked onto the internet. However, soon after, an artist named Sy the Rapper claimed that he made the track using AI. While many listeners still doubt his claim because of how authentic the track sounds, he has stood by his claim. As expected, the drama surrounding the AI track has made many listeners curious about who Sy the Rapper is. Here’s what we know about him right now.
Background
Before he allegedly released the infamous diss track, Sy the Rapper was largely unknown in mainstream circles. As a result, not much is known about his background. However, a few publications, including Complex, which recently interviewed him, have revealed that he is 23. During that conversation, Sy also shared that he is from Los Angeles and has always loved music. “I wrote my first rap when I was 10. It was about donuts and Lakers,” he said. He grew up hungry to explore his talent, and it seems it may pay off.
What Does Sy The Rapper Do?
Further, Sy the Rapper may be an artist, but he is also a producer and allegedly made the beat of the viral AI diss track. As seen on his Spotify page, he has been releasing music since 2019. His earliest release on streaming platforms is “Zonin,” which dropped in June 2019.
Since then, he has released several singles, as well as two albums: Abstract (2019) and Sore Winner (2021). The 23-year-old is also quite active on TikTok, where he currently has over 13k followers. On Instagram, he has 33k followers. Per his Instagram bio, he runs @qualityimageproductions and @new_wave_media, secondary accounts where he offers media services. In addition, he also runs @innercitykings_qweens and @dripskoolcustoms, both centered on fashion.
How Sy The Rapper Allegedly Made The Kendrick Lamar Diss Track
Although many still doubt that Sy the Rapper actually made the song, he seems to have evidence supporting his claim. During his interview with Complex, he spoke about the process of making the track, from its lyrics to the beat. “I just had to place myself in Kendrick's shoes, and it didn’t seem like Kendrick would come out swinging for the kill, considering that the [Drake] song was a ‘leaked’ track,” he said. “So, I was thinking more so in the mindset of, ‘If I'm Kendrick, I wouldn't want to show my hand too early, since this song has been leaked and it's not an official drop, so I can't just come out swinging. I’ve got to come out with sort of a warning shot.’”
When asked about his background in AI, Sy the Rapper said he started researching about it after an AI-generated Drake track went viral in April 2023. According to Sy the Rapper, he was intrigued by this and decided to try it out. “With AI, the entry-level is very simple, and it's not super complex to use. The complex part comes in how you record because you kind of have to mimic the artist and mimic their voice and cadence,” he said. He also shared that he wrote the track in “an hour or two” and recorded it in his voice memo. As seen in the editor’s note at the end of the interview, Sy the Rapper sent videos of the isolated stems of the song to Complex. This was to serve as proof that he did make the song.
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