Ice Cube's Son Questions If Drake Forfeited Kendrick Lamar Battle

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The 58th GRAMMY Awards - Show
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Recording artists/actors O'Shea Jackson Jr. (C) and Ice Cube (R) present the Best Rap Album award to recording artist Kendrick Lamar (L) for 'To Pimp a Butterfly' onstage during The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage)
O'Shea Jackson, Jr. might be onto something...

A lot happened on May 3. The battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar had been pretty evenly played up to that point, but the latter snatched the lead. He dropped 3 diss tracks against Drake in the span of 36 hours, and all of them hit. Hard. Drake's own diss, "Family Matters," got lost in the shuffle, and when he was able to muster a response, "The Heart Part 6," fans had already made up their minds. Lamar is the frontrunner to win (if he hasn't already).

Drake and Lamar have been invested in this battle, but something has changed with the former. The 6 God seems gun shy, and O'Shea Jackson, Jr. has noticed. The actor and son of Ice Cube hopped on X (formerly Twitter) to reflect on the latest Drake diss. His conclusion? The rapper might have called it a day in the song's lyrics. "Wait," Jackson tweeted. "Did he just lowkey say he done with this? ...." The actor didn't provide evidence, but a glance at the lyrics for "The Heart Part 6" definitely supports his interpretation.

O'Shea Jackson Jr. Fears That Drake Called It Quits

The outro to the song sees Drake reflect on the battle in the past tense. He repeatedly talks about losing interest in the battle and moving on. "You could drop a hundred more records, I'll see you later," he raps. "Yeah, maybe when you meet your maker. I don't wanna fight with a woman beater, it feeds your nature." Drake also drops bars about not wanting to get into things unless Lamar plans on being "truthful" with his accusations. "Just let me know when we're gettin' to the facts," he adds.

Jackson's theory is further supported by Drake's previous diss. "Family Matters" is a six-minute epic, but the second verse has the rapper claiming that he's going on vacation. "I'm goin' on vacation now, hope next time y'all plan it right," he spits. "'Cause you gotta pay for sayin' my name, guess now n**gas understand the price." Drake sounded like he wanted to be done on "Family Matters," but taken in conjunction with the latest diss, and we may very well be looking at the end.

Drake is also in the difficult decision of having to wait on Lamar again. He's technically the last person to respond, so if Lamar doesn't drop again then he will effectively be declared the winner. Do you think he will come back? Or do you share O'Shea Jackson, Jr.'s concern?

About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.
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