The Game and Rick Ross never had a lot of direct issues with one another, but what little tension existed definitely escalated with the explosive back-and-forth between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. They made their sides quite clear, but it looks like the Los Angeles rapper in particular wasn't content with solely supporting the 6ix God against Rozay's favorite. Moreover, following some Instagram subs, he dropped "Freeway's Revenge," a lyrical takedown of Ross' character that joined in on the beef-flinging.
The main thesis behind this diss track is to expose Rick Ross as a fake gangster and an inauthentic presence in the culture, on top of some really disrespectful moments, all filtered through The Game's soulful beat selection, intricate rhyme schemes, vivid imagery, and creative wordplay and diction. Whether the Biggest Boss will respond on wax is another matter, but this is a pretty steamy way to kick things off. Maybe they'll go for a couple of rounds like Drake and Kendrick Lamar, although ironically, Game brings up some authenticity arguments against Ross that aren't too far off from what shots Kendrick had for Drizzy.
The Game Sets Kendrick Lamar & Drake's Beef As A Backdrop
Perhaps that's where we should begin, as The Game's numerous references to Kendrick Lamar and Drake's current beef give credence to the idea that this conflict is what inspired his diss towards Rick Ross. Most of these inclusions are firearm wordplay, such as "This ain't the Kendrick beef, my Drac' sing songs" and "My K.Dot s**t, I don't have to turn the beam on." There's one flip on K.Dot's classic 2012 album and its track "The Art Of Peer Pressure": "Bad kid, good city, I study the art of war." Finally, the most relevant beef reference in "Freeway's Revenge" is the line "You ain't sold no birds, you trolled the owl," pointing to Ross' obsession with Drizzy online. While Game doesn't outright diss Kendrick here, he does openly stand up for Aubrey against Rick Ross, and takes advantage of both artists' work.
That's all to set the stage for the stakes in this new feud, making it not just a historical timestamp but the act of war that inspired these two troops to take to the battlefield. The Game also throws in plenty of other references that not only build up his street and hip-hop credentials as opposed to Rick Ross', but also aim to entice other streamers like DJ Akademiks and Kai Cenat to dissect and witness this drama and gossip as closely as they did Drake and Kendrick Lamar's. These references include Pac's ring (which also caught mention in that showdown) and his exit from the hospital, an old Gravediggaz song ("1-800 Suicide"), Ross' Wingstop franchises, Haitian gangs in Miami, Harry-O's role in Death Row's origins, and even Rozay's tone of voice and manner of speaking with a comical imitation.
Rick Ross' Fake Mastermind Persona
As we previously mentioned, these references and small lyrical details give more color to the main argument of the song: Rick Ross is a fraud in the rap game. Through lines like "You a C.O., that's the last time you had keys on," "No car shows, no pinky rings, no umbrellas in the car doors / Introduce me and my connect to that Columbian you chop that raw for," and "All that money you rap about gon' get you a mean plot," The Game suggests that Ross' history as a correctional officer and his obsession with only money and luxury make his "gangster" image fall flat on its face. He doesn't care about the $20 million mansion renovations or the way that the MMG mogul has referred to himself on albums like 2014's Mastermind or songs like "All Birds."
In addition, The Game calls Rick Ross out for allegedly biting Biggie's style and stealing his entire persona from criminal "Freeway" Rick Ross (which, of course, also inspires the title). To match, there are also plenty of vivid descriptions of violence throughout, hinting at the real depths that this beef could go to which Ross is allegedly faking but not really prepared for, such as, "I'm watching Scarface and cleaning TECs / Shots gon' be direct, have you been through Cedar yet?" To the Drillmatic MC, his opponent is just "making up s**t just to pass the time." What's more, is that he hints that there is still more ammo in the clip through this bar: "And he know some s**t that ain't cool for him to speak on / My P.O. said, 'This ain't the record that we agreed on!'"
Things Got Personal On "Freeway's Revenge"
Finally, plenty of harsher ammunition here made things quite personal between The Game and Rick Ross. For one, "Freeway's Revenge" takes aim at Ross' weight on occasion, claims that he's a fan of golden showers, and clowns the "fish tanks and marble floors" and other luxurious lifestyle choices that he often flaunts throughout his career. But the real cutting jabs have to do with the Mississippi native's health confessions and his loyalties to his circle. Game mentions his "sick as hell" struggle with insomnia and seizures due to his lifestyle and lean usage, despite Ross' attempts to "tell us he just bought another crib, he livin' well." He adds, "He popping pills, they starting to f**k with his brain / Seizures off the lean, Balenciagas shorts got the s**t stains."
Not only that, but The Game also references the lyrical controversy behind Rozay's verse on the song "U.O.E.N.O.," in which he brags about sleeping with a girl after slipping molly in her champagne, thus rendering her unable to give consent or even remember the incident. "This n***a drug women, that's how your team rock?" the 44-year-old rapped against Rick Ross, although Game's got his own sexual assault allegations to deal with right now. Regardless, he also blasts Ross' failure to support his artist Gunplay through personal and financial struggles of the moment. With these final points, The Game claims that the Biggest Boss is a small fry that uses money and image to not just obfuscate his actual hip-hop and street connections but to present a more lively and lauded narrative of what he's really going through and what he really stands for. Is it enough? We will see.
