The Game Explains Rick Ross Diss Amid Kendrick Lamar & Drake Beef: "Keep That Same Energy"

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.7K Views
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BET AWARDS '14 - Radio Broadcast Center - Day 1
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 27: Rapper The Game attends day 1 of the Radio Broadcast Center during the BET Awards '14 on June 27, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for BET)
The Game called into The Joe Budden Podcast to explain his reasoning for dissing Rick Ross and whether his retort surprised him.

One of the oddest side quests to prop up in the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle was the feud between Rick Ross and The Game, which manifested through the latter's "Freeway's Revenge" diss track against the former. Moreover, while Rozay beefed with Drake outright, there wasn't much pre-existing tension between these new opponents, and Game's name hadn't come up once from any side in that 20v1... or 1v20, depending on how you look at it. As such, the Los Angeles MC called into The Joe Budden Podcast to explain his goals with his song, and to remark on what's happened since.

"A n***a sitting around just trolling, n***a, keep that same energy, n***a," The Game told Joe Budden and company of Rick Ross on Thursday's episode (May 16). "Bump heads with a n***a that really do this s**t. Bro, he did respond with a f***ing cereal bowl, n***a… We know you f*** ing eat. We see you. I don’t think it’s wise… and if he does, it’s done. The rap n***as ain’t saying what the people in the comments are saying. The rap n***as know what I do.

The Game Reveals Why He Dissed Rick Ross On The Joe Budden Podcast: Watch

"A rare iguana in a motherf***ing koi pond not gonna do it here," The Game continued. "You gotta rap. All that luxury s**t not gonna do it here.” For those unaware, Rick Ross responded to the Drillmatic spitter with a a couple of troll videos, which was most of his ammunition against Drake in the first place. Furthermore, it seems like the Maybach Music Group mogul didn't really want any lyrical smoke this time, or at least thought that it was unnecessary to respond. Considering how the Kendrick Lamar battle played out, perhaps this wasn't such a bad decision. After all, flexers are flexers, wordsmiths are wordsmiths, and the world revolves much easier when they know their place.

Still, all bets are off as to how Rick Ross and The Game could continue their battle outside of wax, although neither seems interested in the other's primary form of engagement. Maybe this is just the kind of thing that we forget about in a couple of weeks, especially as there is still a lot of conversation and traction around Kendrick Lamar and Drake's tracks. Whether or not more skirmishes and callouts emerge this year is a mystery. But we definitely have our hands full at this point.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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