The recent back and forth between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has sent the hip hop world into a frenzy. One significant ripple effect from the beef is the sudden spike in interest regarding past scuffles that each rapper has engaged in. One such beef includes a 2012 spat between Drake and Common, which saw the rappers trading jabs over several tracks, social media posts, and interviews. Today, the Drake and Common beef has long since been settled, allowing both lyricists to speak on their disagreement with the fresh perspective of hindsight. Let's dig into the Drake and Common beef details and unpack the entire situation.
The Beef Began Over Serena Williams
When this beef kicked off, fans had no idea that world-renowned athlete Serena Williams was secretly at the center of it all. Yet, Common admitted during a recent Drink Champs interview that his beef with Drake was something of a Trojan War moment in his career, with Serena in the role of Helen of Troy. Serena and Common had previously dated from roughly 2007 to 2010. The pair have never publicly explained what caused their breakup, but Serena ended up in a romantic entanglement with Drake shortly thereafter. According to Common, he wasn't explicitly bothered by Drake going out with his ex, but he did feel that Drake was being shady regarding his failed romance.
During his Drink Champs interview, Common explained, “I felt like Drake was sending me a couple of shots, subliminal. I don’t know what motivated him to send me some shots, but I think what for sure had me, if I’m just being real, like you know, we mess with one of the same girls. Wars happen over women... But I ain’t going to get at you if you with somebody I was with. But if you start throwing me a couple little, you know, you trying to throw some jabs, you know, and I’m like, come on man, okay.”
The Rappers Kept Things Mostly Subliminal
While a few names were thrown throughout the Drake and Common beef, the rappers kept their conflict light. Common refused to elaborate on what specific subliminal jabs kicked the whole thing off in his eyes, but he confirmed that his lyrics on the song "Sweet" were directed at the Toronto native. Instead of immediately responding on wax, Drake took to the stage during a December 2011 performance, explaining to the crowd, "I might sing, but I ain't no b****. If Common got something to say, say it to my face."
From there, things continued to heat up, with Drake sending more direct shots over Rick Ross's "Stay Schemin." Common provided the most direct bars in the entire beef with a scathing "Stay Schemin" remix, rapping, "I'm taking too long with this amateur guy/ You ain't wet nobody, n****, you Canada dry/ Soft n****, make no mistake, I'm talking to Drake."
Drake's Father Squashed The Beef At The Grammy's
While reflecting on his beef with Drake on Drink Champs, Common confirmed that things are all love between the pair today. He even clarified how exactly they managed to peace it up, revealing that Drake's father, Dennis Graham, was responsible for bringing them together. After bumping into Drake at the 2013 Grammy Awards, Common claims that he was confrontational, until Dennis stepped in and demanded that they talk it out. The Chicago MC explained, "His father was there and was like, ‘Y’all need to squash this.’ And I was like, Man, this an elder talking to me. This this man’s father. Let me chill out... So we just squashed it... I said what I had to say. Right now, we saying we squashing it. We good.”
