Charlamagne Tha God Doesn't Believe That ASAP Rocky Dissed Drake On J Cole Collab

BYGabriel Bras Nevares2.8K Views
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2023 HOPE Global Forum
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 11: Charlamagne tha God attends the 2023 HOPE Global Forum at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on December 11, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images)
A voice of reason or a surface-level listener?

We can all agree that 2024's great rap war has made us all read a little too deeply into lyrics sometimes. We just got a key example of that thanks to ASAP Rocky and J Cole's new collab "Ruby Rosary." Thanks to some possibly slick lyrical references from the Harlem creative and the complex role that the Dreamville boss has played in hip-hop's ecosystem for the past year or so, many fans think that this is a not-so-subtle diss at Drake. But Charlamagne Tha God and the rest of The Breakfast Club think that this is a bit of a reach.

"J. Cole better not be dissing nobody," Charlamagne Tha God began when the crew proposed that there might be a shot on the new song. "Oh, okay, okay, okay." "How is that a Drake diss?" he asked when one of TBC's cohosts recited the lyrics that many fans are bringing up. "Oh... I mean, it sounds like he's dissing a whole top five if he says 'F your top five.' I don't know either, I think y'all just be making up stuff. *laughs* Here's the thing. When I say it's 'this generation,' I'm not just talking about y'all. It's just the whole cycle of people. Like, the way people's minds work is just weird. He said, 'F your top five.' So your top five must be Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake, and Drake."

The Breakfast Club Speaks On ASAP Rocky, J Cole & Potential Drake Disses

But do you know what's really funny about Charlamagne's dismissal? There is someone whose top five is all Drake, and if you don't know what we're talking about, just look up "DJ Akademiks Drake Top Five" on YouTube for a laugh. Along with some other references like bars about "push ups," A$AP Rocky fans aren't all too misguided in drawing these connections. But the real likely scenarios are that this was all unintentional and that, even if they are references, they don't amount to enough of a sting for this to really be an inflammatory moment. If anything, according to OVO fans, J. Cole is the one who should really be answering questions here.

Also, we already know that A$AP Rocky and Drake have beef, so them throwing possible subliminals at each other is practically worthless. The only people getting value from it are true haters of either lyricist. But we can't pretend that all the speculation and discussion isn't at least entertaining. After all, that reality is what allowed the biggest rap battle in at least two decades to materialize.

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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