Kendrick Lamar Meets LeBron James In Resurfaced Clip Amid Drake Freestyle Drama

BYGabriel Bras Nevares4.7K Views
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NBA: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors
Dec 25, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Fans are still building context around the supposedly-named "Fighting Irish" freestyle.

Drake's new Conductor Williams-produced freestyle, supposedly titled "Fighting Irish," is more likely than not a message to LeBron James. For those unaware, the NBA legend showed love to both him and Kendrick Lamar during their battle, but by attending "The Pop Out" and supporting GNX, many fans feel like he took a side. Drizzy feels the same way, and the themes of betrayal and friendship on the track seem particularly aimed at Bron thanks to particular lyrical references. Still, some OVO Stans might be misguided in assuming that this is a new development at all when it comes to LeBron's admiration of the Compton lyricist.

In fact, a clip from around 2012 recently resurfaced of Kendrick Lamar supposedly meeting LeBron James for the first time. This, along with other examples, show how he's always shown love to both MCs, even during their beef. That, however, was mostly up to the release of "Not Like Us." Since then, it's hard not to assume some sort of tension between the Los Angeles Laker and Drake, especially as they tend to say a lot with a little on social media.

LeBron James Meets Kendrick Lamar In Resurfaced Clip Amid Drake's Shots

With that in mind, omission is basically the same as a statement, and Drake or LeBron James could've easily cleared this up by this point if there wasn't a real issue on the table. Even OVO's Chubbs seemed to support this theory via an Instagram like, which is sadly equivalent to confirmation in today's social media discourse. In other words, everyone's running with this and drawing more connections in this situation, and at the end of the day, both sides are understandable. It's just the natural consequence of massive celebrity moments that both superstars now have to deal with.

Of course, this new Drake freestyle also took aim at a lot of other individuals within and beyond the rap game. While discussion around these details continues to evolve and find new nuggets of information, the LeBron James and Kendrick Lamar angle is an obvious and persistent interpretation. We'll see whether the near future holds any concrete developments or confirmations in these and other areas.

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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