The Weeknd is one of the biggest pop stars in the world. He's gotten to where he is on the strength of his vocals and his ability to conjure up a moody and entrancing aesthetic. He's vibe music. The Weeknd also has tension with DJ Akademiks' favorite Canadian artist, Drake. The Weeknd and Drake are not fans of each other's music, despite being peers over a decade ago. This dynamic has led many to theorize that the singer born Abel Tesfaye snuck in a Drizzy diss on his new album.
The alleged diss comes on the song "I Can't Wait to Get There." The Weeknd sings about his enemies, and the notion of selling one's soul for fame. "'Causе the media hate it when they can never control us, and my enemies hate it 'cause I own my soul," he sings. It's the next set of lines, though, that really got the fans theorizing. "Dealt with scarier situations, I had nowhere to live in," The Weeknd asserts. "High school dropout, chillin' with academics." A lot to unpack here that could apply to Drizzy. For one, there's a reference to "scarier," which could be a note to Drake's Scary Hours EP series. Then, there's the fact that Drake is a high school dropout.
The Weeknd Seemingly Mocks Drake And DJ Akademiks
The one that has most Weeknd fans thinking the 6 God was a target, though, was the last part of the line. "Chillin' with academics." DJ Akademiks, as we stated, is Drake's number one fan. He rode for Drake all through the Kendrick Lamar beef. Drizzy also used Akademiks as a mouthpiece during the battle, to the point that he sampled the streamer on the song "Push Ups." All the pieces fit together. Even if Weeknd did not intend to diss his former Canadian collaborator, he had to have known how it looked.
Plus, we have examples of The Weeknd dissing Drake within the last year. The Weeknd was one of the many artists who got in on the bash Drizzy parade in 2024. He appeared on the Future and Metro song "All to Myself," and appeared to throw additional shots. "They could never diss my brothers, baby," the singer crooned. "When they got leaks in they operation. I thank God that I never signed my life away." Many interpreted this to be a commentary on The Weeknd's decision to not sign with OVO. We'll likely never know if the new Weeknd song is dissing Drake, but it is fun to speculate about. It's clear there's no love lost between them.
