Nonetheless, when eagle-eyed followers took word of Metro unfollowing Drake on Instagram—the definitive twenty first century signpost of an un-amicable cut up—forward of the album’s launch, it didn’t take a hip-hop scholar to imagine that, as Kendrick would declare, “it’s up.” And for these questioning how a producer-rapper beef would even fairly play out, Metro makes it clear by serving up a brand new artistic peak on “Like That,” with an obscenely screwface-inducing beat sampling Three 6 Mafia’s “Who the Crunkest” (which itself sampled 80s rap duo Rodney O and Joe Cooley), with a splash of “Ridin Spinners.” In impact Kendrick and Metro are following playbooks beloved by the likes of Jay-Z earlier than them, and even Drake with “Again to Again,” in dissing your opponent on a music that’s an plain banger whether or not folks know the context or not.
However why would Future, who has roughly 30 (thirty) collaborations with Drake, together with the 2015 collab album What a Time to Be Alive and two pretty current tracks on Future’s final solo album, cede airtime on his new challenge to a famous Drake enemy? Nobody is aware of for certain at press time, nevertheless it’s potential they’ve problems with their very own. Regardless of their prolific collaborations, their relationship has had its tough moments from day one. Recall 2011, when an ascendant Future bought an help from Drake remixing the previous’s “Tony Montana,” solely to publicly bemoan Drake refusing to do a video. And whereas they toured collectively in 2016, who can neglect that point in 2013 when Future was briefly, allegedly booted off of Drake’s tour for less-than-flattering feedback about his music in an interview.
Issue within the identify of the album, and Future’s rap on the intro about somebody who’s his primary fan regardless of sneak dissing him on the facet, and also you don’t want that large of a tinfoil hat to make the leap. Any opinions on the present standing of Future and Drake’s relationship is all baseless conjecture for now, however what’s irrefutable is that rap beef is geopolitics. One would think about Drake, who on the refrain of a current monitor cheekily wonders what Pluto (Future) would do in a sure romantic state of affairs (reply: not secure for work), wouldn’t merely shrug at one among his most frequent collaborators releasing a challenge with area reserved for direct pictures at him. (That may be like 21 Savage letting Pusha T hop on a monitor.)
It’ll be attention-grabbing to see how this all unfolds, however whereas it’s understandably taking on quite a lot of oxygen on the timeline proper now, one factor we shouldn’t lose sight of is that We Don’t Belief You is, fairly merely, unbelievable. Positive, beef is cool however so is Future reverting to a few of his most traditionally wicked peaks earlier on the monitor—do not pay attention intently for those who don’t need to hear specifics of the X-rated state of affairs that will absolve him of one among his 20 carat rings. He’s blacking out principally in every single place else on the album even more durable; 2022’s I By no means Favored You is a superb album, however We Don’t Belief You arrives instantly battling for an excellent increased spot in his storied discography. The identical could be mentioned for Metro’s beats; I yelled simply as loudly as I did at Kendrick on “Like That” afterward on the shock Rick Ross verse as he glides on the soulful, escalating beat for “On a regular basis Hustle”… just for the beat to morph a 3rd time as Future returns to take the reins.
Metro’s been speaking this album up for the higher a part of a 12 months, straight acknowledging the excessive normal set by his and Future’s previous work as a unit. They’ve cleared that bar after which some, shaking the rap sport up within the course of, securing a high slot for a summer time exterior and any Greatest Of lists. Silencing all doubters with the music, casting oneself as a step forward of the competitors: it’s power the late, nice Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy would respect, which is maybe why the album is peppered with gripping soundbites from a few of his previous interviews.
New beef and a handful of nice mainstream rap data all earlier than Easter? I assumed it was a drought.