(ThyBlackMan.com) The main battle in the “1 v 20” battle between Drake and the Anti-Drake Alliance is the Toronto artist’s battle with Kendrick Lamar. You could say that the outcome of Drizzy vs. KDot determines the fate of the rest who have a bone to pick with Drake. One of those is platinum-selling artist Rick Ross.
Before the Beef
To those not in the know, it will seem very odd that Rozay is beefing with Drizzy. However, when you factor in their start as collaborative artists. Now this wasn’t a fairly regular team-up like the Drake-Future combo—a true hit honing, banger bringing tag team if there ever was one. You could say it was similar to a talent loan.
In the early 2010s, it wasn’t unusual to see artists from Lil Wayne’s Young Money and Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group work together. Drake was approached by Rozay after donning the cover of XXL back in May 2010 alongside fellow former Young Money superstar Nicki Minaj. Rick Ross and Drake have a number of tracks together and managed to bring all involved some platinum and gold for their respective trophy rooms.
Now there’s a deeper breakdown that goes into this when you look at things such as what other hip-artists were hot when “Ashton Martin Music” from Rick Ross’ Teflon Don dropped in 2010. The album dropped four years after his debut Port of Miami but didn’t repeat in platinum success. However, that track managed to go platinum.
It shows the difference four years can make in album releases because Drake’s 2010 debut Thank Me Later managed to go platinum a little over a year later. Not only that, it was able to go multi-platinum during a ten year period. That four year period saw different ways to take in music. Ross’ debut dropped when you either had to buy the album or get it from the CD man. Drake’s dropped when you could still buy it or burn it yourself.
Relevance among a new wave of artists that cater to a new generation of fans is hard to keep up. The early 2010s leaned heavily towards the generation that came in with Drake, Future, Nicki, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. Those artists regularly amassed platinum on their full length projects. As a matter of fact, you can see where that industry dominance begins by looking at Ross’ last gold certified album 2012’s God Forgives, I Don’t—which features a Drake feature.
It had to be blow for the CD man but it wasn’t a blow for these two who saw success throughout the decade.
The Turn
The first bit of animosity between The 6 God and The Boss came during the highly publicized beef between Drake and Meek Mill, a well-known artist on MMG and a contemporary of Drizzy. That beef started in 2015 with a couple of diss tracks between them as well as backing from veterans Rick Ross and The Game as well as Burger King and Whataburger.
When that beef ended in 2018 but was on cool down while Meek was behind bars. In that time, Ross and Drake managed to patch things up and began working together in 2017. The two would deliver more collaborative projects well into the early 2020s with the last being “You Only Live Twice” from Drake’s 2021 release Certified Lover Boy. The title is interesting as Drizzy and Rozay were supposed to have a joint album called YOLO which had been mentioned—and apparently worked on—since 2011. It was still being brought up in 2021.
This brings us to present day and why Rick Ross has issues with his former collaborator. Remember, things between them seemed cool in early 2024. Then came March. First Drake invites Rick Ross’ ex Cristina Mackley to a show on his tour that year. This came after Ross unfollowed Drake on social media—which Ross says was because artist French Montana was sent a C&D..
A lyrical trope in hip-hop involves going into detail about not giving a care about the women they date or sleep with and even passing them on while also pining for someone who understands them. You might even hear this on the same album within songs of each other. It should be noted this isn’t a trope all rappers utilize—it’s just very common.
With that said, Rick Ross wasn’t pleased at all and appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You album later in March 2024. The album and the follow-up We Still Don’t Trust You would feature several others who have a gripe with the Toronto artist.
You ain’t never want to be a nigga anyway, nigga
That’s why you had a operation
To make your nose smaller than your father nose, nigga
I unfollowed you, nigga ’cause you sent
The motherfuckin’ cease-and-desist to French Montana, nigga–Rick Ross, “Champagne Moments”
Drake would address The Boss briefly in the diss track “Push Ups” which got a full response from Ross in the form of “Champagne Moments”. After focusing on main target Kendrick Lamar, Drake would address Rick Ross again during the middle act of “Family Matters” released in May of that year. Following “Champagne Moments”, Rick Ross has continued sniping at Drake via social media while his former collaborator focuses on KDot.
If you look at that, sum it up as pettiness in origin—you wouldn’t be wrong. However, it shouldn’t just be dismissed in full. An ability with the pen and pettiness go hand-in-hand. If you need an example outside of hip-hop just look at Booker T. Washington’s push to shut down W.E.B Du Bois and other Black leaders of the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Or founding father Benjamin Franklin being involved in a pamphlet battle for years after wrongly predicting almanac rival Titan Leeds’ death as 1733. He doubled down a printed an obituary claiming Leeds had died and the person responding was a ghost. It only for it to ended with Leeds’ death a few years later—and even then he claimed Leeds’ death was the imposters giving up and that Titan had been dead since 1733. The Leeds family would also be an inspiration for the urban myth of the Jersey Devil.
So, beefs can be petty in nature—and often are when you look for the root—and they can escalate but they’re an inevitability in hip-hop and other media. It’s simply that hip-hop has a means to retaliate through the art itself. Even beefs that aren’t that significant have some history that can elevate them such as this one between Drake and Rick Ross.
Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.
Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.
One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.