Pusha T, Drake, and the Limits of Rap Beef
Last Friday, Pusha T dropped Daytona, a sharp, sinister 21-minute missive largely finding the rapper in familiar territory: boasting, most often about his cocaine-dealing exploits. Closing out the album’s seven-track run was “Infrared,” a lyrical dig addressing the dubious artistry of Drake, a longtime thorn in Push’s side.
Push came out swinging in the first verse with a direct attack on Drake’s authenticity, comparing the Toronto rapper to Trump and mentioning his alleged (and beleaguered) ghostwriter by name.
Ever the Scorpio, Drake fired back. His “Duppy Freestyle”—released later the same day—dispensed with grievances about his history with ghostwriting in the title (duppy being a Jamaican Patois word for “ghost”). Drake opened with a long, auntie-like sigh, before immediately skewering Kanye West, who produced Daytona: “So if you rebuke me for workin’ with someone else on a couple of Vs / What do you really think of the nigga that’s makin’ your beats? / I’ve done things for him I thought that he never would need / Father had to stretch his hands out and get it from me.” As the track circulated, Drake took to Instagram to share an image of an billing G.O.O.D. Music, Pusha and West’s label, for “promotional assistance and career reviving.” Then came “I’m Upset,” a mealymouthed diss that Drake probably should’ve left in his drafts.
