Throughout final yr’s Fourth of July, Kendrick Lamar set off greater than fireworks when he launched his now-ubiquitous video, “Not Like Us.” The seething retort in opposition to Drake not solely rattled the 6 God and his disciples however unequivocally lunged Lamar into God mode. What adopted was an unrelenting onslaught: a cinematic Tremendous Bowl efficiency, a convincing Grammy sweep, and a 13-week Hot 100 triumph with “Luther.” Lamar’s indomitable reign has solely intensified within the months since courtesy of his Grand Nationwide Stadium Tour alongside SZA. TDE’s 1-2 punch has landed devastating haymakers with Mike Tyson pressure whereas the remainder of the rap recreation scrambles for hits.
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See cosmos movies, charts and information
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This yr’s Fourth of July rang a bit otherwise: Lamar’s former lyrical combatant Drake entered the ring with ruthless intentions of his personal, releasing “What Did I Miss?” After quietly piecing collectively a stable comeback marketing campaign consisting of his chart-topping $ome $exy $ongs 4 U album with PARTYNEXTDOOR — in addition to that set’s breakout hit, the No. 2-climbing Sizzling 100 smash “NOKIA” — Drizzy could possibly be masterminding his greatest heist but: The Summer time of Drake.
Hip-hop wants this, in additional methods than one. Other than “Luther” working the tables on the Sizzling 100, the one hip-hop tune to go No. 1 this yr was Travis Scott’s “4X4,” which lasted solely every week on high and dropped out of the highest 40 the subsequent body. Although Playboi Carti’s Music album dominated the Billboard 200 and served as a profession win for him, not one of the set’s singles had longevity inside the highest 10 of the Sizzling 100 both. And whereas we do have a platter of braggadocious bars being served this month in Clipse’s Let God Kind Em Out, alongside a potential reunion between Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist for Alfredo 2, Lamar and Drake stay the style’s essential characters. Collectively, “Luther” and “NOKIA” have stored the style’s pulse alive by the primary half of 2025.
Now, with Drake firmly in album mode and gearing up for a historic three-day set at Wi-fi Pageant starting this Friday (July 11), the playing cards seem stacked in his favor. Sonically, “What Did I Miss?” is a stable rap return for Drake, who’s in any other case spent the yr entrenched in his R&B bag. Take into account it a shootaround for the rapper: a volley of barbs, an entrancing beat-switch, and a few biting pictures in opposition to one in every of his former NBA homies.
Upon its launch, “What Did I Miss?” rocketed to the highest of Spotify and Apple Charts. Whether or not it may possibly safe a excessive debut on the Billboard charts in typical Drake trend stays to be seen. Nonetheless, the rollout, full with Drake blasting snippets from an Iceman rig truck throughout Toronto — was fairly dope. Couple in his upcoming U.Okay. Tour with PND and the looming OVO Fest, Drake could possibly be positioning himself for a powerful return.
Wouldn’t it be sufficient to dethrone Kung Fu Kenny? That’s powerful to chew on, contemplating the god-tier run Lamar has delivered over the past three hundred and sixty five days. Nonetheless, we will’t dismiss Drake’s hitmaking prowess and talent to shake the tradition. Even after Lamar’s drubbing, Drake snuck again into the dialog with “NOKIA,” which wasn’t only a Billboard hit, however was an immediate social gathering starter and social media gem. In the meantime, a tune like “Anyone Loves Me” hasn’t secured the Sizzling 100 highlight like its predecessor, it’s a tune that continues to gentle up the social media scoreboard and nightclubs — and has been slowly climbing again up the chart for weeks after its preliminary debut and fade, re-entering the Sizzling 100’s high half final week.
Do we would like introspective raps from Drake on Iceman? Sure. However we additionally want a bit little bit of 2018 Drake when “In My Emotions” and “Good For What” rang off in each speaker. Similar to how Jay-Z ran the summers throughout his reign, it doesn’t really feel proper when The Boy isn’t clocking in from June to September. Perhaps a bit dose of Aubrey is what the sport wants nearly now.