Drake has released a new diss track following a summer of feuding with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, and fans are convinced his new song is taking aim at Lakers star LeBron James.
While Drake has previously called James his ‘brother’ – and even has the basketball player tattooed on his arm – the four-time NBA champion sided with Lamar as he appeared at one of his shows over the summer, where he could be seen rapping along to the anti-Drake ‘Not Like Us.’
On Friday, Drake’s ‘Fighting Irish Freestyle’ surfaced on social media, and listeners strongly believe the song is about James.
‘The world fell in love with the gimmicks, even my brothers got tickets; Seemed like they loved every minute; Just know this s*** is personal to us, and it wasn’t just business,’ Drake rapped, appearing to reference former friends James and DeMar Derozan attending Lamar’s show.
‘I guess now you boys got to abandon your summer tradition,’ he went on to say. ‘Cold shoulders I gave in the Hamptons, it come with the distance; Figured we was always gon’ be close, like ovens and kitchens.’
Drake and James have known each other since the latter’s first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and James used to visit the rapper’s home city of Toronto over the summer.
Drake and LeBron James have known each other for years, but fans believe the Toronto rapper is dissing the Lakers star in his new song
James appeared at a Kendrick Lamar show as the artist with beefing with Drake
The reference to the Hamptons, additionally, could refer to Michael Rubin’s annual Fourth of July White Party, which both Drake and James are known to attend.
Finally, the name of the song references the nickname of James’ high school, St. Vincent-St. Mary. Given all of that, fans believe the new track is a shot at James.
‘Lebron been changing teams his whole career, Drake ain’t think he was gonna abandon him like the city of Cleveland,’ one wrote on X.
‘Drake saw Lebron actually know the words to the new Kendrick album and it was his last straw,’ a second added.
‘Drake and Lebron beef going to create identity crisis for most people. They have the same stans,’ a third said.
In the song, Drake also references himself and another person exchanging a Rolex and Patek Philippe watch, which many fans are also taking as a reference to James.
Others tried to play down the hard feelings, or even took Drake’s side.
‘I dont even think its deep on Brons side lol. He just likes and appreciates hip-hop and seems to enjoy Kendricks tracks,’ one fan wrote.
‘Lebron is dead a** a weirdo,’ another added. ‘You knew drake since 2009, said he was family but you started distancing because of a rap beef?
Drake previously appeared on the basketball star’s ‘The Shop’ show and opened up about his son Adonis.
‘In 2009, when nobody believed in anything I had going on, that same guy showed up to a release party for a mixtape…,’ Drake said of James in 2023, while performing at the Lakers home Crypto.com Arena.
‘He came all the way to Toronto, Canada to support me, when I was trying to figure out how I can live my dreams.’
When James attended Lamar’s The Pop Out show at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum in June, a source told DailyMail.com that Drake was ‘shocked’ to see him there.
It appears that Drake is still upset from that situation.
