On April 30 th, 2024, a tremor went through the hip-hop world. “Euphoria” by Kendrick Lamar – a song not only in its name had a staying impact. It was a cultural thought piece disguised as a diss track in an extremely convoluted puzzle box. We tried our best to dissect the References in Kendrick Lamar’s diss.
Even the timing was a part of the message. April 30th in itself was a double message: a tribute to late Kobe Bryant through the numbers 8 and 24, and a subtle jab at Drake, who often references the basketball legend.
But the most intriguing thing was that the song was said in itself. “Euphoria” was certainly a play on words. First of, “Euphoria’ in general meaning represented “Euphoria” – the same-titled HBO series that Drake was an executive producer of. This series received mixed reviews; the main critique was that it depicted teenagers in a shady way. Then, “Euphoria” with Kendrick Lamar had a different connotation of “Euphoria” – a feeling of satisfaction from writing bright lyrics.
Throughout the song, Lamar acts as a cultural detective, dissecting Drake’s persona with surgical precision. Here’s a breakdown of some key points:
- Easter Egg #1: The Reverse Intro: The song opens with a hidden message. Played backwards, a voice from the 1978 film “The Wiz” declares, “Everything about me is true.” This sets the stage for Lamar’s critique, questioning Drake’s authenticity.
- Part I: Fashion and Fabricated Stories: Lamar disses Drake on his style and suggests that his choice of Tommy Hilfiger over FUBU sweatshirt is not genuine. He also disses the rapper’s inclination to lie about his lifestyle but uses the wordplay “tales” and “tails” to make another sly referent. The “random acts of kindness” remark is a clever bar about Drake’s album title, but it might also imply that not mentioning every slide is a kind act.
- Part II: The Tupac Diss and Beyond: In addition, Lamar targets Drake’s act of buying Tupac Shakur’s crown ring at $1 million, dismissing it,
“Somebody had told me that you got a ring, on God, I’m ready to double the wage/I’d rather do that than let a Canadian n***a make ‘Pac turn in his grave.”
This act is seen as disrespectful to Tupac’s legacy.
Further references “Crodie” are sprinkled throughout, directly mentioning Drake’s inauthenticity through Canadian slang. The line “Funny, he was in a film called ‘AI‘” is a final jab, suggesting Drake’s artificiality.
Lamar throws further barbs:
- “Ho, what? You ain’t like that record?”: This directly references Drake’s reported reaction to Kendrick liking his diss track “Back To Back.” It adds another layer of pettiness to the feud.
- “Try cease and desist on the ‘Like That’ record?”: This suggests Drake attempted legal action against Metro Boomin’s song “Like That,”. A Leaked email shows legal correspondents from Republic Records (Drake’s label) trying to block ‘Like That’ from getting radio play.
WOW: Leaked email shows legal correspondents from Republic Records (Drake’s label) trying to block ‘Like That’ from getting radio play 🤯
The email was sent to Epic Records (Future’s label) saying: “We are not granting radio rights for ‘Like That’…Epic does not have the right… PIC.TWITTER.COM/IAPMM4BNO1
— Joey (@gothamhiphop) MAY 1, 2024
- The Core of the Critique: At the heart of Lamar’s argument is his questioning of Drake’s Blackness. Does Drake have the necessary street cred? Is he fully embraced by Black culture? Additionally, Lamar chides Drake for what he perceives as a lack of proper parenting towards his son, Adonis.
- Outro: The Final Note: The song concludes with a reference to the controversy surrounding Drake’s use of the N-word, possibly suggesting a desire for him to refrain from using it altogether.
“Euphoria” is more than just a diss track; it’s a tapestry woven with cultural references, wordplay, and social commentary. Cultural detective Lamar has broken down Drake, with listeners left to piece together the end product and figure out what it means. It speaks to Lamar’s talent as a wordsmith and his ability to start a dialogue through hip-hop that goes beyond the genre.
