On May 3, 2024, Kendrick Lamar dropped the bomb: his latest diss track, “Meet the Grahams,” still sending shockwaves throughout the community of hip-hop. It’s hard to believe that this explosive release is just one of the latest salvos launched in an ongoing rap war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. This title bout has to have been the most captivating feud in the eyes of fans and dominated every headline.
“Meet the Grahams” has some quite scathing lines, though, as Kendrick Lamar goes on a biting spree to blame Drake for many misjudgments. The raw intensity and piercing criticisms of this track have sent the rivalry to a whole other level, making it an eventful moment in the context of hip-hop. The proof from such areas goes beyond simply exposing Kendrick’s wordplay; it displays his statistical capability in this battle, which continues to go a long way in proving him one of the game’s most insightful minds.
One of the most exciting parts of this fallout perhaps surrounds The Alchemist, the legendary producer behind the beat used in “Meet the Grahams.” Famous for his own intricate and soulful production, The Alchemist found himself accidentally caught up in controversy. When a fan asked if he was perturbed by Kendrick’s use of his beat without prior notification, The Alchemist’s response was nothing short of hilarious. He answered that he was more shocked to find out that Cap’n Crunch’s full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch than the diss track itself.
The Alchemist FINALLY speaks on Kendrick Lamar using his beat to diss Drake on ‘meet the grahams’ without being told beforehand 🚨:
“Nah but I was extremely bothered and downright livid when I realized that all these years i did not know that Cap’n Crunch’s full name is Horatio… PIC.TWITTER.COM/RNK7UKYA0U
— Wost🐰 (@mosthiphop) JUNE 4, 2024
The Alchemist’s offhand comment about Cap’n Crunch’s full name added an unexpected twist to the narrative. If you’re not familiar with him, Cap’n Crunch is that unstoppable cereal icon whose colorful career started in the early ’60s thanks to Jay Ward Productions. His nautical escapades with his first mate, Seadog, and a crew of children have continued for year after year. He has been a dizzying kid for decades.
The Alchemist’s humorous spin on it offset the severe message of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track. If “Meet the Grahams” certainly heightened the tension between Kendrick and Drake, The Alchemist’s unexpected reply—and then there was that Cap’n Crunch trivia, too—helped put a face of levity on what was going down.