The Brewing Timeline Leading Up to “The Story of Adidon”

—blogged by @lovelikejhoney

Over the weekend, hip-hop has had everyone on edge anticipating a response from the “Grindin” rapper, #PushaT. The release of his third album, “Daytona,” included a diss track, “Infrared,” towards Young Money rapper, #Drake, questioning his credibility for not writing his music. However, Drake wasted little time before dropping a three-minute reply, “Duppy Freestyle,” questioning Pusha’s drug dealing past and his relevance to rap today.

As of yesterday, Pusha finally returned with “The Story of Adidon,” a diss track over the JAY-Z beat of “Story of OJ”—about racial controversy most popular for its black-face character, Jaybo—which Pusha exposed an old black-face picture of Drake. Adidon is the Adidas line of Drake’s sweatsuits and shoes rumored to be named after Drake’s hidden son, Adonis. Pusha claims the porn star mother was paid to keep the child a secret. The diss track also mentions Drake’s parents and his best friend/producer who is suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.

For some, this rap feud seems to have popped up from nowhere, but actually, their beef goes back to 12 years ago, beginning with Lil Wayne, Drake’s mentor, and Clipse, a rap duo with Pusha and his brother No Malice. 

2006: Lil Wayne was featured on the cover of Vibe magazine’s April issue, wearing newly popular streetwear brand BAPE. At the time the brand was popular thanks to Pharrell Williams and was worn a lot by Clipse. The rap duo wasn’t too fond of Wayne wearing the brand and released “Mr. Me Too” produced by Pharrell, where No Malice rapped:

“Wanna know the time?

Better clock us,

Niggas bite the style from the shoes to the watches.”

Later that year, Wayne sat down for an interview with Complex and addressed Clipse’s subliminal diss. “You talking to the best. Talk to me like you’re talking to the best. I don’t see no fuckin’ Clipse. Come on man,” Wayne said. “Weezy, man. They had to do a song with us to get hot, B. ‘What Happened to That Boy?’ C’mon, B.”

Wayne even called out Pharrell, saying, “Who the fuck is Pharrell? Do you really respect him? That nigga wore BAPE and y’all thought he was weird. I wore it and y’all thought it was hot.”

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2011: Pusha released “Don’t Fuck With Me,” a freestyle over Drake’s “Dreams Money Can Buy” beat which fans assumed was targeted towards Drake. One of the verses went:

“Rappers on their sophomores, actin’ like they boss lords,

Fame such a funny thing for sure,

When niggas start believing all them encores.”

Was it a coincidence that Drake had just dropped his sophomore album “Take Care” earlier that year?…

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2012: Pusha made sure there was no confusion or questions about who he was dissing on “Exodus 23:1,” as he rapped:

“Contract all fucked up,

I guess that means you all fucked up,

You signed to one nigga that signed to another nigga, that’s signed to three niggas, now that’s bad luck.”

Directed at Drake again, who was signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money imprint, a subsidiary of Cash Money Records, which operates under Universal Music Group.

Wayne continued to make it clear he’s no fan of Pusha, tweeting, “Fuk pusha t and anybody that love em.”

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2013: Drake hits back with “Tuscan Leather”

Since signing to Young Money in 2009, Drake’s loyalty to Lil Wayne has never folded. On “Tuscan Leather,” Drizzy dished out subliminal messages to anyone (including Pusha) who spoke badly about his YMCMB boss. 

“I’m just as famous as my mentor,

But that’s still the boss, don’t get sent for,

Get hype on tracks and jump in front of a bullet you wasn’t meant for.”

The verse was followed up with the line, “Bench players talkin’ like starters, I hate it.”

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2016: Toward the end of Pusha’s hookless attack on “H.G.T.V Freestyle,” the Virginia rapper turned his attention to his longtime rival, Drake, and questioned the Toronto rapper’s credibility after it had been revealed that producer, Quentin Miller, had written a song for Drake’s album.

“It’s too far gone when the realest ain’t real,

I walk amongst the clouds so your ceilings ain’t real,

These niggas Call of Duty ’cause their killings ain’t real,

With a questionable pen so the feelin’ ain’t real,” Pusha said, possibly referencing Drake’s 2009 mixtape, “So Far Gone.”

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2017: Drake questions Pusha’s street credibility on “Two Birds, One Stone” on his playlist, “More Life,” and claimed Pusha is living a false life. 

“But really it’s you with all the drug dealer stories,

That’s gotta stop, though,

You made a couple chops and now you think you Chapo,” Drake rapped. 

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Which all led to the recent exchange of bars between the two rappers. The question is will it keep going or die out? Has the Disses become too personal or is it just “rap?”