S. Samuel
West Coast rap star Kendrick Lamar is not losing any sleep over the seemingly endless response tracks shot his way following the release of Big Sean's "Control" last month and told attackers to step their raps up.
When approached by paparazzi, K. Dot gave hip-hop mogul Jay Z a pass but told anyone offended by his “Control” verse to come up with a better game plan.
Kendrick Lamar’s got words for all the MCs coughing up weak ass responses to his explosive “Control” verse … telling TMZ, “THEY GOTTA TRY HARDER.” We don’t need to recap, but we will: Kendrick dropped bombs on every rapper in the game last month, calling out nearly a dozen fellow MCs BY NAME in his verse on Big Sean’s new track “Control.” Scores of rappers have since responded to the verse — including Meek Mill and dozens who weren’t even mentioned on the track — but King Kendrick’s not impressed … at all. “They need to try harder. [Jay Z] that’s the big homie, but everybody else got to try harder.” (TMZ)
Asked to name his favorite response earlier this summer, K. Dot named a slew of tracks from mostly East Coast emcees.
“I liked the [King] Los verse,” Lamar said. “Joe Budden did his thing, Joell. A lot of people with different approaches. [Budden] had the facts in his verse, a few things that he felt. Papoose had the comical joint. Los was flipping his words and putting that spunk on it. I think he had the killer thing though. Yeah, Los killed it out of everybody. But the number one joint at the top of the list had to be Chocolate Drop.” (Hot 97)
In the same interview, Kendrick denied wanting to spark a West Coast versus East Coast rivalry from the “Control” bars.
“I feel as though there are certain cats that are going to take it to the next level and make it a rivalry thing. That’s old school homie. Nobody’s trying to do that. We’re black men out here trying to uplift the culture. My first sold-out show was in New York. I always looked at that place as a place that respected my lyrics and respected the culture and the birthplace of it. I think the ones that really took it out of context was the people we know want to grab an opportunity just off the fact of the hype of the record, rapping — a lot of people think it’s about talent. That’s where they get it wrong, I’m saying I’m the most hungry. I respect the legends of the game. I respect people that have done it before me, people that lost their lives over this. Because of what they laid down, I’m going to try to go that much harder and embrace it and live it. That’s the point of the whole verse and what I was trying to convey behind that verse. All the ignorance behind it, kill that noise. It’ll never be like that again, with two coasts rivals. Not on my behalf.” (Hot 97)
The track inspired Brooklyn’s Uncle Murda to drop his punchline-ridden “The Response” record a few weeks ago.
“Everybody like, ‘You heard what that n*gga said?’ N*ggas getting offended/Everybody running to the studio, to try and make a diss record about Kendrick/Tell Kendrick I ain’t mad at him, this exactly what the game needed/Everybody wanna be homeboys/Rap’s competition, start competing/Calling n*ggas names out, Kendrick, I thank you/But saying you the king, n*ggas want me to spank you/I’m like, ‘Yeah, I heard what Kendrick said but lil’ homie ain’t a threat’/Maybe if Game or Snoop said it, then I’d be more upset/Jay not dead, Nas alive/You the king, come on Kendrick, how that sound? … How you gonna claim something that you not?/Oh, I get it, this n*gga wanna be 2Pac/Well I’m a West Coast Crip on a Blood block/Kicking it with Bloods talking about all the Bloods I shot/King of Oakland, why you ain’t say that?/’Cause them n*ggas that robbed 2 Chainz don’t play that/’D*mn Murda, I know you ain’t say that” (“The Response”)
Fellow BK rapper Papoose shared a different perspective and dropped his “Control” remix diss record at Lamar in August.
“Tell Kendrick and TDE they need to lay off the PCP/ Far from the king, this is the city of BDP/ You’ll never be a real west coast artist like Eazy E/ You f*cking joke, we laughing at you like hehehe/ Ya’ll probably stick dildos in each other like Stevie G/ I mean Stevie J on that sex tape with E-V-E/Lil’ Sean, Big Sean, let me see ID/Why you always say B.I.G.?/You ain’t Bigge, you could D.I.E/Every time I hear you, you getting cornier like E-Y-E.” (“Control” Remix)
Check out Kendrick Lamar’s interview:
