Rising rap star Drake is unquestionably at the top of his game right now as his highly anticipated sophomore effort, Take Care, hits stores Nov. 15. And while most artists would celebrate their album release with an extravagant party, Drake is choosing a strangely different route. The ambitious emcee recently challenged his Young Money boss, Lil Wayne, to a sound clash in Jamaica in honor of his album release.
“I don’t want to just do an album release concert. So, me, I go to Jamaica a lot — I love Jamaican culture — so what I’m gonna do, I’m challenging Lil Wayne to a sound clash, that’s what I want to do. I don’t want to just perform by myself,” Drake told Billboard’s The Juice. “So I want Wayne to come out on stage with a mic and I’m gonna have a mic, and we’re gonna have both our DJs, and we’re gonna battle song-for-song and see who the people love more. And that’s how it’s gonna go.”
Drake claims that the battle is “happening for sure,” but has yet to set a date for the event.
“That’s something that I’m serious about, he’s serious about it, too. I already issued the challenge,” he said. “He’s serious about it, he accepted like, ‘Man, I’m ready. I’m gonna eat your food.’ I’m like, ‘Aiight, we’ll see.’”
Though many probably have their ideas on who will win the clash, Drake is confident that he’ll come out the victor. And if Wayne does lose, Drake says fans can expect a rematch between the two.
“Maybe he’ll want a rematch,” laughed Drake. “That’s what usually happens. Maybe we’ll have to rematch in another city.”
Though Drake’s (friendly) sound clash challenge may come as a surprise to many, the rap phenom has spent much of the last year transforming himself from an emo cool guy to one of hip-hop’s most competitive and focused emcees, trading in some of his introspective lyrics for some braggadocios proclamations of his bid for hip-hop’s throne. So, in honor of the new Drake, here are 10 of the confident emcee’s most cocky raps and boasts. –nicholas robinson
