The Game Denies Trying To Bait Kendrick Lamar Into A Battle

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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The Game Denies Trying To Bait Kendrick Lamar Battle
Feb 6, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Recording artist Kendrick Lamar is interviewed during a press conference for the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Media Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
The Game continues to talk about his relationship with Kendrick Lamar, his friendship with Drake, and all the messy dynamics in between.

The Game has had a lot to talk about following the release of his new album, The Documentary 3. A feature from Drake on the track "No Brakes," plus various lyrical references, led fans to believe he might be trying to land a rap battle or beef with Kendrick Lamar. This follows years of speculation about the two Compton MCs' dynamic, which Game has once again sought to correct.

During a conversation with The Shade Room, he opened up about his recent comments about not talking with Kendrick Lamar and addressed fans who continue to speculate about this relationship. While it seems clear there's no real tension or feud here, it's also clear the "Hate It Or Love It" spitter is never turning a challenge down.

"When you are a real man, you get on the phone and communicate," he remarked. "I'm not saying who's not or who is... But if somebody wants to talk to me about something, you can call me. We can talk like men. Or we could meet up... I'm not with hiding in the background and leaving things for people to figure out. If you want to know how Game feel, call Game... I'll tell it to you the same way I'll tell it to you on the phone and your face. Whoever don't like that, you just at your house with your phone in you hand, on your keyboard. It's not gon' spill no gas out my Maybach, your opinion. So have it."

The Game On Kendrick Lamar

Then, The Game responded to the notion he may be trying to goad K.Dot into a competitive rap battle that isn't indicative of any real problems. "I don't got to prove nothing else," he responded. "Look at me... I'm alive, I'm right here. I have one of the most amazing hip-hop discographies in the world. 21 years later, almost 22, I'm still gassing, still spitting. This is just what I do. I'm just good at what I do. I'm not baiting nobody into nothing. But I'm not running from nothing. You could say it's Kendrick, it could be Hov, it could be Drake, Ye. Everyone knows what it is with me. I can rap. And also, I'm gon' stand on whatever it is outside of that. I'm not baiting nobody in no beef. But I do beef very well. And I'm alive and kicking."

Elsewhere, The Game elaborated on this perspective in a conversation with Jeremy Hecht for UPROXX. Hecht asked Game if he saw Dr. Dre doing the "I see dead people" for "Not Like Us" at The Pop Out as a shot at him, given how Game used the same intro on "One Blood." He doesn't see it that way, explaining how he spoke to Top Dawg about it.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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