Drake Claims He's Been Waiting "10 Years" For Kendrick Lamar Battle

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TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 6: Drake gets up from his seat after the Toronto Raptors defeated the Chicago Bulls at the Scotiabank Arena on November 6, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

This has been a long time coming for both artists.

Drake versus Kendrick Lamar has been a long time coming. They were the defining rappers of the 2010s, and they even featured on each other's classic albums. Nothing was the same, however, after K. Dot put out the "Control" verse and referenced Drake by name in 2013. They have been subliminally dissing each other ever since, which makes the sudden explosion of diss tracks and blatant call-outs so exciting. The gloves are finally off, and one of them could not be happier to engage in full-on battle.

DJ Akademiks has become the unofficial mouthpiece for Drake throughout the Lamar feud. The online personality has broken news on his live streams and updated fans with text messages from the 6 God. He continued doing so during a recent episode of his Off the Record podcast. Akademiks clarified that he doesn't share every exchange he has with Drake, but felt the rapper's comments about Kendrick Lamar warranted reporting. He told the other guests on the show that Drake has been waiting for "10 years" to battle Lamar, and is hopeful his opponent rises to the challenge.

Read More: DJ Akademiks Thinks Drake's New Kendrick Lamar Diss (Almost) Seals The Deal

DJ Akademiks Says Drake Wants A "Showdown" Now

DJ Akademiks relayed Drake's frustration with K. Dot and his pattern of dropping combative verses and then going away. "[Drake's] watched the pattern," Ak noted. "Like he specifically told me, 'I've watched this guy do the same bait and switch every time. He drops like a verse that people are hyped up about. I'm always ready to engage, always ready to defend myself, and then [Lamar] goes ghost and nothing happens." Akademiks then referenced the diss track that K. Dot has allegedly been writing for several years, and inferred that Drake's desire to engage is what has fueled his trolling via social media posts and diss tracks.

"You can tell [Drake] wants the showdown to happen now," Ak added. "Not for everybody to go back to their corners and reconvene another time. He wants it now." Drake's constant trolling could not be more different in approach to Lamar, who has been silent since he dropped the "Like That" verse. Fans have debated which approach has been more effective thus far, but a decisive winner can't be decided until Lamar decides to come out of hiding and drop a response to Drake's "Push Ups."

Read More: Charlamagne Tha God Argues The Clock Is Ticking For Kendrick Lamar After Drake's "Push Ups"

About The Author
Danilo is a writer based out of San Diego. He graduated from the Art Institute of Tucson with a B.A. in digital media, and has since forged a career as a pop culture journalist. He covered hip-hop for Heavy.com, Rhyme Junkies and PopMatters prior to joining HotNewHipHop.com. Danilo's top five is constantly changing, but Biggie and Slug from Atmosphere remain permanent fixtures. His favorite rap album of all time is "Late Registration" by Kanye West, and that stays the same.