Dame Dash has seen rap beef up close. He was Jay-Z's right hand man during the legendary Nas battle, and spearheaded Roc-A-Fella during its commercial peak. His opinions on hip-hop, and beef especially, holds weight. This is what makes his recent comments on the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle so much fun to parse through. The duo represent the most substantial rivalry since Jay-Z and Nas, and Dash made it clear that he prefers one rapper over the other. Like most industry vets, he leans team Dot.
Dash was asked about Kendrick Lamar's "Euphoria" diss during a barbershop visit, and the mogul had plenty of thoughts. He admitted that he was underwhelmed by the song on first listen, but the more he dug into it, the more he appreciated what Lamar was doing. "He smothered Drake," Dash stated. "This is a battle of lyrics, and you can be eloquent about conveying a point." The ex-Roc-A-Fella boss lamented the advent of AI, and the way that it's ruined the songwriting process, but he remained complimentive of Kung Fu Kenny.
Dame Dash Praised Dot's "Lyrical" Strategy On "Euphoria"
The talking point that really swayed Dash on "Euphoria" was fatherhood. He thought it was incredibly smart to target Drake's parenting skills, or lack thereof, on wax. "As a man, I thought that that was the most logical, grown man, battle rap, sh*t that you could say," he noted. "A father really enjoys hearing about how fly it is to be a dad, and that's basically the message I've bee conveying. F*ck all that dumb sh*t. If you ain't a dad it don't matter." Dash went as far as to liken "Euphoria" to Nas' "Ether." The irony, of course, is that "Ether" was aimed at Dash's own business partner.
Dame Dash thought Lamar's diss was tactically superior as well. He claimed that "Euphoria" made him question whether Drake's previous statements were true. "It was a very strategic lyrical play," he added, inferring that the Toronto rapper's insecurities are now going to be under greater scrutiny. Dash didn't say the battle was over, though, and he's actually had praise for Drake in the past. He thinks K. Dot won the first round. Like the rest of the hip-hop world, he's curious to see what the 6 God has in store for a response.
