Shots Fired? A History of the G.O.O.D. Music vs. YMCMB Lyrical Beef

Just when you thought everyone involved in the Drake vs. Common / Pusha T dust-up had said their piece and moved on, one succinct early morning tweet from Lil’ Wayne officially reignited the G.O.O.D. Music vs YMCMB beef that’s been quietly brewing for more than a year now. After all the subliminals, denials, and double entendres, the gloves are finally off and it looks like we've got an epic rap battle on our hands. Let's take a look back and see how this thing started.

Written by Dave Partylow (@notdavep27)

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Lyric: "Wanna know the time? Better clock us/Niggas bite the style from the shoes to the watches." (Malice)
Shots Fired?: Yep. Way before Pusha got down with G.O.O.D. Music, Pharrell and Clipse were notorious for rocking prominent streetwear brands like A Bathing Ape and Pharrell's own Billionaire Boys Club. When Wayne donned BAPE on the cover of Vibe in April 2006, the boys from VA took to the record to let people know that jocking their style would not be tolerated. Wayne must have got the message because when we interviewed him in December 2006 he said, "That nigga [Pharrell] wore BAPE and y'all thought he was weird. I wore it and y'all thought it was hot. C'mon man. C'mon now." They would go on to squash this one for awhile but this wasn't the last time the they'd exchange words.

Lyric: "Sorry but I don't respect who you applaudin'/ Lil nigga flow but his metaphors boring/Don't make me turn daddy's lil' girl to orphan, that mean I'd have to kill baby like abortion." (Pusha T)
Shots Fired?: Possibly. This line dates back before Drake got down with the Cash Money team. If Pusha was really talking about Baby, it just goes to show how long these camps have had issues.

Lyric: "I'm just feeling like the throne is for the taking... watch me take it."
Shots Fired?: Clearly. Does anybody really think "the throne" is just an ambiguous metaphorical place? By this point we all knew that Kanye and Jay were referring to themselves as "The Throne." The fact that Drake said "watch me take it" seals the deal. Make no mistake, this was Drizzy telling Jay and Kanye "We're coming for the top spot—and for you."

Lyric: "Can't tell you how much I love when niggas think they got it/And I love the fact that line made 'em think about it" AND "Ohh, I never seen the car you claim to drive/Well shit I seen it, you just ain't inside/And I feel like lately it went from top five to remaining five/My favorite rappers either lost it or ain't alive."
Shots Fired?: Pretty much. On this track Drake displays a mastery of the art of subliminals. These shots aren too ambiguous to be aimed at anyone in particular. But then again, if you're a rapper feeling some kind of way about these lines, maybe they are directed at you.

Lyric: "Niggas talking real reckless; stuntmen/I adopted these niggas, Phillip Drummond them/Now I'm about to make them tuck their whole summer in/They say I'm crazy, but I'm about to go dumb again/They ain't seen me cause I pulled up in my other Benz/Last week I was in my other other Benz." (Kanye West)
Shots Fired?: Affirmative. And we're not even going to talk about Jay-Z's infamous Baby Money line from "H.A.M." (Jay isn't on G.O.O.D. Music anyhow) but it looks like someone felt some type of way about "Dreams Money Can Buy."

First it's important to note the structure. Kanye employs the "SupaDupa" punchline flow-a YMCMB signature—and uses it to warn those who are talking reckless-essentially turning their own weapon against them.

He goes on to state that he fathered their whole style. This boast holds some weight as the downbeat, 808-driven atmosphere created on 808s & Heartbreak would serve as the blueprint for Drake's breakout lush, sparse So Far Gone a year later.

Finally, Kanye directly addresses Drake's claim that "I never seen the car you claim to drive." Yeezy's clever retort: "I have so much wealth you can't even keep track."

Lyric: "Soap opera rappers, all these niggas sound like All My Children/And that's who you thinking is 'bout to come and make a killing/I guess it really is just me, myself and all my millions/You know that they ain't even got it like that/You gonna hype me up and make me catch a body like that."
Shots Fired?: Possibly. By addressing "soap opera rappers" Drake sounds like he's pushing his barbs from "Dreams Money Can Buy" further. But all his talk of catching bodies is overblown.

Lyric: "Bitch niggas dissing/Finally Famous over everything is still the mission/Pussy nigga, you're a pussy/So who the hell are you kidding? Get it?/Hear you taking shots, now/What the fuck is you sipping?"
Shots Fired?: Pretty likely. It seems like Sean is mad at a certain someone who's been taking shots and sipping on something. Both artists would go on to deny any sort of rift in later interviews, but who else could this be about besides a certain lean-sipping ladies man from Toronto?

Lyric: "Couple artists got words for me, that's never fun/They say it's on when they see me, that day don't ever come/I'm never scared, they never real, I never run/When all is said and done, more is always said than done"
Shots Fired?: Sure, but with a silencer. Here Drake laments the fakeness of the rap game. He never specifies which artists he's referring to, but amidst all this talk, it's a safe bet that his words are directed at the G.O.O.D. camp.

Lyric: "Please pardon my brother/He's just angry at you niggas who don't have your heart in your rap shit/And got too fucking comfy, cause we still fucking hungry."
Shots Fired?: Possibly. Drake accuses his opponents of being fake and not having their heart in it. He says they're too comfy but him and Wayne are still hungry. Does this line foreshadow Weezy's now-infamous threat to kidnap Beyonce?

Lyric: "Rappers on their sophomores, acting like they boss lords/Fame such a funny thing for sure when niggas start believing all those encores."
Shots Fired?: No question. Pusha vents his feelings over Drake's own "Dreams Money Can Buy" instrumental, leaving little doubt who he's addressing. Although he would later deny it in interviews, it appears that the younger Thornton doesn't take too kindly to Drake's young boss lifestyle, because he feels "the swag don't match the sweaters."

Lyric: "And I don't ever be trippin off of what ain't mine/And I be hearing the shit you say through the grapevine/But jealousy is just love and hate at the same time."
Shots Fired?: Technically, yes. Pay attention to the structure of that first bar. Amidst allegations that he stole the "SupaDupa" flow from Big Sean-and used it to great effect on hits like "Bedrock" and "Forever"—Drake uses the flow to downplay its role in his career. How's that for a Jedi Mind Trick?

Lyric: "As if I didn't notice, you niggas getting older/I see no threat in Yoda."
Shots Fired?: Maybe. Here Drake aligns himself with the new school of up and coming rappers who are willing to take on the established veterans of the game. Veterans like, you know....

Lyric: THE ENTIRE SONG
Shots Fired?: Yes. Reverting back to "The Bitch In Yoo" days, Com goes off on "soft motherfuckers" in the rap game—which was a big statement from the rapper who brought us songs like "The Light."

Lyric: "I hear 'em whisper like a hummingbird sings/Of all the trust issues that a hundred birds bring/ Now the wolves out hunting for your bling/As you preying on the bitches with the lowest self-esteem/It's a common running theme."
Shots Fired?: Most likey. From the Drake song title ("Trust Issues") to mentioning the "common running theme" and using Common's beat, Pusha leaves no doubt who he's talking about.

Lyric: HIS ENTIRE VERSE
Shots Fired?: Drake claps back at Common. Though he caught some flack for reminiscing about "a time [rap] was rugged," Drake did raise a valid point: Com went on a radio show to confirm that "Sweet" was a Drake diss just as he was releasing his album, The Dreamer, The Believer. Later in the song Drake alleged that he's got some dirt on Common—didn't they both date Serena?—but that never did materialize. Maybe because Baby advised Drake to cool it.

Lyric: THE ENTIRE SONG
Shots Fired?: No question. Common devotes a whole verse to slandering Drake's masculinity, upbringing, style, and realness. Dropping the subliminal cat-and-mouse game, he lets everybody know exactly who he's talking about, challenging Drake to name names and come up with a retort. Shortly after, Drake's camp released a statement that they would be squashing the beef and no more diss records would be made. Drake and Common hugged it out and all was right in the rap world once again. That is, until…

Lyric: "Talking bout these other rappers getting old is even getting old/Worry about your followers, you need to get your dollars up/Me and Meek, young niggas popping like our collars up/And good ain't good enough, and your hood ain't hood enough."
Shots Fired?: Maybe. Getting right back to the same kind of talk that ruffled all those feathers in the first place, Drake returns to ranting about old rappers. He even takes a shot at a certain crew, which is GOOD enough to push Pusha over the edge.

Lyric: "You signed to one nigga, that signed to another nigga, that signed to three niggas, now tha's bad luck."
Shots Fired?: And you know this. On "Exodus 23:1," Push-A-Ton sprays shots all around, some at Drake, some at "I Don't Like" producer Young Chop, and the rest of the Young Money crew-all while referencing Biggie and The Bible. This is the record that inspired Wayne's now infamous "Fuk Pusha T" tweet. Since then line have been drawn in the sand, with friends and associates taking to Twitter to discuss the beef and pick a side.

Lyric: "Fuck Pusha T and anybody that love him/His head up his ass, I'mma have to head-butt him."
Shots Fired?: As Funk Flex drops bombs, Wayne underwhelms. Though it's not his most inspired diss records, Wayne threw together a bundle of lackluster punchlines, none of which really strike Pusha anywhere close to his heart. But if nothing else, this song kept the beef simmering.