'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQF/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAn3QF/8QAHxAAAwABAwUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEQAEBQYSFCFR/9oACAEBAAE/AOX6h469blvObbR385MWRC4dO3JT4M6pKTOzB7AE5A9a/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL/2gAIAQIBAT8Ap//EABQRAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAIAQMBAT8Af//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Rick Ross (Rozay) has officially responded to Drake on a new song titled Champagne Moments, which in itself appears to be a reference to Drizzy's Instagram handle, champagnepapi.
This new track comes only a few days after Drake shot back at the entire rap industry with a song he allegedly leaked online titled Push Ups, where he called out artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Future, Ross, Metro Boomin, and more.
Ross announced the single's release through a post on his social media where he uploaded a picture of a nose ring engraved with his label Maybach Music Group's (MMG) logo, implying a supposed plastic surgery that Drake had undergone recently in a caption that read:
"#NOSEJOBPAPI."
The Rap War between Drake and the entire industry is currently ongoing as many artists continue to pick sides and claim their "allegiance" on social media.
The latest 'Rick Ross vs Drake' beef adds to the ongoing rap war
Champagne Moments seems to be in response to the following lines from Push Ups, where Drizzy called out Rozay for his age. Drake also seems to credit himself for a lot of Rick Ross' major chart success, alluding to their collaboration on songs like Aston Martin Music, Diced Pineapples, and Gold Roses, when he stated:
"I might take your latest girl and cuff her like I'm Ricky / Can't believe he jumpin' in, this n---- turnin' fifty / Every song that made it on the chart, he got from Drizzy / Spend that lil' check you got and stay up out my business."
The shots seem to fly Rick's way on the second verse, starting with "I might take your girl," referencing the time when Drizzy personally flew out Ross's ex-girlfriend, Cristina Mackey, not long after Rozay unfollowed the Toronto rapper on Instagram. Cristina would then post VIP tickets for one of his It's All a Blur: Big as the what? concerts on her social media.
When Drake says, "Cuff her like I'm Ricky," he seems to be referencing Rick Ross's former profession, where he worked as a correctional officer back in 1995. The final line on the bar is a flex on Drizzy's wealth being significantly more than Ross's. You can listen to Push Ups below:
Rap has always been called a "young man game," so Drake saying Rick is almost 50 years old yet not mature enough to avoid getting involved in this Rap Beef is possibly one of the reasons that triggered a response from the MMG CEO, who's known for his cut-throat rhymes.
Ross opens on a hard-hitting trap production, spending the majority of the diss track throwing controversial shots at Drake, from implying a recent plastic surgery to claiming the Toronto rapper uses ghostwriters for all his songs. The initial few lines of his first verse are a direct response to Drake bringing up the topic of wealth, which reads as:
"Ghostwriters, they get to floss what you could’ve had / Record label takin' a loss, are you in your bag? / You a worker wantin' to chart, don’t make me laugh / Get to mine, tell by my watch, this a different time."
Ross alleges the use of ghostwriters, which has been something Drake has been constantly accused of over the years, and implies how they're reaping the success for something he could have created authentically. He goes on to compare OVO with MMG, citing how just by looking at the expensive watch he wears, one can tell which of the two rappers is financially more successful.
During the chorus, Rick states, "Leakin’ they record when we speakin' directly" as a response to Drizzy allegedly having Push Ups leak online to cause more drama than to address all the shots head-on.
His second verse is filled with more disrespectful bars, with Rozay suggesting that most of Drake's success should be attributed to Lil Wayne's critical acclaim and mentorship when he stated:
"Like his moves, but he never had to fight in school / Always ran, another n---- had to write your grooves / Flow is copy-and-paste, Weezy gave you the juice / Another white boy at the park wanna hang with the crew."
The "white boy" reference seems to be digging at Drizzy's ethnicity, as the rapper identifies as a mixed-race Canadian citizen. Even the cover of Champagne Moments is a shot as Rick deepfakes an image of Drake as a "white man" wearing a suit, implying the rapper's personality is just a facade.
The outro to the song begins with a recording of Drizzy saying Rick Ross is his "favorite person to rap with on any song" during his It’s All a Blur tour last year before Ross starts personally attacking the Toronto rapper, from implying insecurities with how he looks to explaining the reasons behind why he unfollowed Drake on Instagram.
Ross officially uploaded the Champagne Moments to his YouTube channel, which has been linked below:
Rick Ross' Champagne Moments is the latest record that has been added to the stack of Diss Tracks the rap game has witnessed ever since Metro Boomin and Future dropped their collaboration project We Don't Trust You last month.
We Don't Trust You was filled with subtle disses aimed at Drake, with the most aggressive shots appearing on the sixth track, Like That, where Kendrick Lamar called out Drake, J. Cole, and Drizzy's producer, Noah "40" Shebib.
Kenny also took major shots at the song First Person Shooter from Drizzy's eighth studio album For All The Dogs, where he dismisses Cole's claim that he, Kendrick, and Drake are part of a "Big 3," implying his own status as unmatched.
Rick Ross appeared on the 13th track, Everyday Hustle, with his appearance on the project seemingly implying his allegiance stood with Metro Boomin instead of Drake. He also unfollowed Drizzy at the time of We Don't Trust You's release, which ignited fanbase discussions online.
Ross later clarified on Champagne Moments that his reason for unfollowing the rapper on Instagram was because Drake allegedly sent a "Cease and Desist" order to French Montana.
Why are some of the biggest rappers beefing in 2024?
The start of this beef can be traced back to the fallout between Metro Boomin, Atlanta's most sought-after producer, and Drake. Although both artists have extensively worked together and collaborated alongside 21 Savage on projects like Not All Heroes Wear Capes, Savage Mode II, and What a Time to Be Alive, their relationship began to turn sour last year.
In early December, Metro took to X to shade award shows as being solely "politics" and for allegedly not caring about the artist or the art that was being nominated. He cited the major achievements and critical acclaim Drizzy and 21 Savage received for their collaboration on Her Loss against his own project, Heroes & Villains.
Her Loss and Heroes & Villains were nominated for "Best Rap Album" at the 2024 Grammy Awards, with both projects losing to Killer Mike's sixth studio album titled Michael. In a now-deleted tweet, the ATL producer stated:
"Yet her loss still keeps winning rap album of the year over H&V. proof that award shows are just politics and not for me."
Drizzy then responded to these claims during a Kick livestream where he alluded to Metro deleting this tweet, calling out "Tweet and Deleters" and people who hate on him. The complete statement the rapper made reads:
"And to the rest of you. The non-believers, the underachievers, the tweet-and-deleters, you guys make me sick to my stomach, fam."
This eventually led to a rumored back and forth between the two artists as each tried to take subtle shots online, with Drake posting aggressive lyrics on his Instagram story and Metro re-posting an RDC world clip immediately after Drizzy's livestream poking fun at the Toronto rapper's statements.
This would ultimately result in the release of Metro's album We Don't Trust You and its second installment, We Still Don't Trust You, which found artists like Future, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and A$AP Rocky taking a stand against Drake.
The only artist associated with both Metro and Drake who has not officially picked a side in this beef is J. Cole. Although he did release a surprise mixtape titled MIGHT DELETE LATER on April 5, which included a direct response to Kendrick Lamar on the track 7 Minute Drill, Cole would issue a public apology to Kenny almost 48 hours later during his set at the 2024 Dreamville Festival.
Jermaine highlighted how he was honored to stand alongside Drizzy and Kenny to be considered one of the best rappers of the decade. He has since removed 7 Minute Drill from all streaming platforms and was included as a feature on the track Red Leather, appearing on Metro and Future's We Still Don't Trust You.
With Rick Ross dropping a diss track aimed at Drake, many are on the edge of their seats, with fans stating that a rap war between the biggest artists in the world is about the unfurl.
