'%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/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMNoALf/xAAgEAEAAQMDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBAURIRIUMUKR/9oACAEBAAE/AMDK7LRiRZhNuoDL1I8u30oesJbeea//xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQQx/9oACAECAQE/AKlh/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDQf/aAAgBAwEBPwCbw//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Drake is seemingly starting 2025 with a self-reflective performance on a yet to be released track, reportedly titled Fighting Irish Freestyle.
The unreleased record was initially uploaded to producer Conductor Williams' YouTube channel before being deleted shortly after. Although the record was deleted from YouTube, popular social media news outlets had already re-uploaded the video resulting in massive engagement online.
Trending
While Drake has yet to officially comment on the leaked freestyle, fans continue to debate the OVO CEO's stance regarding the 2024 Rap Beef, which is very influential on Fighting Irish Freestyle.
Drizzy tackles loyalty, false allegations, and other social fallouts that resulted from his highly publicized rap beef with Kendrick Lamar, reflecting on the decisions of those close to him.
Bar-For-Bar: Breaking down Drake's new leaked record 'Fighting Irish Freestyle'
Teaming up with producers Conductor Williams and Mario Luciano, Drake's new record was revealed in the middle of Williams' 20-minute “Signature Blends” YouTube video.
The visuals draw listeners in as they witness a recording of Drizzy performing Fighting Irish Freestyle, in a single take, presented on a monitor. Major themes Drake explores in his new freestyle include:
- Loyalty
- Betrayal
- Status
- Friendship
- Respect
- Self-Reflection
- Violence
- Religion
- Mental Health
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader discretion is advised.
(Verse 1)
"The summer is over, I missed it, barrel with smoke, and I kissed it / Ferris showed us the renders for Texas, it's unrealistic / Cut 'em the check 'cause I hate reviewin' the budgets and limits / Just pay the man"
Drake kicks off Fighting Irish Freestyle with a bar that references 2024's summer, during which he faced Kendrick Lamar in what is referred to as the greatest rap beef of the 21st Century.
"The world fell in love with the gimmicks, even my brothers got tickets / Seemed like they loved every minute / Just know this sh*t is personal to us, and it wasn't just business / Analyzin' behavioral patterns is somewhat suspicious / N****s was never happy for me when I run up the digits"
He speaks on the various people within his circle who seemingly enjoyed watching his legacy and personal life attacked during the 2024 Rap Beef.
This bar also alludes to former associates like LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan buying tickets to attend Kendrick Lamar's Juneteenth live event "Ken & Friends: The Pop Out Concert," where Not Like Us was famously performed over five times.
"Or when I'm breakin' world records still, as I guzzle a Guinness / Or when I get my fifth Maybach 'cause the color is different / 'Member we tradin' watches? I gave you that Arabic dial, you gave me a numbered edition / You would even check up on my son like a pediatrician / Sure convinced the gang this sh*t was rooted in love when it isn't"
The bar seemingly targets LeBron James more heavily, with Drake referencing an instance where both individuals exchanged luxury watches as a sign of loyalty and respect.
Drizzy appears to revisit their relationship, suggesting his appreciation for LeBron checking up on his son Adonis. This could also be a call back to when Drake appeared on the NBA star's "The Shop" talk show, in 2018, where he spoke in detail about his son.
"Show me how different we are, there's blessings in juxtaposition / I guess now you boys gotta abandon your summer tradition / Cold shoulders I gave in the Hamptons, it come with the distance / Figured we was always gon' be close, like ovens and kitchens / I was sadly mistaken, the loyalty wasn't a given"
Drake ends the first verse, broadly speaking to everyone within his close circle who he believes betrayed him during last year's rap beef.
Lines on this bar suggest why he was "mistaken" in believing they would remain loyal to him regardless of what transpired between him and Kendrick.
(Verse 2)
"And n****s cried the blues for you, sayin' it wasn't malicious / Talkin' 'bout we family, well, I'm not the cousin to visit / God forbid we ever got to tarnish your public image / All that brother talk as if I really discovered a sibling"
Once again broadly targeting people closely affiliated with him, Drake explains how he has intentionally cut ties with certain people around him, who many online believe to be LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan.
"Six degrees, my memory's retrivin' our humble beginnings / N****s wanted trouble, grabbed the shovel and dug up some ditches / Cover my body in dirt but that wasn't me / That wasn't me / That was a body double and we've done dozens of switches / N****s tried to light the front gate up, it wasn't for Christmas"
This bar is extremely interesting as we see Drake, for the first time, seemingly acknowledge the widely-held perception that his beef with Kendrick Lamar ended with him losing.
The "body in dirt" line is a play on words as Drake claims that although many believe he lost the rap beef, his public image was attacked with false accusations and factually inaccurate bars. This leads him to state the person who actually lost was a "body double" and not him.
"I said a prayer that morning for Sean, and it wasn't religious / It came from a place of desperation and utter submission / Rappin' was over for now, it came like a sudden decision / I don't give a fu*k about you snakes or these other musicians"
This bar seemingly captures Drake's mindset around ending his beef with Kendrick Lamar, following the release of his final diss track The Heart Part 6.
Drake's The Heart Part 6 was widely considered the most lackluster of all diss tracks delivered during the lyrical back and forth, which is what he appears to reference when suggesting he no longer had any interest in beefing with Lamar.
"N****s started fu*kin' with my family, I'm goin' to prison / And we all crashin' out together, my brothers complicit / Who put a pipe bomb in your trunk? It wasn't Xzibit / I'm tryna blow the doors off that b***h when you touch the ignition / But then I gotta remember who made this sh*t come to fruition"
Drake's agitation with close associates betraying him and enemies attacking his personal life is perfectly captured on the final bar. He insinuates serious acts of violence toward anybody who decides it's a good idea to go up against him by attacking his family.
(Verse 3)
"Who's got the most to lose and who's in that other position? / Signal conversations, boy, I hope they got double encryption / I hate to see the empire crumble on judge's convictions / This n***a pulled a rabbit out the hat, and y'all love a magician"
Drake opens on the third verse seemingly speaking on his wish to see the empires of major label Universal Music Group and streaming giant Spotify crumble, given that he alleges the two corporations conspired against him by artificially boosting the streaming numbers of Not Like Us.
He also alludes to the public rallying behind Kendrick Lamar during the 2024 Rap Beef, drawing comparisons between the Compton native's allegations and a magician performing illusions for a gullible audience.
"It's funny to see you all rejoicin' and huggin' and kissin' / What are we celebratin'? I'll rent out the club in addition / Nothing was the same with all you b***hes and nothing's forgiven / But next time, bury me in gold, my blood is Egyptian"
Drake suggests he was the bigger man in the 2024 Rap Beef as he didn't celebrate fake allegations, citing that he intends to distance himself from everybody who stood against him.
"The Dennis James come out when the vodka is floodin' my system / I don't have a drinkin' problem, I got a subtle addiction / I got my father's habits and I got my mother's permission / My dad has another child, I told him that wasn't my sister"
Drake battles claims of him having a supposed "drinking problem," which was called out in Kendrick Lamars meet the grahams diss track, with Drizzy suggesting it's only a subtle addiction.
The bar is interesting as it finds him claiming that his issues with people around him, referencing Dennis Graham and LeBron James, only come out when he's intoxicated.
"Grew up with dozens of Jews, churches with dozens of Christians / Also, developed a deep respect for the Muslim religion / I'm starin' at my daddy while y'all tell me I wasn't that n***a"
The final bar of his freestyle finds Drake revisiting his younger days, growing up as a mixed child.
He references growing up with dozens of "Jews and Christians," being heavily involved in a community that thrived on religious values and morals, which eventually led him to develop a deep respect for Islam.
Drake deciding to revisit last year's events by tackling many of the emotions he dealt with, on a personal front, during his historic battle with Kendrick Lamar is intriguing as it shows a more vulnerable side to the OVO CEO.
Drake's Fighting Irish Freestyle is not a full-length commercial song, coming off more as a reflective track that explores the impacts betrayal and fake loyalty has had on his mental health.
