OVO Affiliate Preme Claims Kendrick Lamar Couldn't Take Drake Down Amid "NOKIA" Success

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares 31.0K Views
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OVO Preme Kendrick Lamar Drake NOKIA Success Hip Hop News
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 14: Rapper Preme performs onstage during day one of the Rolling Loud Festival at Banc of California Stadium on December 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Preme noticed Drake's "NOKIA" topped Apple Music's Top 100 Global chart, surpassing Kendrick Lamar hits like "luther."

Kendrick Lamar and Drake fans have been locked in a perpetual war of who's better – and so have the artists themselves – over their new releases and moves in the past year or so. That was always the case among hip-hop heads, but the battle really amped things up. Still, they're both doing really well right now, as much as the other side would have you believe otherwise. Canadian rapper Preme, who has close ties to Drizzy and OVO, recently clapped back at the narrative that K.Dot ended his career. How so? Well, by looking at the commercial success of the new track "NOKIA," which topped Apple Music's Top 100 Global chart recently over various Kendrick hits.

"They said we were dead," Preme wrote concerning the ongoing Kendrick Lamar and Drake showdown. "They said it was over, they said Super Bowl was checkmate, they said he should take a few years off and disappear. Back on top even while beefing with the label and it’s only April! This why yall hate the boy." "The best revenge is success," he added the next day.

Drake & Kendrick Lamar Beef

However, all of this kind of becomes a jumble of loyalties and flexes when you consider that The Boy and The Boogeyman are besting each other in various different commercial metrics. Drake is streaming really well with "NOKIA," but Kendrick Lamar still has a grasp on the top Billboard Hot 100 spots. This could obviously change very fast, and they've obviously doing very well on all platforms regardless. After all, they are the two biggest rappers in the game right now. For anyone who really thought the battle would put either of their careers in a coffin, capitalistic interest in a griftable debate is chasing you, but you are faster.

Also, regardless of Drake's current dominance or the unstoppable run of Kendrick Lamar, these artists are too big to fail due to their legacy. How many 6ix God haters like IYRTITL despite complaining about ghostwriters? How many Kenny critics bump "Money Trees" despite diminishing his hit-making? We'll answer that: a lot. So Preme has a big point here, but that road goes both ways.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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