Because of his affiliation and his still-growing popularity, Drake is always the topic of discussion. Unlike many popular rappers before him, Drake managed to avoid beef, as opposed to dwelling on it. Usually rappers who avoided beef were socially-conscious rappers, such as Common. Aside from being drawn into the East Coast/West Coast feud, via Ice Cube, Common remained free of beef throughout his career.
Ironically, two of hip hop’s most peaceful stars ended up trading disses for nearly two months. Common had been linked, romantically, with Serena Williams for well over a year. Once their romance fizzled, there were rumors of Drake being involved with the tennis star. Weeks later, Common released “Sweet,” the second single from his The Dreamer/The Believer album.
Not mentioning anyone by name, Common denied the song being aimed at Drake. However, Common also said if he takes offense to the song, he must be “sweet.” Initially, Drake ignored the song, but he ended up ranting about being dissed during a performance. This rant led to a subliminal diss from Common to which Drake responded to.
Rick Ross delivered Rich Forever to his fans as a holdover, while he wrapped up his God Forgives, I Don’t album. The first single from the project was “Stay Schemin’,” which featured French Montana on the hook and a verse from Drake. Due to Drake’s verse taking aim at Common, the mixtape single became 2012’s most-popular song. Immediately after the song leaked, Common added a verse to the song and called Drake out by name.
Many were expecting a full-fledged beef from Common and Drake after the “Stay Schemin'” disses, but instead the feud died down. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Common said he likes Drake’s music and had no desire to continue trading disses with him. When asked about how Drake felt about the situation, Common said if Drake was going to respond, he would have done so already. Nah Right reached out to Drake at a video shoot with The Weeknd, asking him about the situation.
While Drake agreed with Common about their beef being over, he does not agree with his intentions. Each time Common has been asked about the feud with Drake, he says the “Sweet” record was a challenge and his verbal exchange with Drake is “good for hip hop.” However, Drake said the only reason Common came after him was to promote The Dreamer/The Believer. Drake said he was disappointed in how things played out because he grew up listening to Common.
“Stay Schemin'” is popular for several reasons, mainly Drake addressing Common, but his line about Los Angeles Lakers star, Kobe Bryant, and his wife, Vanessa, also stuck out. There were many who felt Drake was also taking shots at the NBA baller’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Nah Right also asked Drake about the Kobe Bryant reference, which he said he was actually comparing to what could happen to him. Denying any intention of disrespecting Bryant’s wife, as Drake is a friend, Drake said it is rare for a person as young as him to have his wealth and there is fear of losing it all.
Drake went on to say he is recording new music, while he is on tour with Noah “40” Shebib. This music is perhaps the follow-up to Drake’s sophomore effort, Take Care.
