The album may be called Her Loss, but really, Drake is making it everyone’s loss. Across his new album’s 16 tracks, Drake takes unnecessary shots at a number of figures — everyone from Megan Thee Stallion to former ex-friend Ye to rumored ex Serena Williams and her husband. Guess the chill vibe from the Honestly, Nevermind club music has worn off? (His collaborator, 21 Savage, has been minding his business and rapping as well as he can.) Even amid the death of Twitter, some of Drake’s targets have already responded to his disses. Below, everyone Drake calls out on Her Loss, and how they shot back.
Megan Thee Stallion
The most prominent attack was aimed at Megan Thee Stallion, on “Circo Loco.†Drake raps, “This bitch lie ’bout getting shots, but she still a stallion†— a pretty obvious reference to Megan, who was allegedly shot by Tory Lanez in 2020. Megan, who’s already had to defend her shooting claims from Lanez and others, accused Drake of “using my shooting for clout†and defending one of his “homeboys†in a tweet.
Kanye West
After seeming to bury the hatchet with Ye (formerly Kanye West) last year at a joint concert to free Larry Hoover, Drake rapped about the concert in “Circo Loco.†“Linking with the opps, bitch I did that shit for J Prince,†he raps, referring to the Rap-A-Lot Records co-founder who brokered the reunion concert. “Bitch, I did it for the mob ties,†he continues, referring to the 2018 diss track on Ye and Pusha T. But Ye didn’t take the bars as an attack, tweeting “Love Drake #lovespeech†in response. “Imagine all the rappers on the same side and everyone cleaning up each others contracts,†he wrote, referencing his ongoing plight over his contracts and ownership of his music. Drake didn’t take the opportunity to diss Ye’s recent antisemitic comments, though.
DRAM
Remember DRAM (once and formerly Shelley) from that mid-’10s hit “Broccoli� Drake still does. “Tried to bring the drama to me, he ain’t know how we cha-cha slide,†he raps in the chorus of “BackOutsideBoyz.†That’s a revival of their beef from 2015, when some fans compared Drake’s “Hotline Bling†to DRAM’s “Cha Cha,†which came out months before. DRAM replied with a video message, recorded while he paced circles around his home. “Somebody tell Drake to shut the fuck up about that shit, man,†he said, claiming the drama was from five years ago and that all Drake’s smoke was actually from his bodyguards. “Why don’t you bring up how you got smacked by Diddy or some shit?†DRAM added. We will.
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
DRAM wasn’t the only old drama Drake resurfaced. He reminded the world of speculation around him and tennis star Serena Williams on “Middle of the Ocean,†in one of the album’s most direct shots. “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie,†he raps, referring to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Williams’s husband since 2017. “He claim we don’t got a problem but / No, boo, it is like you comin’ for sushi,†he adds, dropping a reference to the sushi restaurant into this beef. Ohanian responded on Twitter with a photo of him and daughter Alexis watching Williams play tennis. “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do — including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter,†he wrote, in on the joke. Williams replied with some emoji, to make it a team effort.
Ice Spice
Here’s where things get a little murky. “She a ten tryna rap, it’s good on mute,†Drake raps on “BackOutsideBoyz,†which fans quickly assumed to refer to ascendant rapper Ice Spice. There’s no detail that directly ties that line to Ice, but Drake did fly her out to OVO Fest in Toronto in August, after praising her song “Munch†and a freestyle as “hard,†which is the opposite of “good on mute.†Drake unfollowed Ice sometime after their Toronto meetup, leading some to think he now has beef with the rapper. Once she was done paying attention to NLE Choppa’s new song named after her, Ice tweeted a short response to Drake: “at least ima 10.â€
Republicans
Early into Her Loss, Drake calls himself a feminist: “I blow a half a million on you hoes,†he raps on “On BS,†which is … not quite the definition. But amid the misogyny lurking on the album, he does throw in one somewhat feminist statement. “Damn, just turned on the news and seen that men who never got pussy in school / Are makin’ laws about what women can do,†he raps on “Spin Bout U.†Yes, it’s still very much predicated on seeing women as sexual objects, but anti-choice conservatives do deserve some heat. The Republican Party has not responded to Drake’s claims.
This post has been updated.