Kendrick Lamar's 'Control' Verse Leaves Hip-Hop Saying 'Good Lord'
Hip-hop music was built off of competition and Kendrick Lamar gave fans and artists alike a reminder of what it is like to take rap's battlefield.
On Monday night, Big Sean dropped "Control," a leftover track originally recorded for his upcoming Hall of Fame, and it featured Jay Electronica and a fiery verse from K-Dot. After proclaiming himself the king of New York (and the west coast) Kendrick name-dropped a gang of his rap friends, but he wasn't so nice about it.
"I'm usually homeboys with the same n----s i'm rhymin with/ But this is hip-hop and them n----s should know what time it is/ And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Wale/ Pusha T, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Drake/ Big Sean, Jay Electron', Tyler, Mac Miller/ I got love for you all but I'm tryna murder you n----s/ Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you n----s/ They don't wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you n---as," the Black Hippy MC rapped with an extra grit to his already gravelly voice.
"I hear u loud and clear my n---a... @kendricklamar," Pusha T tweeted right after the song was released.
Rap artists from all over have since been flooding Twitter weighing in with their own reactions since the track debuted on New York DJ Funk Master Flex's Hot 97 radio show. "I never really tweet about music. But good lord.. @kendricklamar just like.. Bodied everyones entire year's worth of raps lol," Just Blaze wrote in awe.
I never really tweet about music. But good lord.. @kendricklamar just like.. Bodied everyones entire year's worth of raps lol.
— Just Blaze (@JustBlaze) August 13, 2013
Veteran hip-hop producer Pete Rock crowned the performance "illest verse of the year," while Missy Elliott took to the social networking site to thank the good kid for forcing rap artists "2 be Lyrical and have substance again."
Bun B also applauded the young MC. "Every rapper is supposed to feel like Kendrick feels as far as wanting to murder n---as on the mic. That's why I wrote my 'Murder' verse," he wrote referencing his 1996 track with fallen UGK partner Pimp C.
Not everyone was a fan however, in particular Lupe Fiasco. "Y'all know y'all easily impressed. Bar so low you need a shovel to get at it," he wrote from his private account before he humorously ghost wrote rap responses for MCs like Drake, Jay Z and Rick Ross.
Joe Budden questioned the pride of Big Apple MCs. "A Cali n---a just said he's the King of NY & u n---as so f---ing worried about your relationships, y'all make me sick," he messaged. "Where's old NY !???!"
Any studios open yet?
— Fabolous (@myfabolouslife) August 13, 2013
So who will be the first to lyrically respond to Kendrick's call-out? Fabolous seems to already be on the case. "Any studios open yet," he asked early this morning.
[uma_snippet id="1712209"]
