Hip-hop legend Kendrick Lamar dropped a surprise release via Instagram on Wednesday, his first musical offering since his viral nail-in-the-coffin diss track “Not Like Us.”
Despite having no official name, audiences have dubbed the track “Watch The Party Die” due to its repetition throughout the chorus. Following the Compton’s rapper iconic feud with Canadian artist, Drake, this past summer, Lamar’s ambiguous lyrics on this record left bewildered heads wondering: is the beef actually over?
The release followed Lamar’s announcement that he’d be headlining the 2025 Super Bowl — his second time performing at the event in just three years. As he stood in front of the American flag, Lamar cautiously threw shots at Drake by expressing that there are no Round 2’s. Many viewed this jab as a rebuttal to Drake’s recent social media posts suggesting that he’d win the next rap battle against Lamar. Since then, fans believed the dispute was done, but Lamar’s surprise track suggests otherwise.
The track cover features a pair of worn down black Air Force 1’s — a sneaker that, to many, is a cultural symbol of violence and crime. Their used condition suggests Lamar has already committed acts of violence with them, perhaps referencing his feud with Drake.
Though Lamar never explicitly mentions Drake, the subliminals are blatantly linked to the beef. The track opens with Lamar rapping, “I think it’s time to watch the party die, this sh– done got too wicked to apologize, it’s different, get him whacked and disqualified.”
If that wasn’t enough to suggest the track is about Drake, he follows the sequence up by saying, “Just walk that man down, that’ll do everyone a solid. It’s love, but tough love sometimes gotta result in violence.”
Lamar does name- drop internet personality Terrace Martin, better known as DJ Akademiks, in the song. Martin is notorious for coming to Drake’s defense at various stages in the rapper’s career, but especially during the lyrical altercation. Lamar brushes Martin off as “radio personality pushin’ propaganda for salary,” before ominously saying, “Let me know when they turn up as a casualty, I want agony, assault and battery.”
Lamar’s lyrics frequently resemble prayers to God. In this case, he pleads for God to give him peace, forgiveness and prosperity, hinting at themes of regret for engaging in hip-hop proclivities that are antithetical to his Christian moral values.
It’s unclear if Lamar is baiting Drake into another dispute, or if he’s just voicing an internal struggle with the way he went about the conflict. However, considering rumors of an album in the works and that Lamar continues to drop tracks on national holidays like Independence Day and 9/11, fans can be sure of one thing.
The king is back.
