Drake and Mavado have gone from friends to enemies based on their recent diss tracks.
The way Drake used to speak of Mavado before is the polar opposite of what you can expect to hear from the rapper today. A rift between the two artists has caused them to come for each other on the track, and their lyrics hold nothing back. Many Vybz Kartel supporters or Gaza fans would say that the feud is long overdue, considering the fact that Drake has been aligned with Popcaan and Unruly for years now. It was always rather strange how the rapper had been playing both sides – being friends with both Popcaan and Mavado for years while they themselves are sworn enemies. The rapper managed to insert himself in this dynamic even though he claimed to have understood the dancehall culture and rivalry between Gaza and Gully.
Moreover, Drake has always touted dancehall mogul Vybz Kartel as one of the greatest to ever do it. Over the years, his relationship with Popcaan has remained solid, and the rapper has often shout out and paid homage to the incarcerated deejay and the Gaza. However, back home, Drake was linking up with producers like DJ Khaled, which would put him in the company of Mavado, who has been signed to “We The Best Music” since 2011. Drake has been friends with both Mavado and Popcaan for years, but he has only gotten closer with the Unruly Boss while he became estranged with the Gully Gad.
Drake kicked off the reignited beef recently with his latest slight towards Mavado in his new release, “Only You Freestyle.” In the song, the OVO Don rapped: “Link Popskull in Gaza but not that Gaza but still it’s a mazza / N***as want piece like cassava but we let bridge dem burn like grabba.” The lyrics strongly imply that Drake is no longer friends with Mavado who is from Cassava Piece in Kingston, Jamaica. Instead of allowing his rivals to get a “piece” Drake says he burned those bridges like “grabba” which is a tobacco product in Jamaica that is often blended with cannabis.
Since the song came out, Mavado has resurfaced on Instagram, sharing posts with heavily suggestive captions. “From you a look clout a copper to you mouth,” Mavado wrote in one post. That was clearly only a small taste of what was to come as the Gully Gad unleashed an onslaught of jabs in his latest diss track “Enemy Line,” where he declares that the OVO Don has officially made an enemy out of him.
Let’s backtrack to some years ago when Drake performed in Jamaica and was reportedly almost arrested for the use of profanities on stage. The rapper thanked artists like Mavado and others for saving him that night because he was oblivious to the concert rules. At the time, the two artists had close ties and the utmost respect for each other. Oh, how that has changed.
“Big up to all the guys that were there that night ’cause they saved my life,” Drake told Nardwuar in a 2016 interview. “That was a wild night. Mavado came and picked me up in a caravan of cars with somebody — I won’t say her name but I was with somebody that night and it was our first time ever going out together and needless to say, she did not stick around. She definitely left and never spoke to me again.”
“It was definitely an intense night. Big up Mavado again, another legend from Jamaica,” Drake added. It’s interesting to see how their relationship has evolved since their days of collaborating. In 2010, Drake flew to Jamaica, where he and the Gully Gad shot the music video for their single “Find Your Love,” which featured the Canadian rapper’s then real-life love interest Maliah Michel.
In the music video, the video vixen leads Drake astray under Mavado’s orders and appears by the Gully Gad’s side in the end after pulling off a world-class facade and pretending to be into Drake the whole time. Interestingly enough, Mavado insinuated in his latest diss track that Drake only hates him because of some romantic affair with an unnamed woman.
In the new diss track entitled “Enemy Line” Mavado sings: “Guh f**k yuh self, f**k yuh fist and fornicate / Cassava Piece dat a me army base / Push up me ratchet inna yuh barney ears / Tell soft and fake likkle sheep, likkle mormon / Die trying but you will neva be a yard man.” Along with his other revelations, the dancehall star also said that Drake is still bitter over a woman giving him “foul play” – whatever that means.
“Him still a carry feelings fi gyal a gi me foul play / Me tek a f**k and den me cut it neva worth stay / F**k who tun enemy a suh di ting stay / Full yuh up wid di fireworks a yuh birthday,” Mavado rips on the track.
The Gully Gad’s take on why he and Drake are beefing is one theory, but many moons ago, it was rumored that the OVO rapper donated $25K to the dancehall deejay’s community of Cassava Piece a.k.a. Gully side, to build a new Learning Centre. To date, that establishment has not come to fruition, and while we don’t know the legitimacy of the legend, anyone would agree that if they were Drake and their 25 bands were not put to the good cause they intended, it would be more than enough reason to “burn dem bridge like grabba.”
In 2010, Mad News UK reported that “This Learning Centre will be a positive thing for the community IF Mavado sticks to the plan and ensures it’s built. If not then that’s Drake’s $25k gone down the drain or worse.. into somebody else’s pockets.” However, whether or not that incited the rift between them remains unconfirmed because, as mentioned, Drake has spoken highly of Mavado since. The rapper even sampled Mavado’s popular hit “Dying” featuring Serani from 2007 on his song “9” from his multi-platinum selling album Views in 2016.
The beef between Mavado and Drake is only just getting started as the 6 God is yet to address Vado’s diss track. Meanwhile, DJ Khaled, who has close ties with both artists, has remained tight-lipped about the feud as well. In keeping with his recent social media activity, DJ Khaled has been promoting his latest releases with Drake “Popstar” and “Greece,” which both debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. Many people see Khaled playing the Drake songs on his Instagram and Snapchat as him taking sides, but let’s recall that it’s actually his song too.
Mavado had his diss track ready for Drake within ten days of the rapper sending shots on his freestyle track. Do you think Drake will respond just as quick, or will he let the beef sizzle down a bit? Only time will tell if Gully vs Gaza has officially become Gully vs OVO. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear Popcaan responding to Mavado’s new song on Drake’s behalf. As Drizzy said in 2016, Unruly and OVO is one family.
In the left corner, we have We The Best Music’s very own, David Brooks, the Gully Gad, Mavado. In the right corner, we have OVO Sound’s finest, Aubrey Graham, the 6 God, Drake. Who do you have your money on?
