If Drake is going to go to all the trouble of releasing new material every 45 seconds, the least we can do to try to keep up with this prolific artist is try to figure out what he's singing about. The lyrics to Drake's "Two Birds One Stone" give us a behind-the-scenes look at all the beefs he has going with various other artists in the game right now. And, spoiler alert, it's quite a few. In fact, it's so many that Drake references that fact right in the title: he's written the lyrics in such a way that they could apply to multiple people who have tried to step to him over the years, aka he's "killing" two birds with one stone. Why bother writing multiple tracks for people who don't matter like that, y'know?
He begins the song with a very telling line showing how much pressure he feels, both from himself and from his fans: "It's only me but I'm seeing four shadows in the light / My demons visit me every night." He seems to want to get it out of his system in one fell swoop, rapping:
Could feel my hand getting tired from holding the grudgesTwo birds, one stone, my aim is amazingI need to start losing my sh*tJust to show you n*ggas who hatin'
He seems to feel like he's been quiet too long, letting people forget who he is and what he's capable of, so hold onto your butts. Drake next talks about his divorced parents, the goals he used to set for himself, and the way he's surpassed them. Then, he moves into the real meat of the song — the diss track. First, he fires a warning shot to all the rappers coming up right now, urging them to realize how few genuine artists are out there.
Go figure, cold n*gga, stay in school manF*ck the rap game, it's all lies and it's all filthyTwo percent of us rich and the rest of these n*ggas all milk it
But what's cool about this song is that Drake never gets specific about whom he's throwing shade at. There are any number of people that he has... ahem... exchanged words with of late, like Meek Mill, Kid Cudi, and Pusha T. And there are references to them and others throughout "Two Birds, One Stone." But Drake doesn't pick just one to focus on, because he doesn't have to. He seems to suggest that none of these other artists is worth their own track, giving them at most a few lines, like the ones below.
But really it's you with all the drug dealer storiesThat's gotta stop thoughYou made a couple chops and now you think you ChapoIf you ask me though you ain't lining the trunk with kilosYou bagging weed watching Pacino with all your n*ggasLike "this what we need to be on," but you never went liveYou middle man in this sh*t, boy you was never them guysI can tell cause I look most of you dead in your eyesAnd you'll be trying to sell that story for the rest of your lives
Pusha T has called Drake out in his own music for lacking credibility, and, here, Drake is striking back at him, claiming that Pusha T is exaggerating his drug-dealing past to sell music, and that he's really scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point.
Next, Drake turns his attention to Kid Cudi, who called out Drake last month, claiming that he and Kanye West don't write their own music.
You were the man on the moonNow you just go through your phasesLife of the angry and famousRap like I know I'm the greatest
Cudi has an album named Man on the Moon, so this really couldn't be about anyone but him. And, in closing, Drake makes sure everyone else knows not to mess with him, reminding his critics:
I'm down 200 in Vegas but winning life on a daily basisIt seems like nobody wants to stay in my good gracesI'm like a real estate agent, putting you all in your placesLook what happens soon as you talk to me crazyIs you crazy?
Maybe you can get one over on Drake while he isn't paying attention, because he has so much going on. But, sooner or later, he'll remember the diss, and hit back on a track like "Two Birds, One Stone." So feel free to throw shade at him, but, as he proves with these lyrics, you'd have to be a little crazy.
