Papoose – “Control Freestyle” (Kendrick Lamar Diss)
It’s interesting. I don’t really find myself thinking about Papoose. Ever. It’s no disrespect to him, but really Papoose has existed in Hip Hop’s peripheral for quite some time without consistently remaining in focus. However, when I heard Kendrick Lamar crown himself the “King Of NY” I almost immediately thought, “Oh Papoose better respond!” It’s not that Papoose is the KONY. He never claims to be. He just bleeds for this city and would never allow a kid from Compton to rep the set for us (if you can’t tell where I’m from by now, cough up a lung). His freestyle is layered, starting with Kendrick and calling his verse on “Control” a “Summer Jam Move” (the greatest controversy at NYC’s Hot 97 Summer Jam and you know it). Claiming Kendrick and his TDE camp are on PCP and questioning why K-Dot didn’t say he was the King of LA (Papoose surmises it’s his fear of gangs) are just a few of the darts Pap flings in Kendrick’s direction. He lumps him into a circle jerk with Kanye West and Drake, claiming they’re adding to the emasculation of Rap (yikes). Papoose then asks Big Sean why he keeps calling himself “B.I.G.” (he has a solid point with that one). With historical references and real Hip Hop examples, Papoose does his duty for standing up for New York City when a tourist attempted to snatch the crown. Mission accomplished. – Kathy Iandoli (@kath3000)
Listen to “Control Freestyle” (Kendrick Lamar Diss) by Papoose
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Cassidy – “Control Freestyle” (Kendrick Lamar Diss)
Let’s not front. We are all waiting for J. Cole, Pusha T, Meek Mill or Drake (yeah, Drake) to respond to Kendrick’s “Control” verse. Who knows when that will ever happen? While we wait, though, who better to respond than the Philly “Punchline King” himself, Cassidy? I may be a bit biased – being born and raised in Philly – but this is a gritty city that takes their Hip Hop seriously. Respect him or neglect him, Cassidy can spit and there is no denying that. Philly had one of the rawest battle scenes in the early to mid 2000s, and Cassidy did and still can hold his own against anyone, in my opinion. He sets his punchlines up perfectly and paints a picture with his lyrics on “Control.” “I paint pictures, no Photoshop. I’m not the king of New York, but the king of New York know I’m hot.” Cassidy makes it clear that Kendrick would be stupid to test him and lets him know as the beat fades out: “You putting my name in a rap son, is like putting a silencer on a cap gun.” Let’s face it: the “Slim Shady With Black Skin” raised the bar lyrically (and quickly) on “Control.” “I do whatever I wanna do and since you’re scared to come at me I’ma come at you. What the fuck is the game coming to? Kendrick couldn’t shine on me on a song if he wanted to.” What? Cassidy’s “Control” response left me with the “Who Farted Face” the whole time! – Mike Trampe (@MikeTrampeTV)
Listen to “Control Freestyle” (Kendrick Lamar Diss) by Cassidy
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Joell Ortiz – “Outta Control (Response to Kendrick Lamar)”
One of the first times I heard Joell Ortiz rhyme on a track, the Brooklyn spitter assured listeners that he was trying to deliver that “good old New York Rap.” And since that first verse from 2007’s “Hip Hop,” he hasn’t stopped delivering. So when Compton, California’s Kendrick Lamar took the Rap world by storm, taking a page from Kurupt’s book to call himself “the King of New York,” a Joell Ortiz response was to be expected. What struck most about the response was that it was one of the first, released hours after K. Dot’s hurricane of a flow dropped. That showed it didn’t take long for Joell to pen these statements. “Lil’ homie, you ain’t the king of New York,” Ortiz said on the cut. “You the next thing on my fork.” The response also made sense because Ortiz has also had the same mentality that Lamar showcased on “Control.” That’s the belief that an emcee should always have enough confidence to “step in that ring like, ‘Listen, I’ll pound Mike,” or to “step on that court like, ‘I could hold down Mike.” As an emcee who understands the mentality behind Lamar’s intentions on “Control,” Ortiz had to throw his pen into the week’s conversation, into the “Control” fire, and he did this with no fear, like he promised he would back in 2007. – Andres Tardio (@AndresWrites)
Listen to “Outta Control (Response to Kendrick Lamar)” by Joell Ortiz
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