Drake has shared a new freestyle track ‘Fighting Irish. Check it out below.
READ MORE: Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud: the full timeline
The song, his first of the year, was released in the middle of a 20-minute YouTube video from record producer Conductor Williams.
Williams, who posted the video as part of his ongoing ‘Signature Blends’ series, shared a post on Instagram directing fans toward the video, before deleting it shortly afterwards. The two had previously worked together on Drake’s 2023 album ‘For All The Dogs‘.
“The world fell in love with the gimmicks, even my brothers got tickets/Seemed like they loved every minute, just know this shit is personal to us, and it wasn’t just business,” Drake raps in the track.
Some fans are speculating that the track references his highly publicised feud with Kendrick Lamar, which took place over the course of summer 2024. “Analysin’ behavioural patterns is somewhat suspicious/N****s was never happy for me when I run up the digits/Or when I’m breakin’ world records, still as I guzzle the Guinness/Or when I get my fifth Maybach ’cause the colour is different,” he continues.
He then goes on to rap about gifting somebody watches, which some fans have suggested is a reference to basketball player LeBron James, who Drake has a tattoo of, but seemed to back Lamar in the feud. The song’s title, ‘Fighting Irish’, was also the name of James’s high school basketball team, per Complex.
Check it out, and some fan reactions, below.
“Remember we traded watches I gave you the arabic dial and you gave me the numbered edition”
Looks like Drake had some words for Lebron James on his new “Fighting Irish” freestyle pic.twitter.com/6U9yYcAGTo
— Shotta (@ShottaSV) January 3, 2025
Drake saw Lebron actually know the words to the new Kendrick album and it was his last straw https://t.co/VpBLGwj1k1
— the jets broke me (@solomonalps) January 3, 2025
Lebron Stans vs Drake Stans pic.twitter.com/Vdpxdn1ecn
— (@Less_HumbleTeej) January 3, 2025
This is all I heard when I listened to that Drake freestyle pic.twitter.com/nMGlBsGu5F
— Charles J. Moore (@charles270) January 3, 2025
Today shows why Drake doesnt really do roll outs. A leaked freestyle from a producer, not even him, is getting this much attention
— distant (@mercymeinfinity) January 3, 2025
Ran that Drake freestyle back three times pic.twitter.com/tvr1EEmD8z
— Niko (@nikotaughtyou) January 3, 2025
Over the course Drake and Lamar’s feud, the two rappers released several disses aimed at each other – with some of their disses dropping within days, and even hours, of the other’s.
Drake also recently filed two legal actions against Universal Music Group in relation to ‘Not Like Us’. The first dispute, filed in New York, alleges that UMG “artificially inflated” streaming numbers for ‘Not Like Us’ and involved undisclosed “pay-to-play” schemes.
The second dispute – filed in Texas – alleges defamation, claiming that UMG “knowingly” approved of ‘Not Like Us’ being released despite Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics alleging that Drake is a “pedophile”.
Kendrick Lamar’s team have yet to respond to NME‘s attempts to reach out for comment.
Meanwhile, UMG said regarding both filings: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Drake. Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Elsewhere, in late November, Drake shared an update on his upcoming album with PARTYNEXTDOOR. The rapper first announced the album in August: “On behalf of me and Party, we’ve been working on something for y’all,” he told fans towards the end of a concert. So, you get the summer over with, you do what you need to do. I know all you girls are outside. When it gets a little chilly, [a] PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake album will be waiting right there for you.”
Drake has gone on to say of the album: “Me and Party’s album is 75 percent done shout out to PX cooking right now. Album sounds incredible…This album is good; it’s the sound that people know and love us for.”
Next month (February), Drake will return Down Under for his first tour of Australia and New Zealand in eight years.
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