Damn, that was quick.
Earlier this year, Joey Bada$$ made it crystal clear: he wants all the smoke. How did he kick things off? By dropping a diss track aimed straight at Kendrick Lamar and the entire West Coast. While Kendrick has yet to respond, a couple of his affiliates—Ray Vaughn and Daylyt—stepped up with their own diss records. After a brief cooldown, Joey reignited the beef with a fiery freestyle that took more jabs at both Kendrick and Ray, which led to Ray clapping back with his latest track, “Hoe Era.” Less than 24 hours later, Joey returns with a swift response in “The Finals.”
Let me get this out the way real quick: the NBA Finals-themed cover art is fire. Now back to your regularly scheduled smoke.
In “The Finals,” Joey goes for Ray Vaughn’s neck. He repeatedly calls him broke, questions his spot on TDE, says he has no hits, and even claims credit for putting him on the map. He also makes it clear that Kendrick Lamar doesn’t really know him, so he shouldn’t be defending him this hard. Interestingly, Joey takes a respectful tone when it comes to Kendrick, acknowledging his greatness while still inviting the competition.
Though the disses will grab most of the headlines, don’t sleep on Joey’s performance overall. He rides the epic, triumphant production with sharp punchlines, steady flows, and enough energy to make every bar land. While this isn’t a full-blown “ethering,” Joey definitely scored some clean hits. The battle continues…
Who do you think is winning this beef right now?
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
