LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 13: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) 21 Savage performs during day two of Wireless Festival 2024 at Finsbury Park on July 13, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

21 had someone else in mind.

21 Savage has done a good job of staying out of the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle. He has ties with both Drizzy and Metro Boomin, yet he somehow managed to maintain both. A lot of 21’s success likely stemmed from the fact that he didn’t record any disses. Or so we thought. Drake spammed the internet on August 6, dropping 100 GB’s worth of unreleased material. One notable release “It’s Up,” a song in which 21 Savage takes shots at an unnamed rapper. Fans theorized that 21 was going after Kendrick Lamar, but the rapper’s manager quickly shut this narrative down.

DJ Akademiks was the one who broke the news. It’s Drake-related, so you know it had to come through Ak at some point. The streamer claimed that he got in touch with 21 Savage’s manager, who definitely stated that the rapper was not dissing K. Dot. “21 is not dissing Kendrick,” Akademiks asserted. The DJ even pulled up the lyrics in question to set the record straight. At a glance, it’s easy to see why fans felt 21 Savage was dissing Lamar. There’s reference to a rapper thinking he’s Tupac, which is something that Lamar’s detractors have cited in the past. There’s also reference to a rapper who feels bigger than he is after he scored a few hits. Lamar just landed two number one singles with his Drake disses, “Like That” and “Not Like Us.”

21 Savage Targeted A Rapper Who “Think He Pac Now”

“No rap cap come out my mouth. Made a couple songs, think he hot now,” 21 Savage raps. “Hit his a*s up, he think he Pac now. Broad day, like he got shot down.” DJ Akademiks proceeded to read the lyrics, then share a text from 21’s manager, Meezy. According to Meezy, the bars were intended for someone else. “That definitely ain’t no shot at Kendrick,” the manager reportedly texted. Ak then chimed in and noted that the diss wouldn’t make sense because Lamar has multiple hits.

21 Savage and Kendrick Lamar have collaborated in the past, but the former has made it clear that he rocks with Drake. 21 and Drizzy have multiple hits and a joint album together. The fact that 21 Savage was on one of the few new Drake songs speaks to how close they are. 21 has even voiced a desire for Drizzy and Metro Boomin to work out their differences in the future. “Metro my brother and Drake my brother,” he said back in May. “Them n**gas gonna figure that sh*t out eventually.”