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Hip-Hop Lives Here
Rachel Nagy, the force-of-nature singer and founding member of The Detroit Cobras, the Michigan garage rock outfit, has died.
Bandmate Greg Cartwright broke the sad news on Saturday (Jan. 17) via Detroit Cobras’ social channels. “It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we announce the loss of our beloved friend and musical colleague, Rachel Lee Nagy,” he writes. “There are no words to fully articulate our grief as we remember a life cut short, still vital and inspirational to all who knew and loved her.”
No cause of death was given.
Nagy co-founded Detroit Cobras back in 1994 with guitarist Mary Ramirez, and “carried the torch of rock, soul and R&B to fans all over the world,” adds Cartwright. “More than just a performer, she embodied the spirit of the music itself and vaulted it to new heights with her own deeply affecting vocal power. I know that I am not alone when I say that I was inspired by her vitality, her fierce intensity and her vulnerability.”
With Nagy up front, the rockers released their debut album, Mink, Rat Or Rabbit, in 1998. Its followup dropped in 2001, Life, Love and Leaving Sympathy for the Record Industry. Nagy and Co. went on to release the Seven Easy Pieces EP in 2004; Baby in 2005 and Tied & True in 2007.
The Detroit Cobra’s music and style was an extension of Motor City. They “specialize in unearthing and reinvigorating the hits, near hits and sometimes total misses from the deep and groovy history of soul, and making them their own,” reads the biog on the official website of Bloodshot Records, which released several of the band’s latter records.
“In both her voice and personality, Rachel Nagy was the perfect balance of tough badass and absolute sweetheart,” reads a statement from Third Man Records, owned by another Detroit scene-builder, Jack White. “From the earliest White Stripes shows at the Magic Stick in Detroit through the Third Man 10th anniversary show in Nashville, Rachel and the Detroit Cobras have been a consistent inspiring presence in our world for nearly 25 years. We will truly miss the sound of her room-filling laughter, her no bullshit honesty, and her true friendship.”
The Detroit Cobras were slated to perform last week at in their hometown’s El Club, but the show was postponed to Feb. 19 due to the COVID-19 surge.
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Kendrick Lamar has finally fired back at Drake on his blistering new diss song “Euphoria” — and he pulls zero punches.
Released by surprise on Tuesday (April 30), the fiery track finds the Compton rapper unloading on his longtime rival for several minutes in response to Drizzy’s own diss records “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
After opening with a sample of Teddy Pendergrass’ “You’re My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration,” over which K. Dot refers to a “pathetic master manipulator” who is “paranoid,” “spiraling” and “fabricating stories on the family front,” the song kicks into life with a sudden beat switch.
From there, Kendrick throws jab after jab — and even a few haymakers — at the 6 God, using everything from his parenting skills, alleged use of ghostwriters and rumored plastic surgery to his appearance, tough guy persona and attitude towards women as ammo.
The Pulitzer Prize winner also accuses Drizzy of sending a cease and desist letter in attempt to have “Like That,” his chart-topping collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin that reignited their long-simmering feud, taken down.
Listen to the song below, and scroll further to read the (many) lyrics aimed at Drake.
“I park his son, the very first time I shot me a Drac, the homie had told me to aim it this way/ I didn’t point down enough, today I’ll show you I learned from those mistakes/ Somebody had told me that you got a ring, on God, I’m ready to double the wage/ I’d rather do that than let a Canadian n-gga make ‘Pac turn in his grave.”
Context: Drake purchased a $1 million ring that belonged to 2Pac at auction last year.
“Cole and Aubrey know I’m a selfish n-gga, the crown is heavy/ I pray they my real friends, if not I’m YNW Melly.”
Context: J. Cole and Drake toured together earlier this year and teamed up on “First Person Shooter.”
“I don’t like you popping shit at Pharrell, for him I’ll inherit the beef/ Yeah fuck all that Pushin’ P, lemme see you Pusha T/ You better off spinning again on him ‘fore you think about pushing me/ He’s Terrence Thornton, I’m Terence Crawford, yeah I’m whooping feet.”
Context: Drake dissed both Pharrell and Pusha T on Travis Scott’s “Meltdown.” He also famously beefed with Pusha in 2018.
“We ain’t gotta get personal, this a friendly fade, you should keep it that way/ I know some shit about n-ggas that would make Gunna Wunna look like a saint/ This ain’t been about critics, not about gimmicks, not about who the greatest is/ Always been about love and hate, now lemme say I’m the biggest hater.”
Context: Gunna has been accused of snitching on Young Thug for taking a plea deal in the YSL RICO case.
“I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress/ I hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight it’s gonna be direct/ We hate the bitches you fuck ’cause they confuse themselves with real women/ And notice I said ‘we,’ it’s not just me, I’m what the culture feeling.”
“How many more fairytale stories about your life ’til we had enough?/ How many more Black features ’til you finally feel that you Black enough?/ I like Drake with the melodies, I don’t like Drake when he act tough/ You gon’ make a n-gga bring back Puff, let me see if Chubbs really crash something.”
Context: OVO Chubbs is Drake’s longtime bodyguard. He recently taunted Kendrick after he dissed Drake on “Like That.”
“Yeah my first one like my last one, this a classic, you don’t have one/ Let your core audience stomach that, then tell ’em where you get the abs from.”
Context: Drake is rumored to have had plastic surgery on his stomach, which Rick Ross referenced on his recent diss song “Champagne Moments.”
“Aye Top Dawg, who the fuck they think they playing with?/ Extortion my middle name, as soon as you jump off of that plane, bitch/ I’m allergic to the lame shit, only you like being famous/ Yachty can’t give you no swag neither, I don’t give a fuck about who you hang with.”
Context: Drake accused TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith of extorting Kendrick on “Push Ups.”
“Surprised you wanted that feature request, you know that we got some shit to address/ I even hate when you say the word ‘n-gga’… but that’s just me, I guess/ Some shit just cringeworthy, it ain’t even gotta be deep, I guess.”
“Keep making me dance, waving my hand and it won’t be no threat/ I know they call you The Boy but where is the man ’cause I ain’t seen him yet/ Matter of fact, I ain’t even bleed him yet, can I bleed him? Bet.”
“When I see you standing by Sexyy Red I believe you see two bad bitches/ I believe you don’t like women, this real competition, you might pop pass with him.”
Context: Drake has a close relationship with Sexyy Red, who he has even referred to as his “rightful wife.”
“Let’s speak on percentage, show me your splits, I’ll make sure I double back with you/ You were signed to a n-gga that’s signed to a n-gga that said he was signed to that n-gga/ Try a cease and desist on the ‘Like That’ record? Hoe, what, you ain’t like that record? ‘Back to Back,’ I liked that record/ I’ma get back to that, for the record.”
Context: A nod to Pusha T’s “Exodus 23:1” where he mocked Drake’s Young Money deal: “Contract all fucked up/ I guess that means you all fucked up/ You signed to one n-gga that signed to another n-gga/ That’s signed to three n-ggas, now that’s bad luck.”
“Why would I call around trying to get dirt on n-ggas, y’all thinking my life is rap?/ This hoe shit, I got a son to raise, but I can see you don’t know nothing about that.”
Context: The existence of Drake’s son Adonis was famously exposed on Pusha T’s 2018 diss track “The Story of Adidon.”
“Ain’t 20 vs. 1, this 1 vs. 20 if I gotta smack n-ggas that write with you/ Yeah, bring ’em out too, I’ll clean ’em out too/ Tell Bean that he better stay right with you/ Am I battlin’ ghost or AI? N-gga feelin’ like Joel Austeen/ Funny, he was in a film called ‘AI’/ And my sixth sense telling me to off him.”
Context: A response to Drake’s line on “Push Ups” where he rapped: “What the fuck is this, a twenty v. one, n-gga?”
“Yeah, OVO n-ggas is dick riders/ Tell ’em run to America to imitate heritage, they can’t imitate this violence/ What I learn, these n-ggas don’t like the West Coast/ And I’m fine with it, I push the line with it/ Pick a n-gga off one at a time with it/ We can be on a three hour time difference.”
“Don’t speak on the family, crodie/ It can get deep in the family, crodie/ Talk about me and my family, crodie?/ Someone go bleed in your family, crodie.”
Context: A possible response to Drake seemingly referencing Kendrick’s wife Whitney Alford on “Push Ups.” It could also be a response to Drake’s claim that Top Dawg is extorting him.
“Whoever that’s fuckin’ with him, fuck you n-ggas and fuck the industry too/ If you takin’ it there, I’m takin’ it further/ Psst, that’s somethin’ that you don’t wanna do… We don’t wanna hear you say ‘n-gga’ no more/ We don’t wanna hear you say ‘n-gga’ no more/ Stop.”
Drake has yet to respond.
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