Drake Responds To Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” As Overrated

In the world of hip-hop, there has long been an undercurrent of rivalry between two highly accomplished artists: Drake and Childish Gambino. This clash of titans is now coming to the forefront, as their competitive energies collide. The roots of this feud can be traced back to July 2014, when Childish Gambino (also known as Donald Glover) unleashed a freestyle performance in Sydney, Australia, taking aim at his rap contemporaries.

Notably, he made a point of asserting his superior singing abilities compared to Drake. Later that year, Gambino discussed his intention to take shots at the Canadian artist, acknowledging Drake’s skills as a writer and rapper but claiming that his own hard work had propelled him to a higher level.

Recently, in an interview with GQ, Childish Gambino revealed that his 2018 hit single, “This Is America,” was originally conceived as a playful jab at Drake. The creator of the Atlanta series admitted, “It started as a Drake diss, to be honest, as like a funny way of doing it.”

Drake, however, didn’t let this slide without a response. During a stop on his It’s All a Blur Tour in Chicago on July 5, he fired back at Childish Gambino. Billboard reported that a headline proclaiming “The overrated and over-awarded hit song ‘This Is America’ was originally a Drake diss record” was prominently displayed on the stage.

Despite the controversy surrounding its origins, “This Is America” went on to dominate the charts, securing the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. The track also reached the pinnacle of the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

The single, produced by Ludwig Göransson, earned Childish Gambino four Grammy Awards at the 61st annual ceremony in 2019. The accolades included Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Music Video.

Drake’s own hit, “God’s Plan,” received nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 2019. Although it lost to “This Is America” in those categories at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, “God’s Plan” did secure the Best Rap Song award that year.