On Thursday night, Drake posted a pair of photos with Tory Lanez using the following caption: "The city needs more of this and less of that." And like that, their beef was squashed. For a time, it didn't look like that was possible, especially when you consider the prickly 2016 they had. Interestingly enough, it gets deeper, as these situations are wont to do.
With their perceived friction in the rear view, it makes sense to revisit their brief history as fellow Canadians and examine what kind of rivals they truly were. Was Drake feeling threatened by Tory's buzz? Did Tory want to put himself on the pedestal that Drake was firmly standing tall on? Let's look back.
Feb. 24 2010: "Drake's lil brother Tory Lanez"
While it isn't clear if Tory co-signed the uploader of this video calling him "Drake's lil brother," what we do find is a young, hungry Tory Lanez going for his in a freestyle. The comments on the video were thick with back-and-forth debates on if Lanez was in fact Drake's brother (spoiler alert: he isn't), but it's unclear on if this was posted to kickstart some buzz.
March 27, 2010: Tory issues $10,000 challenge to Drake
While dismissing the rumors that he was related to Drake, Tory used the chatter to his advantage, issuing a challenge to Drake to listen to his Playing for Keeps mixtape, which had just dropped. "I like your music," Lanez reportedly stated, "but I got 10 G's here that says you will love mine.... I can't lose."
Aug. 15, 2015: Tory throws a shot at Drake (and his BlackBerry)
Did Drake ever listen to Playing for Keeps? We have no idea, but he DID have some shots thrown at him via Tory Lanez, who hopped onto Sway in the Morning for a freestyle containing the following dart.
I know these niggas about to act scary
T.O. nigga, only spitting without the Blackberry.
Oct. 12, 2015: Tory Lanez says calling Toronto "the 6" is "not cool bro"
In a now-deleted tweet, Tory Lanez let it be known that "this whole calling Toronto the '6' thing .. It's not cool bro." Oddly enough, Twitter found the receipts and showed that Tory seemed to be OK with using that term "the 6" years before.
Keep in mind, Drake had been calling himself the "6 God" for some time, so it's safe to say this was in the long list of barbs he's chucked Drake's way.
Jan. 30, 2016: Drake fires a shot at Tory on "Summer Sixteen"
While most of the talk regarding Drake's "Summer Sixteen" was the shots he took at Meek Mill, many speculated that the following line was directed right at Tory Lanez.
All you boys in the new Toronto want to be me a little
Took mans long enough.
Feb. 13, 2016: Tory says he'd never diss Drake: "I'm a fan"
While the previous shots he sent Drake's way would tell you different, Tory got asked about the line in "Summer Sixteen" by Revolt, and he changed his tune a bit: "Drake could diss me 20,000 times, and I'd never diss him. I'm a fan... I have no negativity on my side. All blessings to that man."
Feb. 26, 2016: Tory gets at Drake on his "Uber Everywhere" freestyle
Roughly two weeks after saying he wouldn't diss Drake, Tory let loose an "Uber Everywhere" freestyle that feature lines many believed to be directed at Drake.
Yeah, pussy boy, I'll slap that smile clean off your face
You don't know no trap niggas, you don't be round this way
You some actor nigga boy, I used to see you on the screen
For those who aren't aware, before Drake was an international music star, he was acting on a popular Canadian television series, Degrassi. Just saying.
April 29, 2016: Drake questions Tory's hometown on "Still Here"
With the release of Views, heads who were in tune to the back-and-forth between Tory and Drake immediately thought "Still Here" was directed at Tory.
Me and all my niggas doin' well, doin' well, dog
You not from the city, I could tell, I could tell, dog
Did it, did it, did it by myself, by myself, dog
While Tory reps Toronto, he's reportedly from Brampton, which isn't "the 6." In a subsequent interview with Zane Lowe, and it sounds a lot like Drake was recapping his storied history with Tory. "I encourage anybody to go out there and do the most damage that you possibly can. Do you things, get all the fruits, get everything," Drake said. "Become the biggest artist you can possibly be. Just don't get up there finally and start talking down on me. Especially when we have no interaction. Don't get your first big shot to speak out and you think the right thing to do is to start trying to come for the don. It's not gonna work and I don't go for that."
"It's such a transparent formula," Drake added. "The music speaks and it will take you as far as you want to go."
June 27, 2016: Tory Lanez says he's gunning for Drake's No. 1 spot
During a visit to Ebro in the Morning, Tory let it be known that he's just on some competitive shit with Drake, calling hip-hop a "contact sport." He elaborated on his situation with Drake, saying that "at the end of the day there's never gonna be a personal problem. There's never been a personal problem because I don't know that man. It's just one of those situations where the only thing that's ever gonna lie between us is that we can't share first place. And I'm the only guy that's bold enough to come and really take that right now."
"I'm here to compete, I'm here to be No. 1, I'm here to be the greatest," Tory continued. "Anybody standing in the way, whether or not it's him or anybody, it's gotta go the way it's gotta go and I'm not gonna stop until I get that."
July 21, 2016: Drake calls out "fake controllas" during Summer Sixteen Tour
Forever road petty, Drake decided to clap at Tory for dropping a remix of "Controlla" during a live performance of "Summer Sixteen" during the opening night of his Summer Sixteen Tour, because why not?
Aug. 10, 2016: Tory says he's "good in Philly," unlike Drake
While all was supposed to be good on Tory's end with Drake, during a trip to Philadelphia during August of 2016, he was caught on video throwing some shade at Drake by referencing Drizzy's very public beef with Philly's own Meek Mill. "We really out here in Philly," Tory said. "Real Toronto niggas out here in Philly. Not them other guys," before later adding, "Unlike you, I'm good in Philly, nigga." Yikes.
Aug. 24, 2016: Tory claims he doesn't have a problem "with anybody in Toronto"
In a cycle that appeared to find Tory talking down perceived beef in interviews while later appearing to be ramping up beef once the interview is done, Tory was on the Breakfast Club claiming he had no issues with anyone from the 6 Toronto.
"I don't have a problem with anybody in Toronto. If somebody has a problem with me that's different," Tory said. "You're gonna know if I have beef with somebody then one of us is just falling out. You're going to start seeing people missing from either my crew or his crew. I don't have a beef with nobody... If it was beef you know when it's beef because then we just start playing scoreboard, and nobody wants to play scoreboard. Who wants to do that?"
March 18, 2017: Drake reportedly throws shots at Tory on "Do Not Disturb"
In what could be just a coincidence, for those keeping score, there are a few lines on More Life's "Do Not Disturb" that feel like the most clever of wordplay aimed directly at Tory Lanez from Drake's pen.
You overnight celebrity you one day star
I swear I told you I'm in this bitch for eternity
I am a reflection of all of your insecurities
Behind closed doors a lot of 6 God worshipping
Done talk now 'cause there's other shit that concerning me
Now the theory is that the "one day star" is a play on Tory's given name, Daystar Peterson, with the subsequent line's "I told you" referring to Tory's debut studio album, 2016's I Told You. The rest is just Drake flexing on being the 6 God and that "reflection of all your insecurities" line is particularly heavy, if you view it as being a diss aimed at Tory Lanez.
May 18, 2017: Drake and Tory post matching Instagram photos
And we're back at square one, with Drake and Tory standing tall in photos that appear to say this feud is over. There's no telling where (or when) these photos were taken, but if they were with each other one has to imagine that a conversation of some form or fashion took place, and they came to an agreement... right?
We know how many of you are feeling though: "Collab on a track so I know its real." Maybe that's going to be in the cards for these two in the future. Right now, we can just be content in the fact that the 6 is calmer now that Drake and Tory Lanez have stopped clapping at each other.
Source: www.bing.com
