Drake take shots at LeBron James on Fighting Irish Freestyle
01/03/2025 10:23 PM
After a rather eventful 2024, Drake is starting the new year with some not-so-subtitle jabs at Lakers star LeBron James on his “Irish Freestyle” produced by Conductor. Drake rarely calls out his opponents by name, opting instead to weave his grievances into rhymes filled with subtle references to the connections that link him to his rival. While it isn’t totally certain that Drake was dissing LeBron, as he has several rap and celebrity foes in 2025, there are several lyrics in the song that seem to be subtitle shots at James.
The title itself seems as if it is an allusion to Saint Vincent Saint Mary’s, the high school LeBron James attended before being drafted into the league in the 2003 NBA Draft. The school’s mascot is the “Fighting Irish.” At the start of the song, Drake seemingly references the reception to Kendrick Lamar’s diss to him “Not Like Us” and the subsequent “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends” concert on Juneteenth. Both LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan were at the concert, with DeRozan joining Lamar both on stage and in the “Not Like Us” video.
“The world fell in love with the gimmicks, even my brothers got tickets
Seemed like they loved every minute
Just know this shit is personal to us, and it wasn’t just business”
A few bars later, Drake appears to reference he and James’s deteriorated friendship and how he feels as if he abandoned their friendship after “Not Like Us” was released in May 2024.
“Remember we tradin’ watches?
I gave you that Arabic dial, you gave me a numbered edition
You would even check up on my son like a pediatrician
Sure convinced the gang this shit was rooted in love when it isn’t
Show me how different we are, there’s blessings in juxtaposition”
In May, a video of James dancing to the DJ Mustard-produced Drake diss track, “They Not Like Us,” surfaced and surprised many rap fans, given James’s seemingly close relationship with Drake over the years.
This wasn't the first time James was seen enjoying songs critical of Drake. Back in late March, he was spotted vibing to Future and Metro Boomin’s "Like That" from the album We Don't Trust You. The track featured Lamar delivering pointed lyrics aimed at Drake, with subtle references to his collaboration with J. Cole on "First Person Shooter."
Metro Boomin’ didn’t make the moment any better, as he tweeted LeBron’s stat line from that night saying, "bro was warming up to Like That then went 9/10 from 3 and 13/17 for 40 points"
This appears to have upset Drake, who has shared a strong relationship with LeBron James over the years. Drake collaborated with Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem on the track "Forever," which was featured on the soundtrack for the 2009 documentary More Than a Game, chronicling James’s high school basketball journey.
Drake has mentioned LeBron James positively in his lyrics, such as in the song “5 AM in Toronto,” where he raps, "I'm on some King James sh*t, I'm trying to win here again, a young ***** trying to win here again," referencing LeBron's time with the Miami Heat.
At the time of this writing, it’s unclear if LeBron has heard the freestyle or if he’ll respond in any way, likely via social media or comments to the media following the Lakers’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. But, it appears as if the ripple effects of Drake’s beef with Kendrick Lamar is set to carry into 2025 and beyond.
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