Kanye West is back in his true fashion, no filter, no fucks given, and this time he’s dropping bombs on Frank Ocean. In an interview with DJ Akademiks, West, who was clad entirely in black clothing that most people said resembled a KKK outfit, held back no punches, aiming at his peers in the industry. Everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Playboi Carti was a target, but his comments about Frank Ocean rocked the music world. Kanye had the audacity to say that he was the reason Frank Ocean was now largely hidden in music, citing their pairing on the 2021 collaboration Moon as the bone of contention.

“When I did Moon it essentially took Frank Ocean’s [career] away, You know?” Ye said with confidence. “He ain’t even had a song since then!” He didn’t just stop there. In a signature Ye flex, he continued, “Any genre of music that any person has, I’m a make a better version of it.” It’s a big claim, even for a guy who rewrites narratives and egos at will. Frank Ocean, a sometimes perhaps over familiar “voice of a generation” in alternative R&B and experimental pop, has always chosen a more mysterious path through the world of music releases. His silence often has seemed intentional. But Kanye, never leaving nuance to his own devices, turned that silence into a victory lap for himself.

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On one hand, this is Kanye being Kanye playing troublemaker, stirring the pot and reinforcing dominance over the music landscape in the loudest possible way. On the one hand, it’s a nerve struck. Frank Ocean’s artistry, emotional depth, and genre-bending vulnerability have created a space that Kanye, despite his genius, has never really occupied. The irony, of course, was that Moon was celebrated because of its supernatural feel. If anything, the song was received by many fans as a kind of spiritual link between Kanye and the very sonic landscape Frank helped create. So, did Kanye actually “end” Frank Ocean’s career? That’s up for debate. He still knows how to keep his name in your mouth, even if he has to rewrite someone else’s legacy to do it.

Drake’s new “NOKIA” video rolled out earlier today and is already raising eyebrows for its smooth production and playful energy, but according to DJ Akademiks, Drake is trolling Kendrick Lamar. In an upcoming reaction, the outspoken media personality surmises that Drizzy may be up to trolling. And this go-round, the target might be none other than Kendrick Lamar. The video is peak Drake, bright visuals, catchy hooks, a carefree atmosphere comfortable enough to invite fans to kick back and vibe. But Akademiks believes it’s also rife with sharp jabs directed toward K-Dot.

There’s one especially telling sequence, a dance number that looks suspiciously similar, perhaps even eerily adjacent, to one Kendrick performs in the viral “Not Like Us” video. But as the “NOKIA” video nears its end, Drake offers a symbolic shot of an owl, his longtime OVO mascot, soaring freely into the night. Kendrick’s fans immediately noted the juxtaposition, referencing the caged owl toward the end of Lamar’s “Not Like Us” video. To Akademiks and others, there goes Drizzy throwing shade, flipping Kendrick’s visual language into a symbol of freedom and triumph. Theories are soaring faster than that owl, and Akademiks is fanning the flames. On a livestream, he flipped through a trove of fan responses and tweets, showing how social media detectives are connecting the dots (no pun intended).

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Drake knows how to keep the culture talking, be it friendly competition or part of a well-considered message. It’s odd how two artists who spent most of their careers in separate lanes are now inevitably fused. With each move, release, and dance step, fans can’t help but compare them. And regardless of whether Drake meant to or not, “NOKIA” is the next front in a dispute that won’t go away. For now, the speculation adds a new layer to an already buzzed-about track. And if anyone knows Drake, he’s likely somewhere watching it all play out, grinning from the sidelines.