Joey Badass has finally obtained the response to “The Ruler’s Back” that he’s been anticipating, and it comes from Top Dawg Entertainment’s faction of all sources.
Joey Badass sought confrontation with the West Coast, and now he’s facing it. On Wednesday (Jan. 8), Ray Vaughn, a signed artist of Top Dawg Entertainment, responded to the Pro Era rapper with “Crashout Heritage.”
“What’s up with the covert insults?” “Throwin’ punches at us, then conceal the Uzi/ ‘Cause the only tough guy the world was seein’ is Boosie,” Vaughn said, alluding to Joey Badass’ song “The Ruler’s Back” released on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1). He remarked, “Please don’t mix this up with filming the movies, we are really shooting/ Was on the Soul album, so if you ask me, you seem a bit silly.” To provide context, the Brooklyn rapper had previously featured on Ab-Soul’s “Moonshooter” from Herbert.
“The West Coast is the greatest coast, now get the hell out of my— uh/ They can’t compare to us, we’re crushing it and intensifying the effort,” Vaughn rapped later in the freestyle. Appropriately, the album sampled “heart pt. 6” by Kendrick Lamar, whom many believed took a subtle jab at the previously mentioned Joey Badass track.
“Excessive West Coast admiration/ I’m hearing folks throwing stones, but nothing is landing/ ‘Cause if we’re discussing bars, truly it’s lean offerings,” Joey Badass stated on “The Ruler’s Back.”
In a previous track from the album produced by Conductor Williams, he asserted, “I have murals in my city, forget a nomination,” a statement that many viewed as a reference to Lamar’s GNX highlight “wacced out murals,” particularly due to the overlap in release dates. So far, the 1999 rapper hasn’t replied to Vaughn.
“Crashout Heritage” also took aim at Tory Lanez, with Vaughn stating that the Canadian artist ought to feel embarrassed about his appearance on DDG’s “HANDLING BUSINESS.” The Long Beach resident said, “’Before you ended up in jail, in the booth, you and I were like Kenan and Kel/ Weird things occur on the mic’ when people argue over losses/ Don’t believe you hit her, I was hoping for your release too.”