Drake’s “Push Ups” finally hit streaming services on Friday after leaking last weekend, but the final version is pretty different from the initial leak.
The most obvious change from the first leak to the final version is the overhauled production. Absent from the revised version of “Push Ups” is a sample of “Gettin’ Money (The Get Money Remix)” by Junior M.A.F.I.A. with the Notorious B.I.G. That "Get Money" sample was infamously used by 2Pac for his “Hit ’Em Up” diss track aimed at Biggie in 1996. However, as noted by former Everyday Struggle co-host Wayno on Twitter, "Push Ups" does seem to sample another Biggie song, "What's Beef?"
Drake also changed some of his lyrics. Some of the new lines are subtle. On the original version, he rapped, "Tough on record, in my city it was friend zone." In the final version, he raps, "Backstage in my city it was friend zone"—possibly alluding to this moment.
A now-deleted line that appeared on the original version aimed at Rick Ross and featured Drake rapping, “Worry 'bout whatever goin’ on with you and—/Ay, shoutout to the hooper that be bustin’ out the griddy.” Considering the rhyme scheme, it's possible the missing word was "Diddy,” who has worked with Ross in the past and is in the midst of a lot of legal issues.
A chunk of the track was also totally removed. It went like so:
What? What? Teamin' up with all of y'all, fallin' like some dominoes
Bros turnin' hoes, dog, like I ain't got enough of those
I can't wait to see how far you n***as get to reachin' now
This the closest thing you n***as gettin' to a feature now
Backpedal gang 'cause a few of y'all been reachin' out
Y'all drew the line, what the fuck we gotta speak about?
Get your fuckin' head tapped, you n***a get to peekin' out
It's not 100 percent clear who those lines are directed at, considering how many people Drake is dissing on the song, but it's possible it was about Travis Scott—a frequent Drizzy collaborator who may have unintentionally hyped up "Like That" without knowing its full contents. Either way, it's unclear who would be backpedaling because people like Metro, Future, ASAP Rocky, and especially Rick Ross seem to be hurdling into open conflict with Drake.
Another person who definitely hasn't backpedaled is Kendrick Lamar, who Drake got at with this removed line: "You had a song for four years, drop that shit and shut your mouth."
The original ending of the track (below) where Drake says, “It’s me twice in my Big Three/I had to leave you out,” was also removed in favor of a sung outro. "Drop a 50 bag for the mob in the spot," he sings in the final version. "Drop a 50 bag, 29 for the thot/Uh, I really, really tryna keep it PG."
In addition to the above edits, DJ Akademiks found out he was sampled on the track during a livestream and reacted to the moment with his followers.
After a series of subliminals, memes, and possible hints from the rapper, Drake’s “Push Ups” arrived four weeks after Kendrick’s scathing "Like That" diss against him and J. Cole in response to their declaration of who makes up the “Big 3” in hip-hop.
Last Saturday, fans initially debated whether the leaked version of "Push Ups" was produced with artificial intelligence. Hours later, a CDQ version with some production tweaks and different lyrics surfaced, which largely quelled doubt about the song's authenticity but didn't silence them. Today, Drake ended all debate, officially releasing the "Push Ups."
The K.Dot-featuring cut off Metro and Future's We Don't Trust You has been on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. We'll see where "Push Ups" lands on next week's chart, but Drake will face stiff competition from Taylor Swift and her new album.
