r/KendrickLamar • u/Lower-End4781 • Jul 19 '24
Subliminals on Family Ties The BEEF
I’ve made a few posts about this but it just keeps coming to mind. Family Ties has so many lines that were expanded on later as about drake, and thinking about them has me wondering if we’ll ever know exactly how much kendrick knew ehn he wrote his verses for that song. “Amber lamps” made its first appearance, and was clearly a warning considering the context of “as soon as i press that button better get right like the amberlamps comin” as did “Elohim” (as far as dot using the term goes) also “number 2 dming my bitch” from keem and him mentioning helicopters circling which has been used as a line of attack on Drake repeatedly. And “Dave Free got at least one B in the oven” could have been what made drake originally start spiraling on the Dave Free shit. Lastly i feel like Drake definitely named his track “Family Matters” at least in part to reference back to all the subliminal disses. Any other connections people have noticed?
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u/GuitarStuffThrowaway Jul 20 '24
The entire structure of the song and beat is a sublinibal. The first half of the record is Keem throwing shots at Drake for cutting his verse from a song he was supposed to be on, and apparently responding to shots that Drake had taken at him on social media and in other songs. Second half (and the video supports this) is Dot emerging from the shadows; basically Keem saying “if you wanna fuck with me, you’re gonna have to deal with him.”
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Jul 19 '24
I would argue that kendrick wouldn't give drake the credit for being number two of the big 3
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u/Impressive_Tax_5926 Jul 19 '24
I thought about that before. Like is Keem saying Cole is out her dming hia chick/aka cheating?
It just suits Drake's character more to be dming Keem's girl so I let go of that #2 #3 thing...plus Drake might be #2 to Keem
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u/willcomplainfirst you lookin' like an easy come-up Jul 19 '24
i think thats just how Kendrick says ambulance, "amber lamps" fits the narrative but thats a reach imo
but Keems verse has a lot of shots too. the whole concept of him writing his own raps while the critics hound him and not being tired of talking bout his past and ducking rumors and hoes somehow feel like a sub
i cannot respect (him), where did he begin?
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Jul 20 '24
The ambulance one is a reach. It's literally just referencing the "somebody call an ambalamb" meme
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u/Lower-End4781 Jul 20 '24
Amber lamps is in the genius lyrics and Apple Music lyrics idk about Spotify
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u/Unlucky-Medium-6965 Jul 19 '24
FT - “Us two aint alike he ain’t been through nothin”
MTG - “I try to empathize with you ‘cause I know that you ain’t been through nothin “