Common Opens Up About Origins of Drake Beef: ‘Wars Happen Over Women’

Before the Kendrick Lamar and Meek Mill rap battles ever transpired, Drake exchanged blows with Common in the early 2010s.

Common pulled up to Drink Champs alongside Pete Rock ahead of their collab album’s arrival last week when the Chicago-bred MC was asked about the origins of his feud with Drizzy.

Common explained he felt Drake was subliminally dissing him, which prompted him to fire back at the 6 God on 2011’s “Sweet.”

“I felt like Drake was sending me a couple of shots, subliminals,” he said. “I don’t know what motivated him to send me some shots but I think what for sure had me, if I’m just being real, like you know, we mess with one of the same girls.”

N.O.R.E. then alluded to how Drake was allegedly also romantically involved with Serena Williams, who Common dated circa 2007 to 2010.

“You know, wars happen over women,” Common admitted. “That’s just what it is. But I ain’t going to get at you if you with somebody I was with. But if you start throwing me a couple little, you know, you trying to throw some jabs, you know, and I’m like, ‘Come on man, OK.’”

Drake responded by eviscerating Common with subliminal jabs on Rick Ross’ “Stay Schemin’” in 2012 featuring French Montana. The track peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It wasn’t until a face-to-face meeting at the 2013 Grammy Awards and Common having a conversation with Drake’s father, Dennis Graham, that actually helped the two sides reach an armistice.

“I eventually saw Drake face to face. It was at a point where I was like, ‘What’s up?’ And we had little words,” Common detailed. “And then his father was there and was like, ‘Y’all need to squash this.’ And I was like, ‘Man, this an elder talking to me. This this man’s father. Let me chill out.’”

He added: “And then Drake just was like, ‘I ain’t on this.’ So we just squashed it. I was like, ‘Listen, if we face to face, then a’ight, I’m done with it. Even if it was some subliminal disses, I said what I had to say. Right now, we saying we squashing it. We good.’”

Watch the clip starting at the 32-minute mark below.