Kendrick Lamar has given fans plenty to unpack with his second Drake diss "6:16 in LA," and social media users have been having a field day trying to decipher what the title and cover art mean. Mere hours after the early drop, some theories were put on the table that may or may not be accurate.
Bible References
At first glance, "6:16 in LA" appears to be just a reference to Drizzy's fan-favorite timestamp series, which includes songs such as "4PM in Calabasas" and "8AM in Charlotte." But there could be more going on there, perhaps most prominently in the significance of "6:16," which could be referencing Proverbs 6:16-19 from the Bible:
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Now if there's anyone who likes stirring up conflict in the hip-hop community, it's Drake. The 6 God has found himself in several high-profile beefs over the years, and right now he's in the middle of a rap civil war that he described as a "twenty-v-one" on "Push Ups," his response to Kendrick's verse on "Like That." Plus, the oldest known fragmented manuscript of the New Testament, Papyrus 115, states that 616 is the number of the beast.
When it comes to the Bible, Kendrick might also be referencing Corinthians 6:16, which reads:
Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
The mother of Drake's son, Adonis, is former adult movie star Sophie Brussaux, who used to perform under the name Rosee Divine.
6:16/June 16 connections to Euphoria, 2Pac, and Father's Day
If we look at 6:16 as a date, June 16, 1971 is the day 2Pac was born. Drake used an AI version of the late rapper to mock Kendrick on his since-deleted diss "Taylor Made Freestyle." Father's Day also lands on June 16th this year in the US, which could be a sign of Kendrick alleging Drake is a deadbeat father. Euphoria, the HBO series on which Drake is an executive producer that was the potential origin of the title of Kendrick's first diss track, premiered on June 16, 2019.
O.J. Simpson Trial
There's also the possibility that the title references the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, a theory that could be further backed by the black glove on the cover art for the track, as pointed out by 9th Wonder. The trial was submitted on June 16, 1994, the same date as Nicole Simpson's funeral. Exactly one year later, on June 16, 1995, former Aris Isotoner executive Richard Rubin testified in court that the infamous gloves Simpson struggled to put on had potentially shrunk 15 percent.
Kendrick is also possibly suggesting that, much like the alleged events that went down in the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, a white woman, he murdered Drake in this beef. As we remember on "Euphoria," Kung Fu Kenny not only disses Drake's biracial identity and asserts he's not allowed to say the N-word anymore, but also hilariously suggests the For All the Dogs rapper sees other women as competition. Of course, the glove could also be another reference to Michael Jackson. Drake loves to compare himself to MJ, but as Kendrick reminded Drake on "Like That," Prince "outlived Mike Jack."
Maybach Riding Gloves
Finally, the gloves on the cover art appear to be women's Maybach riding gloves. Drake is famously a huge fan of Maybach cars, but what's the significance of them being horse-riding gloves? Stay with us here, because it gets really conspiratorial at this point, but Drake lives in Bridle Path in Toronto, something he referenced on his 2021 track "7AM On Bridle Path." A bridle is also a piece of equipment used in horse riding that helps the rider control the horse.
Get your tin foil hats out.
