Drake’s ‘Rap Is A Joke’ Shirt: What’s The Meaning Behind It?

Drake has kept a relatively low profile since Kendrick Lamar dropped “ Not Like Us ,” his most ubiquitous Drake diss track that continues to inflict pain two months later. Over the weekend, however, Drake stoked the fires by posting an Instagram photo showing him lounging on the couch while wearing a black T-shirt reading, “RAP IS A JOKE.”

People sprinted to Drake’s comments section and X (formerly Twitter) to make assumptions, including many comments arguing that Drake’s shirt is his attempt to downplay his beef with Lamar after most everybody agreed he lost miserably when they exchanged diss tracks this spring.

But what is the true meaning behind Drake’s shirt?

Drake’s ‘Rap Is A Joke’ Shirt: What’s The Meaning Behind It?

Complex astutely pointed out that Drake’s “RAP IS A JOKE” shirt is a reference to Frank Stacks and L-Money’s Rap Is A Joke battle rap and parody duo out of the Bay Area. According to what appears to be the official Rap Is A Joke Instagram account — emphasis on “appears” — Tech N9ne recently rocked the same black graphic tee. Drake posting a photo wearing the shirt could very well hold absolutely zero significant relative to Kendrick Lamar, but does Drake ever do anything without subtext?

The shirt is listed for $20 and available for purchase here .