"OBVIOUSLY he has rehearsed this" — Internet reacts as DaBaby drops a freestyle over Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” on Power 106
DaBaby recently performed a freestyle of Kendrick Lamar's Squabble Up during an appearance on Power 106 Los Angeles. For the uninitiated, Squabble Up is the second track from Lamar's latest album, GNX, released in November 2024.
On March 31, 2025, DaBaby appeared on the 200th episode of Power 106's Justin Credible’s Freestyle Series, where he performed a freestyle verse over the beat of Kendrick Lamar's Squabble Up.
DaBaby's freestyle verse was met with mixed responses from netizens on X. One user argued that the verse could not be considered freestyle, claiming the rapper had prepared the lyrics beforehand.
"This isn’t a freestyle. He’s just rapping something he hasn’t released. OBVIOUSLY he has rehearsed this."
Several netizens echoed this sentiment, claiming DaBaby had prewritten the verse, therefore eliminating it from being a freestyle.
"Freestyles aren’t written. This is a cover of Squabble Up," one person posted.
"Practicing a song you already wrote but haven't released isn't freestyle," another person added.
Others criticized the rapper for using the same flow in every song, asking that he change flows to fully utilize his talent.
"He raps the same flow on every beat. I’m not impressed anymore. Might as well drop a mixtape if he’s gonna go this route to reclaim his status," one user wrote.
"Baby smokes literally every freestyle he does, my only criticism for him is his flow NEVER changes. It’s established he can rap his a** off, now I wanna see him jump in different pockets at this point," someone else added.
However, some users praised DaBaby for his freestyle verse, commending him for maintaining his breath while rapping.
"He’s one of the best technical rappers out. Ludacris vibes," one person tweeted.
"Bars - this may be his most precise rhyming yet - best he sounded maybe ever. He’s been putting in a lot of work," another person added.
"Dababy is a super talented extremely fun entertainer," someone else commented.
"One thing i respect about dababy freestyles is he maintain his breathe & never stutters," another user said.
This is not the first time DaBaby has dropped a freestyle over one of Kendrick Lamar's songs. In May 2024, the rapper released a video where he freestyled over Lamar's Grammy-winning Not Like Us.
DaBaby also dropped a freestyle verse over Metro Boomin and Future's Like That during an April 2024 episode of Power 106's Justin Credible’s Freestyle Series. For context, Kendrick Lamar's verse in Like That kicked off his feud with Drake in 2024.
Kendrick Lamar performed Squabble Up during his Super Bowl halftime show
In November 2024, Kendrick Lamar surprised fans when he released his sixth studio album, GNX, with no prior announcement. The 12-track album marked the rapper's first LP after his rap beef with Drake, which dominated the music industry in 2024.
Squabble Up, the second track from GNX, had an accompanying music video released on YouTube on November 25, 2024. The MV garnered over 61 million views at the time of this article.
The track also debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in December, making this Kendrick Lamar's third song to take up the No. 1 spot on the chart in 2024, following Not Like Us and Like That.
Kendrick Lamar also became the fourth artist in history to dominate the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, after Squabble Up, TV Off, Luther, Wacced Out Murals, and Hey Now occupied the first five spots simultaneously in December. This record was previously held by Drake, Taylor Swift, and the Beatles.
Kendrick Lamar also kicked off his performance with Squabble Up when he headlined the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show in February. Additionally, he performed other songs from GNX, including Luther and TV Off.
In other news, Kendrick Lamar and SZA are preparing for their upcoming Grand National Tour, performing in North America, Europe and the UK between April 19 and August 9, 2025.
