Have a look at the owner and location of the New Ho King Chinese restaurant in Toronto
Know the latest details of the ongoing rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who poked fun at Drake through his latest diss track.
On Wednesday, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Compton rapper Lamar referenced a Toronto Chinese food restaurant in “Euphoria,” his latest diss track aimed at Drake, marking an escalation in their decades-long feud, which has recently dominated much of the mainstream world.
Who is the owner of New Ho King Chinese restaurant in China Town Toronto and its location after it was referenced in Euphoria by Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar diss song to Drake got a Toronto restaurant named 'New Ho King' business going crazy. pic.twitter.com/woUSZ6gmXu
— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) May 2, 2024
What is the meaning of Lamar’s diss track?
In the second half of “Euphoria,” Lamar raps that he is at New Ho King eating fried rice with a dip sauce and blammy, crodie, delivering the verse in a mock Toronto accent, complete with local slang. He then follows up with the next line, asking someone to tell him if they’re cheesin’, fam.
According to various reports, the term “crodie” is a variation of “brodie,” popularized by the Crips gang and also by Toronto rapper Pressa. Additionally, other news stories indicate it is the name of Drake’s pet cat.
After the song was released, the restaurant gained popularity and had more reviews on Google with positive feedback. The restaurant owns a 3.9 star rating on the Chinese food website, which is above the medium standard for “real” Chinese food.
Johnny Lu, the owner of New Ho King, said his business is booming thanks to Kendrick’s name-drop, and a plethora of five-star reviews have poured in from fans of Kendrick.
Why Lamar referred New Ho King in his latest diss track?
New Ho King, located at 410 Spadina Ave. in Toronto’s historic Chinatown, earns acclaim for its authentic Chinese cuisine and late-night fare. Insights from Genius suggest that Lamar’s use of this local reference implies that Drake might face insecurity even within his hometown, where his rival could be present (with “blammy” slang for a firearm).
Genius further proposes that this line may counter a lyric in Drake’s diss track “Push Ups,” where Drake claims greater popularity than Lamar in Compton, his own hometown. The annotation suggests, “By alluding to a quintessential Toronto establishment, Kendrick effectively communicates his visibility within Drake’s hometown.”
Another theory on Reddit speculates that the mention of New Ho King could pay homage to the rapper Sizzlac, depicted dining at the Chinese restaurant in his music video for “Realest in the 6.” Sizzlac, who tragically passed away in 2016, is one of Drake’s rivals.