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Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud
Ongoing hip-hop feud From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Canadian rapper Drake and the American rapper Kendrick Lamar have been involved in a rap feud since 2013, when Drake responded to Lamar's verse on the Big Sean song "Control". It escalated in 2024 with Lamar's lyrics in the song "Like That".
The two began on favorable terms in 2011. On August 14, 2013, Lamar dissed Drake, among many rappers, on "Control", but claimed his verse was "friendly competition". Over the next decade, the two denied speculation that they had dissed each other on various songs. In 2023, on rapper J. Cole and Drake's song "First Person Shooter", Cole claimed that he, Drake, and Lamar were the "big three" of modern hip-hop; on "Like That" in March 2024, Lamar rejected the notion of a big three, saying the top spot in hip hop was "just big me".
In April 2024, Cole responded by dissing Lamar on "7 Minute Drill" before apologizing shortly after release, then Drake dissed Lamar with "Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle". On April 30, Lamar responded to Drake in "Euphoria" and, on May 3, in "6:16 in LA". Later on May 3, Drake released "Family Matters", accusing Lamar of domestic abuse and claiming that Lamar's collaborator, music producer Dave Free, biologically fathered Lamar's son. Twenty minutes later, Lamar released "Meet the Grahams", accusing Drake of sexual predation (including sex trafficking), lying about Lamar's family, and having fathered a second secret child; rapper Pusha T had previously revealed in a 2018 track that Drake secretly had a son named Adonis.
On May 4, on "Not Like Us", Lamar accused Drake of pedophilia. On May 5, Drake released "The Heart Part 6", which denied Lamar's accusations and claimed Drake's team fed Lamar false information about a second child. In January 2025, Drake filed a petition against and then sued Universal Music Group (UMG)—his and Lamar's record label—in the Southern District Court of New York, for releasing "Not Like Us", alleging that the song was defamatory and that it was promoted by UMG with illegal tactics. In 2025, Drake reflected on the feud on "Fighting Irish Freestyle"; and Lamar won five Grammy Awards for "Not Like Us" (including Song of the Year), performing it and "Euphoria" at Super Bowl LIX.
Commentators have either praised the feud for its spectacle and for maintaining hip-hop's cultural relevance, or criticized both artists for how they made and responded to each other's accusations.
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2011–12: Initial collaboration and favorable relationship
Drake and Kendrick Lamar's relationship began on favorable terms. The pair's first collaboration was "Buried Alive Interlude", a two-minute interlude performed entirely by Lamar from Drake's 2011 studio album Take Care, slotted on the tracklist directly after the hit single "Marvins Room".[4] Both artists are about the same age, but at the time, Drake was already a chart-topping success (having first achieved mainstream success with his 2009 single "Best I Ever Had"),[5] while Lamar was viewed as a relatively unknown up-and-comer, having recently appeared on the 2011 XXL Freshman list.[6]
Lamar complimented Drake after their initial meeting and collaboration: "We met up, chilled out, got to vibe, see where each other was at and shit. Sometimes you like a person's music but you definitely don't like the actual artist when you sit down and you talk to them. That's a real good dude. He got a real genuine soul. We clicked immediately." Lamar also shared that Drake had been the first to hear his debut independent album, Section.80.[4]
In the track, Lamar shares how his initial meeting with Drake had felt like an introduction into the tempting, but potentially harmful world of celebrity, luxury, and fame. Lamar explores his complex feelings about fame — both desiring and fearing what it might bring into his life, especially upon getting a peek into Drake's life of luxury — and shares his "impatien[ce]" when finding out that himself and Drake were the same age. This fraught relationship with fame would become a theme in Lamar's music throughout his career, and often stood in contrast with Drake's celebration of luxury.[7] This first collaboration foreshadowed themes that would lead to their eventual rift and feud, more than a decade before its explosion.[8]
Still, Drake and Lamar's relationship continued to develop amicably. Following a strong critical reception towards "Buried Alive Interlude",[9][10] Lamar opened for Drake (alongside another up-and-coming contemporary, ASAP Rocky) during Drake's Club Paradise Tour in early 2012.[11] The tour followed Drake's smash chart success Take Care.[12] Around the time of the tour, in March 2012, Lamar was officially signed to major label Interscope Records.[13]
That fall, Lamar released his first major label album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, which catapulted him to superstardom.[14] The album featured a Drake verse on the track "Poetic Justice", which later became a hit single.[15] In December 2012, both Lamar and Drake also made an appearance on ASAP Rocky's hit single "Fuckin' Problems", released in advance of Rocky's major-label debut.[16][17]
2013–14: "Control", "The Language", and first indirect confrontation
On August 14, 2013, Big Sean released the track "Control", featuring Lamar and Jay Electronica, which was initially intended for Big Sean's album Hall of Fame, but had to be left off due to sample clearance issues. Lamar's verse on the track called out many popular rappers of his generation by name, including Drake, claiming that he "had love" for all of them, but was trying to figuratively "murder" them, to the point of making their fans forget about their existence.[18][19] The verse quickly went viral on social media, and was widely discussed by hip-hop's biggest names and the public at large.[19][20]
In an interview with Billboard two weeks later, Drake dismissed Lamar's verse, stating: "It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That's all it was. I know good and well that [Lamar]'s not murdering me, at all, in any platform".[21] In September, Drake joined Elliott Wilson's live interview series #CRWN. When prompted about the "Control" verse, Drake replied that Lamar's in-person attitude contradicted the sentiments of his "Control" verse. "I saw him five days later at the VMAs and it was all love... If it's really 'fuck everybody' then it needs to be 'fuck everybody'. It can't just be halfway".[22]
On September 24, 2013, Drake released his third studio album Nothing Was the Same. Multiple outlets interpreted the first verse on "The Language", the album's fifth single, as a response to Lamar's "Control" verse, with Drake insinuating that Lamar's music was "not that inspiring" despite popular and critical acclaim.[23][24][25][26] Birdman, head of Drake's then-label Cash Money Records, stated the song was not about Lamar.[27]
In October, during a cypher performance aired on BET as part of the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards, Lamar responded with a line that was widely interpreted as a diss towards Drake: "Nothing's been the same since they dropped 'Control' and tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes".[28][29]
On December 17, 2013, a remix of Future's "Shit" featuring Drake and Juicy J was released. Hip-hop fans and outlets alike speculated Drake's verse on the remix was a diss targeted towards Lamar.[30][31] The same day, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith and Punch (both key figures at Lamar's record label Top Dawg Entertainment) posted responses on Twitter to Drake's verse disregarding the supposed disses.[32]
Two days after the track's release, Drake addressed Lamar's 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards cypher verse and "The Language" in a cover story for Vibe, mocking the idea of them being "buddy-buddy" and stating he already "stood [his] ground" in response to "Control". Nevertheless, Drake maintained that "The Language" was not targeted towards Lamar. Drake also praised Lamar as a "genius in his own right" and insisted there was "no real issue".[33][34] In June 2014, Drake posted a video on Instagram of himself rapping along to "Cut You Off (To Grow Closer)" from Lamar's 2010 mixtape Overly Dedicated.[35]
On October 29, 2014, Jay Rock released "Pay for It" featuring Lamar. The latter's verse contained lines seemingly taking shots at Drake while referencing lyrics from Drake's "The Language".[26][36] Like Drake, Lamar denied growing rumors of tensions between the two. In an interview with Dazed published on November 3, 2014, Lamar clarified: "I got no beef with Drake".[37] On November 4, 2014, Lamar made an appearance on WWPR-FM's The Breakfast Club and further defused the prospect of a 'beef' between himself and Drake: "It wasn't no issue from the jump. I think people talk about beef ... it's just a whole 'nother dynamic. I can't see myself going bar for bar with Drake. We're two different types of artists."[38]
2015–2022: Sneak disses
Despite Drake and Lamar's prior dismissals, their feud continued in the form of sneak disses (intentionally subtle diss lyrics) Billboard identified as "subtle shots fired from both sides, but nothing groundbreaking".[15] Marc Griffin, writing a timeline of the feud for Vibe in 2024, referred to this time as "the Cold War between the two men".[33]
In a list of potential sneak disses on Drake's February 2015 mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late, Brandon Caldwell for Billboard claimed "Used To" and the bonus track "6PM in New York" contained lines targeting Lamar.[39] On March 15, 2015, Lamar released his third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. The album's third single, "King Kunta", received little attention in the context of Drake and Lamar's feud until after Meek Mill accused Drake of using ghostwriters on Twitter.[40] After the accusations became public, the lines "A rapper with a ghostwriter? What the fuck happened? / I swore I wouldn't tell / But most of y'all sharing bars like you got the bottom bunk in a two-man cell" from "King Kunta" were retrospectively interpreted by multiple outlets as subliminal Drake disses from Lamar.[25][41][42] The songs "Darkside / Gone" and "Deep Water" from Dr. Dre's August 2015 studio album Compton also both featured Lamar verses with lines interpreted as Drake disses.[25][43][44]
On January 15, 2016, President Barack Obama sat down for a series of interviews conducted by YouTube influencers.[45] In one such interview, Adande "Swoozie" Thorne asked if Obama thought Drake or Lamar would win in a rap battle. Obama responded: "Got to go with Kendrick. I think Drake is an outstanding entertainer. But Kendrick — his lyrics, his last album [To Pimp a Butterfly] was outstanding. Best album, I think, last year."[46] Fifteen days later, Drake released "Summer Sixteen", dissing Obama and rapping: "Tell Obama that my verses are just like the whips that he in / They bulletproof".[47][48] Vibe's Iyana Robertson said the ensuing conversation "... reignited a debate that has been going on since the conception of [Drake and Lamar's] respective careers".[49] During a June 2016 airing of ESPN's Max and Marcellus, sportscaster Marcellus Wiley claimed there was a destroyed SportsNation interview on ESPN of either Drake or Lamar dissing the other in a way that would have "ignited [the feud] to proportions we have not seen since Ja Rule/50 [Cent], maybe even Ice Cube/N.W.A."[50] In an August 2016 interview for VladTV, Wiley stated that the alleged SportsNation interview was destroyed because the inciting rapper's team intervened.[51] On May 8, 2024, Wiley stated in his YouTube show Hydration Situation that the interview took place in 2014, with Drake as the inciting party. Wiley claimed that Drake said he was better than Lamar, which he perceived as jealousy. He also accused Drake of personally intimidating ESPN into deleting the interview.[52][53]
On March 23, 2017, Lamar released "The Heart Part 4", popularly perceived as a diss track towards Big Sean or Drake.[54][55][56] Lamar would later explicitly reference lines from "The Heart Part 4" in his 2024 Drake diss track "Euphoria", seemingly confirming the perception of the former track as a Drake diss.[57]
In May 2022, Lamar released his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. The fifth song on the album, "Father Time" (featuring Sampha), included a verse from Lamar which referenced Kanye West and Drake's brief peace[58] during their respective feud: "When Kanye got back with Drake, I was slightly confused / Guess I'm not mature as I think, got some healin' to do". The lines were reported by some outlets as possible disses toward Drake and West, though they were also interpreted as Lamar expressing surprise at Drake and West's reconciliation.[59][60] In September 2021, Joe Budden alleged Lamar dissed Drake on the song "Family Ties", released the month prior by Baby Keem and Lamar.[61]
2023–24: Direct confrontation
"First Person Shooter" and "Like That"
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In October 2023, J. Cole featured on Drake's track "First Person Shooter", a single from his album For All the Dogs. Cole suggested that he, Drake, and Lamar were part of the "big three" greatest rappers in modern hip-hop, and suggested that he was currently the best of the three.[62] The song became a smash hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[63]
Five months later, Lamar responded directly to the track and the "big three" notion in a feature on Metro Boomin and Future's song, "Like That" from their album We Don't Trust You. Lamar dissed both Cole and Drake, saying "motherfuck the big three, nigga, it's just big me".[64][65] Other tracks on We Don't Trust You were interpreted as also containing lyrical shots at Drake, with some fans speculating that the featured artists on the album were chosen for their known animosity towards Drake.[66][67][68][69]
Lamar's diss prompted Cole to release a response song, "7 Minute Drill",[70] in which he criticizes To Pimp a Butterfly.[71] In the days after, he publicly apologized onstage for releasing the song and removed it from streaming services.[70] Drake did not directly acknowledge "Like That" on tour, simply stating at one concert: "I got my head up high... and I know no matter what there's not another nigga on this Earth that could ever fuck with me".[65] On April 12, Metro Boomin and Future released a second collaborative album, We Still Don't Trust You, and on April 21, a remix of "Like That" featuring ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign); both feature more shots at Drake.[72][73]
"Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle"
On April 13, 2024, early versions of Drake's "Push Ups" were leaked online.[74] The song serves as a response to Lamar's verse on "Like That";[74] Drake claims multiple artists are better than Lamar, including 21 Savage, Travis Scott, and SZA.[75] On "Push Ups", Drake also mocks Lamar's short stature of 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 meters), and criticizes Lamar for collaborating with Taylor Swift and other pop artists.[76] In addition, Drake disses numerous other artists on "Push Ups", including Metro Boomin, Future, the Weeknd, ASAP Rocky, and Rick Ross. Shortly afterward, Ross would release a diss track against Drake entitled "Champagne Moments".[74]
On April 19, 2024, Drake officially released "Push Ups"; at the same time, he used social media to release "Taylor Made Freestyle", another diss targeted at Lamar. The song featured AI-generated vocals imitating two of Lamar's fellow West Coast rappers, Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur.[77] Shakur and Lamar had been linked ever since Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly featured extensive references to Shakur's legacy, as well as a posthumous "interview" with Shakur (pulled from a real-life interview with the rapper before his death).[78] Using the voices of both Shakur and Snoop Dogg, as well as his own voice, Drake taunts Lamar for purported cowardice over not yet having responded to "Push Ups", and claims that Lamar held back his response to the track to avoid being drowned out by the chart success of Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department.[79] On this track, Drake makes the feud's first reference to the pedophilia accusations against him, using Shakur's AI-generated voice to implore Lamar: "Talk about him liking young girls, that's a gift from me/Heard it on the Budden Podcast, it's gotta be true."[77]
The song received direct criticism from Shakur's estate, which stated disapproval of the AI-generated verse and threatened to sue Drake to pull the song from social media, citing the violation of Shakur's personality rights and the decision to diss a friend of the estate: "The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac's voice against Kendrick Lamar ... who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult."[80] "Taylor Made Freestyle" was subsequently taken down from social media by Drake on April 26, 2024 (it had only ever been posted on social media, and never shared on streaming services).[81][82]
"Euphoria" and "6:16 in LA"
On April 30, 2024, Lamar released a diss track named "Euphoria" in response to Drake.[77] The title has been interpreted as a reference to the TV show Euphoria, a show about high school students for which Drake serves as an executive producer.[75][83] Vulture described the track as Lamar showing his "pure hatred" towards Drake. In the track, Lamar criticizes Drake's parenting, saying: "I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin' 'bout that".[75] He also claims that Drake's abs were made through plastic surgery.[83]
On May 3, 2024, three days after "Euphoria", Lamar posted an Instagram Reel captioned "6:16 in LA", containing a new diss track,[84][85] similar to how Drake released "Taylor Made Freestyle".
The title parodies Drake's "[timestamp] in [city]" song series, including "9AM in Dallas", "5AM in Toronto", and "8AM in Charlotte"; speculation has surrounded the meaning of the time 6:16 in the track's title, with several meanings proposed, including the date of Father's Day 2024 and a potential reference to the Devil.[86][75][87]
The track was produced by Jack Antonoff, the producer well known for his work on many of Taylor Swift's albums, which was widely interpreted as a response to Drake's comments regarding Swift on "Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle". In the track, Lamar claims that members of Drake's camp are leaking information to him, and threatens that Drake's darkest secrets will be exposed if he does not bow out of the beef immediately.[88]
"Family Matters" and "Meet the Grahams"
On May 3, Drake released "Family Matters", a response to "Euphoria" and "6:16 in LA".[89] In the track, Drake alleges that one of Lamar's children is biologically from Dave Free, Lamar's friend and label co-founder.[71] He also claims Lamar is a domestic abuser and unfaithful in his relationship with his fiancée Whitney Alford. The track is also directed at ASAP Rocky and Metro Boomin, who collaborated with Future on the April 12 diss track "Show of Hands".[90][91][92]
As promotion for "Family Matters", Drake used Instagram to drop a short parody remix of Lamar's "Buried Alive Interlude" from Take Care in which he mentions Lamar opening for his Club Paradise Tour.[93][76][41][94]
Just twenty minutes after the release of "Family Matters", Lamar released another diss track aimed at Drake, titled "Meet the Grahams", produced by The Alchemist.[95] On the track, Lamar speaks directly to members of Drake's family, telling his son Adonis that he is sorry that his father is Drake.[75] Lamar alleges that Drake is hiding a second child (a daughter), that he is sexually attracted to minors, and that he is running a sex trafficking ring out of his mansion.[96][97][98] Lamar also disses Drake's OVO label affiliates—claiming they are sex offenders harbored by Drake—and security guard.[99][100] He predicts that Drake's mansion "is 'bout to get raided too", referring to the recent federal raids on Sean Combs' mansion as part of an unrelated investigation.[99]
Lamar revealing an alleged second child came in the context of Pusha T's 2018 diss track "The Story of Adidon", in which Pusha T publicly revealed that Drake was hiding a son named Adonis.[101][102] Drake responded to Lamar on Instagram: "Nahhhh hold on can someone find my hidden daughter pls and send her to me ... these guys are in shambles", followed by multiple laughing emojis.[75] Fans who were put off by the alleged "lie" about the hidden daughter, uploaded an edited version of the track to social media, where they edited out the third verse of "Meet the Grahams",[103] prompting Lamar and his label to file a copyright violation.[103] Charles Holmes of The Ringer wrote that with "Family Matters" and "Meet the Grahams", "the Doomsday Machine has been activated", and the feud was no longer inconsequential.[71]
"Not Like Us" and "The Heart Part 6"
On May 4, 2024, Kendrick Lamar released "Not Like Us", produced by DJ Mustard. In the track, Lamar more explicitly refers to Drake and members of his inner circle as pedophiles, saying: "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young. You better not ever go to cell block one" and referencing Drake's album Certified Lover Boy before calling Drake and his crew "certified pedophiles".[75][99] Lamar's last line of his first verse, "Tryna strike a chord, and it's probably A-minor", an allusion to the accusations of pedophilia against Drake and his crew, became a cultural meme in its own right, with fans loudly chanting the line in later performances.[104][105][106]
Several members of Drake's crew were mentioned by name in the track, including a direct reference to Baka Not Nice's prior criminal charges of sex trafficking, assault, and robbery of a 22-year-old woman he allegedly forced into prostitution in 2014. He was only convicted of an assault charge and an unrelated weapons charge.[107][108] The cover art for the track was a satellite image of Drake's mansion labeled with pins representing sexual predators.[109]
Lamar also levies other accusations against Drake in his third verse, including referring to Drake as a "colonizer", pointing out how he has frequently collaborated with (and in Lamar's view, co-opted the stylings of) Atlanta rappers despite having no roots in the city, and drawing an allusion between this pattern and the history of slavery and indentured servitude in the same region of the U.S.[110] Lamar also accuses Drake of disrespecting the Bay Area by using an A.I. version of Tupac's voice on "Taylor Made Freestyle", potentially inciting violence against him: "I think that Oakland show gon' be your last stop, nigga".[75] Lamar hints at having significant further material for criticism of Drake, including many future diss tracks already prepared.[71]
After the release of the song, on Google Maps, fans have found Drake's mansion and have labeled the house, using Google Maps' option to customize locations, as "Owned by Kendrick", as well as things like "A-Minor", referencing the first verse of "Not Like Us" and "Kendrick's Dog", which could be another reference to one of Drake's albums, For All the Dogs.[111]
On May 5, 2024, Drake released "The Heart Part 6". The title references Lamar's "The Heart" series, picking up after Lamar's critically acclaimed "The Heart Part 5".[112] In the track, Drake denies the pedophile and grooming allegations made against him.[113] He claims Lamar's accusations were based on his own trauma stemming from abuse.[100][112] The Aretha Franklin song "Prove It" is sampled, and uses Franklin's lines "Now let me see you prove it / Just let me see you prove it".[114] Drake says: "Only fuckin' with Whitneys, not Millie Bobby Browns, I'd never look twice at no teenager", referring to Drake's friendship with the actress that started when she was 14, and led to accusations on social media that Drake was grooming her.[114][113]
Drake also alleges that his inner circle fed Lamar false information about having an 11-year-old daughter, which Lamar referenced in "Meet the Grahams".[112] He continues claiming that there were cases of domestic violence in Lamar's relationship with Alford, and claimed that Lamar had not seen his children in six months.[115] Writing on social media afterwards, Drake predicted Lamar would respond shortly, saying "And we know you're dropping 6 mins after so instead of posting my address you have a lot to address".[116] "The Heart Part 6" received negative reviews from critics and fans, amassing an estimated over 1 million dislikes on YouTube.[117]
2024–present: Aftermath of direct confrontation
The Pop Out concert and "Not Like Us" music video release
In June 2024, Lamar announced a one-off concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, titled The Pop Out: Ken & Friends in reference to a lyric from "Not Like Us" ("Sometimes you gotta pop out and show niggas"). The concert was scheduled for Juneteenth, which Charlamagne tha God suggested was a dig aimed at Drake.[118] Lamar opened his part of the show with "Euphoria", which contained updated lyrics aimed at Drake's possession of Tupac Shakur's crown ring. Later in the show, Ab-Soul accompanied Lamar for the debut performance of "6:16 in LA". Lamar performed his verse on "Like That" for the first time before inviting Dr. Dre on stage. Lamar and Dre performed Dre's hits "Still D.R.E." and "California Love", the latter of which Dre had recorded with Shakur. After these two songs, Dre performed the intro to "Not Like Us" ("Pssst, I see dead people"). Lamar concluded the concert with a "Not Like Us" encore, afterwards repeating the song five more times while dancing on stage with colleagues and members of many Los Angeles street gangs, including the Crips and Bloods, before taking a group photo onstage.[119]
The music video for "Not Like Us" was released on July 4, 2024, in celebration of American Independence Day,[120] at approximately 3 p.m. PT,[121] after four still images from the clip were leaked to social media the day before.[122][123] Dave Free and Lamar directed it, and Charm La'Donna handled the choreography and is also credited as the associate producer.[124] The video features cameos from Tommy the Clown and NBA star DeMar DeRozan (a Compton native and former star of Drake's hometown Toronto Raptors who is mentioned by name in the track),[120][125] and is set in Lamar's hometown of Compton, California.[124] By the morning after, the video had reached over 13 million views on YouTube.[126] CNN and NME noted widespread anticipation for the video up to its release.[127][128] Numerous publications and websites called it another victory lap for Lamar in his feud with Drake.[note 2] The video discredited many allegations and claims that Drake had used to diss Lamar with the appearance of his family dancing happily in the video, as well as the video credits reading "Directed by Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar".[120][124] It was called a moment of re-ignition of the feud,[134] and was seen as Lamar's "knockout punch" against Drake.[135]
Concert cancellations at History
Schoolboy Q was set to commence his Blue Lips Weekends concert tour, in support of his sixth studio album Blue Lips (2024), on July 18, 2024, at History in Toronto.[136] The music venue was established in 2021 through a creative partnership between Drake and Live Nation Entertainment.[137] On the evening prior to opening night, Schoolboy Q announced that the sold-out concert was unexpectedly cancelled.[138] He blamed the cancellation on Drake and Lamar's feud, citing his longtime friendship with Lamar, and claimed the Toronto Police Service prohibited artists from Top Dawg Entertainment from performing in the city due to safety concerns.[139] The police agency dismissed rumors of their involvement, saying the decision to cancel the performance was made solely by History.[138]
On July 29, 2024, DJ Scheme played "Not Like Us" at History during his opening set for Ski Mask the Slump God.[140] The two artists taunted Drake and gloated over the move with Schoolboy Q on social media.[141] Sir, who is also signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and has close associations with Lamar, announced the following day that his sold-out concert at History was also cancelled.[142]
Drake comments and legal actions against UMG
On November 25, 2024, Drake appeared on a Kick livestream with Canadian streamer xQc, describing himself as "fully intact, mind, body, and soul" and remarking that "you need facts to take me out, fairy tales won't do it".[143] He also sent additional jabs at the Weeknd and Steve Lacy; the latter and Lamar reacted to the stream with amusement.[144][145] On the same day, Drake filed a petition against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify alleging they violated the RICO Act by using illegal tactics to boost streams for "Not Like Us".[146] UMG responded the same day, denying the allegations and stating that "no amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear".[147] On November 26, Drake filed another petition against UMG, alleging defamation and a "pay-to-play" scheme between UMG and iHeartRadio.[148]
On December 20, 2024, Spotify released opposition papers in response to the original petition, denying allegations of "any arrangement" between themselves and UMG.[149] Drake's legal representation responded the same day, stating Spotify and UMG "should be perfectly fine complying with this basic discovery request" if they have "nothing to hide".[150]
On January 15, 2025, Drake filed a lawsuit against UMG for defamation; Lamar was not included as a defendant.[151] On March 17, 2025, UMG filed a motion to dismiss Drake's lawsuit.[152]
New releases and return to indirect conflict
In September 2024, shortly after being announced as the halftime show musical guest for the upcoming Super Bowl, Lamar dropped his first track following the beef, an untitled Instagram-only release known colloquially as "Watch the Party Die" after its refrain; the song did not mention Drake, and was interpreted as an attempt to reshape the narrative from the beef towards Lamar's broader goals of shifting hip-hop away from glorifying luxury and the celebrity lifestyle (symbolized by Drake) and towards lyricism and music with a deeper meaning.[153][154][155]
Lamar followed up this teaser track with a new studio album, GNX, that autumn. The album did not directly mention Drake, nor did it feature any of that spring's diss tracks; however, many of its songs, particularly the opening track "Wacced Out Murals", were interpreted as containing reflections on the feud and further indirect shots at Drake.[156][157][158] Lamar also included a track on the album entitled "Heart Pt. 6", reusing the title that Drake had earlier claimed for his feud-ending track.[159]
On January 3, 2025, producer Conductor Williams, who had previously produced with Drake on For All the Dogs, posted and then took down a link to a Drake freestyle dubbed "Fighting Irish Freestyle".[160] Drake addresses the feud in the freestyle and, according to many commentators, takes shots at LeBron James.[161][162][163][164] James, whom Drake was formerly friends with and even has a tattoo of, attended Lamar's Pop Out concert and has been seen dancing to "Not Like Us".[162][163][164][165] Other lyrics in the song were read as targeting UMG, DeMar DeRozan, and Lil Wayne.[166][167] The song received mixed reactions from critics, with HipHopDX writing that "after retreating in his beef with Kendrick following the underwhelming reception to 'The Heart Part 6', the tough talk just feels empty".[168]
67th Annual Grammy Awards
"Not Like Us" was nominated in five different categories at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video) and won all of them.[169] It became only the second rap song ever to win in the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories, generally considered the Grammys' most prestigious awards for performance and songwriting in an individual song, respectively.[170]
Though Lamar did not mention Drake in his victory speeches, instead dedicating them to the city of Los Angeles (which had recently been impacted by the January 2025 wildfires), his outfit at the ceremony – a denim top along with denim pants, known as a "Canadian tuxedo" – was seen as a playful jab at the Canadian-born Drake.[171] The Grammys audience, including numerous celebrities, could be heard singing along to "Not Like Us" and its "A Minor" line as it played while Lamar entered to accept his awards.[105]
Super Bowl LIX halftime show
On September 8, 2024, Lamar was announced as the headlining act for the February 2025 Super Bowl LIX halftime show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. In the video announcing his selection, Lamar said "You know it's only one opportunity to win a championship. No round twos", which was interpreted as a shot against Drake, who posted a few weeks before that "we will win Game 2".[172][173][174] Speculation arose as to whether he would incorporate "Not Like Us" into his performance.[175][176] Justin Sayles of The Ringer called the halftime performance announcement as the capstone of a year that had seen Lamar "ascend to the highest levels" of popular culture, and seen Drake "sink to the lowest levels" of his career.[177]
Lamar performed "Euphoria" and "Not Like Us" during the show. He also wore a chain with a lowercase "a" on it, which was either referencing pgLang or the musical chord A minor (which also references the phrase popularised by the latter track).[178] In an interlude during the middle of the set, Lamar teased the latter song and alluded to Drake's litigation by quipping "I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue", which was followed by a brief audio clip of the song's introduction.[179] In another interlude after performing "All the Stars" towards the end of the set, he said "they tried to rig the game but you can't fake influence", then launched into "Not Like Us".[180] Lamar looked directly into the camera with a smile when he rapped "Say Drake, I hear you like 'em young". The lyric including the word "pedophile" was censored, but the audience could be heard shouting the lyric "tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor" along with him a few lines later.[181]
Professional tennis player Serena Williams, who shares Lamar's hometown of Compton, made a cameo appearance as a dancer doing a crip walk during "Not Like Us",[182][183] a reference to Williams performing a similar dance after her victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics, for which she faced some criticism. Williams's appearance was also received as a diss towards Drake, whom she was rumored to have dated several years earlier.[184][185][186]
The critical response to the performance was positive. Lisa Respers France of CNN called "Not Like Us" the star of the halftime performance, while Maria Sherman of the Associated Press called Lamar performing the song on the biggest stage in U.S. sports a few days after it swept the Grammy Awards "another step in Lamar's continued victory lap".[181][187]
$ome $exy $ongs 4 U and "Gimme a Hug"
On February 14, 2025, less than one week after Lamar's Super Bowl performance, Drake released a collaborative album with PartyNextDoor titled $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. This was Drake's first major release in nearly one year following the beef.[188] Drake had previously stated that he would minimize the beef in the album; however, the track "Gimme a Hug" contained a verse that was widely interpreted as being about the beef.[189] In the track, Drake touts his resilience despite many fans' desire to see his career ended, says he wants to "get the party lit" (a likely reference to Lamar's "Watch the Party Die" track from September 2024), and makes an indirect diss at his view that Lamar's music is too cerebral to party to, saying it would have "girls...twerking with a dictionary".[189] Around the same time, Drake wore a shirt with bullet holes in it to symbolize his resilience around the beef while on tour in Australia.[106]
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Commentary
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Perspective
Celebrity and media reactions
Drake has been supported by Birdman, Azealia Banks, 50 Cent, the Game, DJ Akademiks, Adin Ross and Juelz Santana, among others.[note 4] Lamar has been supported by Metro Boomin, Future, Pusha T, Kanye West, The Weeknd, ASAP Rocky, Rick Ross, Serena Williams, Joe Budden and Jay Rock, among others.[note 5]
HotNewHipHop referred to Metro Boomin as being a major part of the feud.[92][207] In "Push Ups", Drake directly dismisses Metro's involvement in the feud with the line "Metro, shut your ho ass up and make some drums, nigga".[208] On "Family Matters", Drake targeted Metro Boomin again, saying one of Metro's friends had sex with his girlfriend.[92] On May 5, Metro responded to Drake's claim, saying: "what we not gon do is spread lies and have my loved ones involved nobody ever hit [had sex with] my girl nigga".[92] He also posted the image of Drake in blackface that had been used for the cover of "The Story of Adidon".[92][209]
Boosie Badazz criticized both Lamar and Drake and their respective fanbases over the feud, expressing that the feud undermines their careers and respective contributions to the genre.[210] Kurupt, Ice Cube, and Questlove echoed similar sentiments, with Kurupt saying "Life is precious, my nigga. So if y'all ain't gonna fight, stop it...".[211][212][213] The feud was also criticized by Stevie Wonder and Macklemore for overshadowing ongoing international conflicts, with the latter releasing the pro-Palestinian song "Hind's Hall", containing the line "I want a ceasefire, fuck a response from Drake".[214][215] Singer Sheryl Crow criticized Drake's use of AI in "Taylor Made Freestyle," saying: "It's hateful. It is antithetical to the life force that exists in all of us."[6]
Outside of the music community, the feud attracted numerous reactions from various celebrities. Actress Uma Thurman jokingly offered her Kill Bill costume to Drake for his feud with Lamar and other rappers.[216] Former wrestler and current WWE producer Shawn Michaels, whose Sweet Chin Music finishing move was mentioned in "Not Like Us", invited the pair to settle their feud on NXT.[217] Tennis star Naomi Osaka claimed that in her opinion, Lamar is winning the feud, and that she used "Not Like Us" in coming out to the court before beating Clara Burel at the Italian Open.[218] After defeating Canada in the 2024 Copa América semifinals, the Argentine national football team posted images with "Not Like Us" emblazoned above a photo of the team, a jab at Drake for betting $300,000 on the Canadian team.[219] The feud was referenced on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment.[220] Professional basketball players Stephen Curry and LeBron James, who were both mentioned in "Meet the Grahams", discussed the frequent usage of "Not Like Us" after a Team USA basketball match. Curry said "it's not the only song in America" while James said he loves the song, while agreeing that "we gotta get something else."[221] Curry later said in an interview with GQ that he's still a 'big Drake guy'.[222][223]
"BBL Drizzy" beat giveaway
On May 5, 2024, Metro Boomin started a contest where he would give a free beat and $10,000 to whoever recorded the best diss against Drake over a semi-instrumental track called "BBL Drizzy", whose chorus is based on the rumor that Drake has had a Brazilian butt lift. The song samples an AI generated R&B parody song evocative of 1970s music created by comedic performer King Willonius.[224] The instrumental received more than 3.3 million streams on SoundCloud within a week and managed to maintain the number one spot on the platform's "New and Hot" chart.[225] The track also drew responses on social media, with celebrities and internet personalities including Elon Musk, Dr. Miami, and more reacting.[226] In addition to freestyle raps, users also recreated the song beyond hip hop to house, merengue and Bollywood styles.[227][228][225] Some also created covers of the song on a variety of musical instruments, including saxophone, guitar and harp.[228][225]
Analysis
According to The Ringer, the feud has been considered the "last great rap beef", with Holmes asserting that "[I]n terms of size, scale, and capital, we're witnessing the last rap beef of this magnitude."[71] Multiple commentators, including Todd Boyd, compared the feud to the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry from the 1990s,[229][230] which culminated with the drive-by shooting deaths of both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. in 1996 and 1997, respectively.[231] The feud was also considered a debate about the future of the genre and its culture, specifically in regards towards its commercial appeal and authenticity; an MSNBC article drew parallels to the feud between Jay-Z and Nas.[232] Likening the feud to literary debates, The Independent's Ryan Coogan opined that the two rappers' poetic talents had elevated their conflict from celebrity gossip to art. He further claimed that the feud "has caused both men to dig deep and produce some of their best work in years".[233] Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork labeled the feud "the most miserable spectacle in rap history", calling it a "disinformation campaign that has turned rap's all-time biggest beef into a messy, confusing conflict that, at its core, is nothing but ugly" and stated it "doesn't even sound like rap beef anymore, but the death knell of an entire era", specifically noting both the severity of the accusations leveled against the parties involved and how the feud had been received on social media in light of those accusations.[41]
Among other beefs in 2024, the feud has also been regarded as an example of social media's influence in shifting the nature of rap beefs. In an NBC News article, Howard University professor Tia Tyree compared the past release of diss tracks on radio and CD to the instantaneous nature of social media releases. The prevalence of Stan culture was also noted as a factor in the feud.[234] Holmes noted that unlike Drake's leverage of meme culture in his feud against Meek Mill, he was at a disadvantage compared to Lamar's less accessible nature on the internet.[71]
Both artists received criticism for their use of women and family members as "punchlines" in their respective diss tracks.[71][234] The Ringer argued hypocrisy in both parties' messaging, stating that Drake, who went after Lamar for allegedly abusing women, had shouted out Chris Brown on "Family Matters" and posted his support on social media of Tory Lanez, both of whom had been arrested for domestic violence.[71][235][236] Similarly, Lamar was accused of hypocrisy for attacking Drake for allegedly being a sexual predator, despite featuring Kodak Black on his last studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers after Kodak had previously taken a plea deal in a first-degree criminal sexual assault case.[71] In addition, criticism resurfaced of Lamar's label head, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, threatening to remove Lamar's catalogue from Spotify in 2018, in opposition to Spotify announcing they would remove XXXTentacion's and R. Kelly's songs from official playlists after the two artists were accused of various forms of domestic and sexual abuse.[237][238][239]
UMG, the label of both Lamar and Drake, denied rumors that they had been mediating an end to the feud.[240]
Verdict
By early May 2024, various music outlets such as Pitchfork,[41] The Ringer,[71] and Rolling Stone[241] cited Lamar as winning in the feud. An Insider article claimed that both music critics and social media users conceded Lamar as the victor.[83] However, Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork avowed that Lamar's victory was "pyrrhic",[41] while Charles Holmes for The Ringer similarly claimed Lamar was in the lead despite the victory feeling hollow.[71] The Roots drummer Questlove condemned both for engaging in "wrestling match level mudslinging", opining that neither can reasonably be considered to have emerged victorious, concluding, "Hip Hop truly is dead."[213][242] Other writers took a contrary view, arguing that the feud was a net positive for hip-hop. Yemi Abiade of BBC News said the feud "entertained the entire world, enhancing the legacies of two generational rap artists" and claimed that "rap music wins, yet again".[243] Laurence Ralph wrote in The New York Times that the winners were both Kendrick Lamar and old-school hip hop.[244]
With the release of Lamar's "Not Like Us" music video, numerous critics and publications recognized Lamar as the victor of the feud.[note 3] In September 2024, a New Yorker article about the feud opened with the line "Has there ever been as clear a loser as Drake?"[246] After the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, NPR headlined an article with "Almost a year after the battle, Kendrick Lamar has won the war."[247]
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Full song chronology
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Notes
- "First Person Shooter" premiered with the release of For All the Dogs on October 6 and was subsequently released as a single on October 31.
- "Like That" premiered with the release of We Don't Trust You on March 22 and was subsequently released as a single on March 26.
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