Relationships and conflicts can arise and change fast in the hip-hop industry, frequently driven by artistic disagreements, personal dynamics, or competitive spirit.
With a long history of critically praised albums, top-charting singles, and devoted fan bases, Drake and Kendrick Lamar are both regarded as two of the most important and successful musicians in the genre. Though they have previously worked together, most notably on songs like “Poetic Justice” and “Buried Alive Interlude,” they also have own identities and soundscapes in the hip-hop scene.
There have already been subtly critical comments and competitive exchanges between the two, notably Kendrick’s verse on Big Sean’s “Control,” in which he singled out Drake and other of his contemporaries, sparking rumors of possible hostilities between them. But usually speaking, these kinds of incidents have been seen as a part of hip-hop’s competitive culture rather than as direct criticism.
In a number of interviews, both musicians have shown their mutual admiration for one another’s abilities. Drake has praised Kendrick’s lyrics and creative vision, while Kendrick has acknowledged Drake’s financial success and influence on the genre. Though fans could conjecture that they are getting into a fight, it’s important to treat such reports carefully and understand that rivalries and alliances in hip-hop are ephemeral and dynamic.
The Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud is a continuous musical rivalry between American rapper Kendrick Lamar and Canadian rapper Drake. March 2024 saw an increase in hostilities following the release of Future and Metro Boomin’s song “Like That,” which featured Lamar.
2011 saw their debut collaboration on Drake’s album Take Care; a year later, they worked together again on Lamar’s album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. Later on Big Sean’s 2013 song “Control,” Lamar called Drake and a number of other rappers out, claiming he wants to “murder” them in the music industry. He made clear that he meant for his verse to be seen as “friendly competition”.
On the song “First Person Shooter” off Drake’s album For All the Dogs, J. Cole suggested in 2023 that he, Drake, and Lamar were the “Big Three” of hip hop. He then said he felt like Muhammad Ali, suggesting that he considered himself to be the best of the “Big Three.” March 2024 saw the resurgence of the dispute after Lamar rejected the idea of a “Big Three” and disparaged Cole and Drake on the song “Like That”. Cole next retaliated against Lamar on the trash song “7 Minute Drill,” for which he later apologised and had it taken off of streaming networks.
Then in April, Drake dropped the singles “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” the latter of which featured Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur’s AI-generated voices. Later, after Drake was threatened with legal action and Shakur’s estate voiced their displeasure of the song, “Taylor Made Freestyle” was removed from social media. Responding, Lamar dropped the singles “Euphoria” on April 30 and “6:16 in LA” on May 3. Later that day, Drake retaliated with “Family Matters,” charging Lamar of being a domestic abuser and claiming that Dave Free fathered one of Lamar’s kids. Lamar dropped “Meet the Grahams” twenty minutes later, accusing Drake of being a sexual predator and fathering another child in secret. The next evening, Lamar dropped “Not Like Us”; Drake answered with “The Heart Part 6” on May 5, disputing Lamar’s charges and saying his staff had misled him about the secret child.
First Person Shooter and “Like That”
Articles of main Song titles: Like That (with Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar) and First Person Shooter
On Drake’s “First Person Shooter” in October 2023, J. Cole declared that he, Drake, and Lamar comprised the “Big Three” best rappers in contemporary hip-hop. On his song “Like That” with Metro Boomin and Future, Lamar responded negatively to the idea of the “Big Three” in March 2024, mocking Cole and Drake and rhyming “motherfuck the big three, nigga, it’s just big me”.No. 26Page 27 Cole responded to the diss with a song called “7 Minute Drill,”[28] in which he attacked Lamar’s 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly.29 Days later, though, he took the song off of streaming services and publicly apologized on stage for distributing it.On tour, Drake did not specifically mention “Like That”; instead, he said at one performance, “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”.At thirty
“Push Ups” and “Freestyle Taylor Made”
Key articles: Taylor Made Freestyle and Push Ups (musical)
Drake’s “Push Ups” had early recordings released online on April 13, 2024.30 The song responds to Lamar’s verse on “Like That”;[31] Drake says 21 Savage, Travis Scott, and SZA are among the musicians who are better than Lamar.32 It also makes fun of Metro Boomin, Future, the Weeknd, and Rick Ross for standing with Drake following the release of Lamar’s song.No. 31 It also plays on Lamar’s 5’5″ height and contrasts it with his assertions of being the “Big Stepper.”Exit 33 Ross dropped “Champagne Moments” on April 15 in reaction to the leaked versions of the “Push Ups” insult.No. 31 Drake released “Push Ups” formally on April 19.[34]
Drake dropped “Taylor Made Freestyle,” another jab at Lamar, the same day “Push Ups” was officially published. Artificial intelligence produced vocals for the song mimicked those of Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.39 “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,” said Shakur’s estate, which also threatened Drake with having the song removed from social media due to a breach of Shakur’s personality rights.39 Drake further charges Lamar of not answering “Push Ups” because Lamar did not want to prevent Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, from reaching a higher chart position; Drake also chastised Lamar for working with Swift and other pop musicians. Drake then deleted “Taylor Made Freestyle” on April 26, 2024.37#38
6:16 in LA and “Euphoria”
main articles: 6:16 in Los Angeles and the Kendrick Lamar song Euphoria
Lamar responded to Drake on April 30, 2024, with the diss tune “Euphoria”.37 The TV series Drake is an executive producer of is called Euphoria.32Regarding 33 Vulture called the song Lamar expressing his “pure hatred” for Drake. Lamar berates Drake’s parenting on the song, stating, “I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin’ ’bout that”.[32] He also says Drake had plastic surgery to get his abs.. 33
Three days following “Euphoria” on May 3, 2024, Lamar uploaded an Instagram reel with the title “6:16 in LA” that included a new diss song.[41] somewhat like Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” The title mocks Drake’s songs “[timestamp] in [city]” such as “8AM in Charlotte”.41 Jack Antonoff, the producer of Taylor Swift, also produced the song; Vulture assumed this was a nod to Drake’s remarks on “Taylor Made Freestyle”.30 Fans conjectured that the glove on the cover alludes to the glove shown as evidence during O.J. Simpson’s murder trial, and the title alludes to June 16, Nicole Brown Simpson’s funeral day, and the date the case was submitted.Chapter 43 The single came out a few weeks after April 10, 2024, O.J. Simpson passed away.Page 44
Together with “Meet the Grahams”
Main pages: Meet the Grahams and Family Matters (song)
Drake responded to “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA” with the release of “Family Matters” on May 3.Page 45 Drake claims on the tune that Lamar’s friend and label co-founder Dave Free is the biological father of one of Lamar’s children.29 Along with that, he says Lamar is a domestic abuser and unfaithful to Whitney Alford, his fiancée. Additionally targeted by the song are Metro Boomin and ASAP Rocky, who worked with Future on the April 12 diss single “Show of Hands”.Page 461947[48] Drake also released a quick spoof remix of “Buried Alive Interlude” together with “Family Matters” on Instagram.[49]
Twenty minutes after that, Lamar dropped “Meet the Grahams,” another diss track directed at Drake.[50] Speaking directly to Drake’s family on the tune, Lamar apologizes to Drake’s son Adonis for being his father.30 Lamar claims Drake is operating a sex trafficking ring out of his mansion, that he is sexually drawn to youngsters, and that he is harboring a second child—a daughter.[51]1952[…] 53 Lamar also takes shots at security guards and Drake’s OVO label affiliates, saying they are sex criminals that Drake is harboring.Chapter 54[55] He says Drake’s estate “is ’bout to get raided too,” alluding to the recent FBI searches on Sean Combs’ estate as part of an unconnected probe.Page 54
Pusha T’s 2018 diss song “The Story of Adidon,” in which Pusha T publicly disclosed Drake was hiding a son called Adonis, was the backdrop against which Lamar disclosed an alleged second child.The 56thNo. 56 Drake replied to Lamar on Instagram, “Nahhhh wait on, can someone find my secret daughter pls and deliver her to me…These folks are in disarray,” he said, then added many laughing emojis.[32] With “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” Charles Holmes of The Ringer claimed, “the Doomsday Machine has been activated” and the rivalry was no longer unimportant.September 29
The Heart Part 6 and “Not Like Us”
Articles main: The Heart Part 6 and Not Like Us (musical)
On May 4, 2024, Kendrick Lamar dropped “Not Like Us”. Saying, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one, Lamar more directly calls Drake and others in his close circle pedophiles in the song.[32][54] In the lyric “Baka got a weird case, why is he around?” Drake’s security team member Baka is referred to his arrest and 2014 charges of “sex trafficking, assault, and robbery of a 22 year old woman he allegedly forced into prostitution”. All he was found guilty of were assault and an unconnected weapons offense.At number 58 Lamar also implies to having produced other future diss tracks and claims that adopting an A.I. imitation of Tupac’s voice would offend Drake in the Bay Area: “I think that Oakland show gon’ be your last stop, nigga”[32].[29] A satellite photo of Drake’s estate with pins standing in for sexual predators served as the track’s cover art.59
On May 5, 2024, Drake released “The Heart Part 6”. Picking on from Lamar’s critically acclaimed “The Heart Part 5” series, the title makes homage to it.[60] Drake disputes in the track the accusations of grooming and pedophilia leveled against him.[61] He says Lamar’s charges were motivated by his own abuse-related anguish.1955[60] The words “Now let me see you prove it / Just let me see you prove it” are taken from the Aretha Franklin song “Prove It”.At 62 Referring to his association with the actress, which began when she was 14 and sparked claims on social media that Drake was grooming her, Drake sings, “Only fuckin’ with Whitneys, not Millie Bobby Browns, I’d never look twice at no teenager”.The 62ndPage 61
Drake also said that Lamar was misled by his inner circle about having an 11-year-old daughter, a statement Lamar made in “Meet the Grahams”.[…] He said Lamar had not seen his kids in six months and that there had been instances of domestic abuse in his relationship with Alford.Page 63 Drake then anticipated Lamar would reply on social media, writing, “And we know you’re dropping 6 mins after so instead of posting my address you have a lot to address.”[64]