For the past few weeks, the internet has been captivated by the ongoing feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake (Aubrey Graham). Social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram are overflowing with memes, lyric analysis, and updates about the conflict. Liberty students have also been invested in this ongoing dispute. Many, however, are unclear on the extent of the drama and the long history behind the feud.
Prior to 2013, the rappers were on relatively good terms, with Lamar being featured on Drake’s album “Take Care” in November of 2011. Following this, Drake invited Lamar to open for him on his 2012 Club Paradise tour. The two collaborated twice more, first on A$AP Rocky’s “F-kin’ Problems” and later on “Poetic Justice” for Lamar’s debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d. city.”
Aug. 2013 – Lamar is featured on Big Sean’s “Control” where he disses Drake and other big names in the rap industry, including J. Cole, Meek Mill, Tyler, The Creator, and Mac Miller. In the song, Lamar raps, “I got love for you all but I’m tryna murder you… Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you.”
Dec. 2013 – In an interview with Vibe, Drake expressed that he felt he was being “baited” into a conflict with Lamar.
“I think he’s a f–king genius in his own right, but I also stood my ground as I should… I have to realize I’m being baited and I’m not gonna fall. Jordan doesn’t have to play pickup to prove that he could play ball, no offense. But I’m not gonna give you the chance to shake me necessarily, ’cause I feel great. There’s no real issue,” said Drake in the interview.
Oct. 2023 – Drake and J. Cole collaborate on “First Person Shooter” where they attempt to establish the “big three” of rap as themselves and Lamar, saying, “Love when they argue the hardest MC/ Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?/ We the big three like we started a league.”
March 22, 2024 – Lamar is featured on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” where he denounces the “big three” of him, Cole, and Drake, saying, “Motherf–k” the big three, …it’s just big me.”
Two days later on a tour stop in Florida, Drake denounced Lamar, saying that he was not shaken by Lamar’s attacks, saying, “I got my f-king head up high.”
April 5, 2024 – Cole is the first to respond to “Like That” with his diss track titled “7 Minute Drill.” The track took jabs at Lamar’s short stature and sporadic release schedule. Cole later took down the track and apologized to Lamar, saying it did not “sit right” with him.
April 19, 2024 – Drake releases his diss track “Push Ups” to streaming services where he mocks Lamar’s height and foot size. He also releases “Taylor Made Freestyle” on social media where he used AI-generated vocals from Snoop Dogg and the late rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur’s estate immediately threatened legal action for the “unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality.”
April 30, 2024 – Lamar releases “Euphoria,” packed full of insults and attacks on Drake. Lamar disses Drake’s public perception, alleged plastic surgery, hip-hop merits, standing as a father, and Black identity. The track progressively gets more aggressive and personal as the song progresses, elevating the feud to its highest point.
May 3, 2024 – Lamar follows “Euphoria” with another diss track titled “6:16 in LA” where he claims that people inside Drake’s circle of friends and employees are working against him. “Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me?” says Kendrick in the song, about Drake’s record label OVO Sound.
Later in the day, Drake fires back with his diss track “Family Matters” where he accuses Lamar of domestic abuse and infidelity in his relationship with Whitney Alford.
May 4, 2024 – Following “Family Matters,” Lamar responds with “Meet the Grahams,” in which he takes shots at Drake’s role as a father. Lamar calls out Drake’s previous denial of his son Adonis and claims that Drake is hiding a secret daughter. Lamar also accuses Drake of cosmetic body modifications including plastic surgery and weight loss drugs.
“Dear Adonis, I’m sorry that that man is your father, let me be honest/ It takes a man to be a man, your dad is not responsive,” says Lamar in the song.
On the same day, Lamar also releases “Not Like Us” where he claims that Drake is a pedophile, referencing Drake’s album “Certified Lover Boy.”
“Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young/ You better not ever go to cell block one… certified lover boy, certified pedophile,” says Lamar in “Not Like Us.”
These allegations against Drake of inappropriate behavior have surfaced prior to “Not Like Us” following his controversial friendships with young celebrities Millie Bobby Brown and Kylie Jenner.
May 5, 2024 – Drake refutes these allegations in his rebuttal “The Heart Pt. 6,” the title referencing Lamar’s previous work, the “Heart” franchise. In “The Heart Pt. 6” Drake says that he baited Lamar into believing false information about his alleged daughter, saying in the song, “We plotted for a week and then we fed you the information/ A daughter that’s 11 years old, I bet he takes it.”
The track was not well-received and has since surpassed over one million dislikes on YouTube.
As this drama continues to unfold, all eyes are on Drake and Lamar.
