Drake vs Kendrick Lamar is the largest beef in latest rap historical past. It’s a struggle that’s gone miles past the same old lyrical martial artistry, although there has actually been loads of that. It has spurred a number of court docket actions and a shocking riot in opposition to their shared report label. It spawned a music that simply gained two of the large 4 Grammys and can nearly actually be carried out on the Tremendous Bowl this weekend.
It wasn’t at all times this fashion. They as soon as have been collaborators: On Drake’s 2011 monitor “Buried Alive Interlude,” on Lamar’s 2012 launch “Poetic Justice,” and on A$AP Rocky’s “(Expletive) ’ Problems” that very same 12 months.
It didn’t final lengthy. In 2013, the Pulitzer Prize winner Lamar was featured on Huge Sean’s “Control,” wherein he known as out a slew of latest rappers together with J. Cole, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Huge Sean himself and Drake.
“I got love for you all, but I’m trying to murder you,” he rapped. “Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you.”
Drake responded in a Billboard cowl story, saying “Kendrick’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform.” Lamar took one other jab simply afterward, on the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
The rappers launched occasional disses at one another within the following years. Drake beefed with different performers, most infamously Pusha T in 2018, the place the latter rapper dropped “The Story of Adidon,” revealing Drake is a father.
In October 2023, J. Cole might have by chance reignited the meat on “First Person Shooter” with Drake. He rapped “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?” referencing Lamar and Drake’s beginning identify, Aubrey Graham.
Then, simply over a 12 months in the past, it exploded exponentially. Right here’s a timeline of the foremost developments. It must be famous that diss tracks between rappers usually embody exaggerated truths and unsubstantiated rumors for dramatic impact.
March 22: Lamar disses Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That”
“The big three,” Lamar raps, calling again to J. Cole, “It’s just big me.”
He references Drake’s 2023 album “For All the Dogs,” and likewise compares himself to Prince and Drake to Michael Jackson: “Prince outlived Mike Jack.”
April 13: Drake’s “Push Ups” leaks
Drake’s response leaks. “You ain’t in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down,” he raps. (SZA would later be introduced as Lamar’s Tremendous Bowl collaborator.)
April 24: Drake responds with a second, AI-assisted diss monitor and pulls in Taylor Swift
Drake’s second diss monitor used synthetic intelligence expertise to incorporate verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg, two of Lamar’s influences. In his personal verse, Drake accuses Lamar of delaying his response monitor due to the upcoming launch of Taylor Swift ‘s “The Tortured Poets Department.” (Lamar collaborated with Swift on “Bad Blood.”)
Tupac’s property threatened to sue Drake in response, so he eliminated the music from his social channels.
April 30: Lamar hits again with a virtually six-and-a-half-minute monitor, “Euphoria”
That is the place it will get extra sophisticated. Lamar’s “Euphoria” hits like an opus, unleashing a slew of allegations in opposition to Drake. He comes after Drake’s expertise as a rapper, use of AI, look, racial identification, and parenting.
“I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin’ ’bout that,” Lamar raps.
The title is a reference to the HBO sequence “Euphoria,” of which Drake is an government producer.
Might 3: Lamar drops a follow-up, “6:16 in LA”
In Lamar’s subsequent diss, titled after a time and site like Drake is wont to do, Lamar targets the corporate Drizzy retains. “Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me? / Fake bully, I hate bullies,” he raps, referencing Drake’s report label. “You must be a terrible person.”
Based on Billboard, the music was produced by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff — the latter notably Swift’s longtime producer. It samples Al Inexperienced’s “What a Wonderful Thing Love Is,” on which certainly one of Drake’s relations performed guitar.
Might 3: Drake launches “Family Matters”
Drake hits again with a music video and a virtually eight-minute response, wherein he alleges abuse and infidelity in Lamar’s relationship along with his fiancée.
Might 4: Lamar responds with “Meet the Grahams”
Nearly instantly afterward, Lamar addresses Drake’s son in “Meet the Grahams:” “I’m sorry that man is your father.” Lamar additionally addresses Drake’s dad and mom, and “a baby girl,” alleging Drake has a secret daughter.
He additionally labels Drake a “predator,” with out elaborating.
Might 4: Lower than 24 hours later, Lamar drops “Not Like Us”
Lamar doubles down, releasing “Not Like Us,” produced by DJ Mustard.
“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one,” Lamar raps.
It might later attain stratospheric ranges for a diss monitor.
Might 5: Drake softens his blows on “The Heart Part 6”
Referencing Lamar’s “The Heart” sequence, Drake drops “The Heart Part 6.” Within the music “Prove It,” Drake challenges Lamar’s allegations, doubles down on his personal in opposition to him, and says that he doesn’t have a secret daughter.
He sounds notably torpid on the music — doubtlessly taking a remaining bow with verses like, “You know, at least your fans are gettin’ some raps out of you / I’m happy I could motivate you.”
Might 18: ‘Not Like Us’ hits No. 1
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” goes to No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100. It is going to spend two weeks on the spot, 38 weeks on the chart, and finish turn into the 12 months’s No. 6 music. It might additionally do stratospheric streaming numbers, ending 2024 atop Apple Music’s international music chart.
June 19: A hometown victory lap for Lamar
Lamar takes a de facto victory lap along with his Juneteenth “Pop Out” live performance on the Discussion board in Los Angeles. He performs “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA,” then is joined by Dr. Dre.
The 2 West Coast titans carry out “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love” earlier than Dre quiets the roaring crowd. He then delivers the “Sixth Sense” quote that opens “Not Like Us”: “I see dead people.”
A crowd of 17,000 together with The Weeknd, LeBron James, Ayo Edebiri and Rick Ross rap alongside to each phrase. Lamar restarts it twice after the primary verse and performs it 4 occasions in full.
September 9: Lamar heading to the Tremendous Bowl
Lamar is introduced because the halftime headliner on the Feb. 9 Tremendous Bowl on the Superdome in New Orleans. SZA is later introduced as a visitor performer, earlier than the 2 tour collectively this spring.
November 8: Lamar racks up Grammy nominations for Drake diss tracks
Lamar is nominated for seven Grammys, all of them for Drake diss tracks. Two are for “Like That,” the Metro Boomin’ collaboration, and 5 are for “Not Like Us,” together with nods for report of the 12 months and music of the 12 months.
November 25: Drake broadens the meat to courts and label
After months of relative silence, Drake takes the struggle to court docket, and takes the meat to a different degree. He alleges in a New York submitting that Common Music Group — the mum or dad label for each him and Lamar — pumped up the recognition of “Not Like Us” on Spotify and different streaming companies. The submitting is a precursor to a possible lawsuit that calls for the 2 corporations protect paperwork.
UMG calls the allegations within the submitting “offensive and untrue.” Spotify didn’t publicly reply however has broadly denied assertions that its streaming figures are or may be inflated.
On the identical day, Drake broadcasts that he’ll tour Australia for the primary time in eight years, beginning on the day Lamar performs on the Tremendous Bowl.
November 26: Drake strikes in court docket once more
Drake strikes once more, this time in a Texas court docket, the place he goals on the radio play for “Not Like Us.” His submitting, one other lawsuit precursor, alleges UMG conspired with iHeartMedia, the largest proprietor of radio stations within the U.S., to inflate performs and numbers for the monitor.
iHeartMedia didn’t reply to a request for remark from The Related Press on the time, and didn’t instantly reply to a brand new request for a response.
January 15: Drake drops the large authorized bomb
Drake makes his main authorized transfer, for which the earlier ones have been solely openers: A defamation lawsuit in opposition to UMG, alleging it put out and promoted “Not Like Us” regardless that it promotes false pedophilia allegations in opposition to him and suggests listeners ought to resort to vigilante justice.
It blames the label and the music for tried break-ins and the taking pictures of a safety guard at Drake’s Toronto dwelling, on-line hate and harassment and the devaluation of his model.
The swimsuit doesn’t identify Lamar as a defendant.
UMG responds that the allegations usually are not solely unfaithful however illogical given their years of funding in Drake.
February 2: Lamar wins 5 Grammys, together with two of the largest for ‘Not Like Us’
Per week earlier than his Tremendous Bowl headlining gig, Lamar and “Not Like Us” have an epic evening on the Grammy Awards. The monitor wins music of the 12 months and report of the 12 months and Lamar takes 5.
He’s gracious and optimistic in victory, not mentioning Drake and saying “We’re gonna dedicate this one to the city” earlier than shouting out Los Angeles space neighborhoods.
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This story first moved Might 7, 2024, and was resent on Feb. 5, 2025, to replace with authorized developments, Lamar’s Grammy wins and upcoming Tremendous Bowl efficiency and Drake’s Australia tour.
