There have been suppositions and rumors over the years about tensions between popular rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar, but nothing has been confirmed. In the rap industry, artists often compete and throw “shots” at each other, which can be interpreted as “beef”. This is not just random smack talk, the two rappers seem to be going back and forth with one another. To the whole world, we were under the impression that the rappers had a collective relationship with one another because they had collaborated on each other’s albums. However, things went downhill when Kendrick Lamar did a feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s album on March 22 called “We Don’t Trust You”.
In 2011 Drake dropped his album called “Take Care” where Lamar is featured on a song titled “Buried Alive”. During this time, Lamar was up and coming – meanwhile, Drake was already on his second album. In 2012 Drake went on and asked Lamar and ASAP Rocky, whom he knew Lamar also had tension with, to be his opening acts on tour. In 2013, Lamar was featured on the song “Control” with Big Sean where he calls out a few of the popular names in the industry. To sum it up, Lamar says, “I gotta lot of love for all but I’m trynna unalive yall” and Drake and Sean are two of the names he calls out. Later that year, Lamar comes for Drake again at the BET [Black Entertainment Television] Awards cipher where he says, “Nothing has been the same since they dropped control and tucked a sensitive rapper back into his pajama clothes,” and proceeds to call Drake a fake.
In 2023 Drake and J. Cole collaborated on the song called “First Shooter”. J. Coles says in the verse, “I love when they argue who’s the hardest MC? Is it K dot [Lamar’s original Stage name], is it Aubrey, or is it me?” J. Cole also says, “We are the big 3 like we started the league in March of this year.” In March of this year, Lamar was featured on a song called “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin where he says “Mother f*** the big three… it just big me.”
In April, Drake would go on to release his first diss track called “Push-ups”. In the song, he makes fun of Lamar for being 5’5. Also, he brings up Lamar’s previous record label Topdog saying “Topdog told you to drop and give me 50 like it pushes UPS. It was discovered he was referring to 50% of his earnings going to the label. Drake drops another diss track called “Taylor made freestyle.” In the song, he suggests that Lamar is likely waiting for Taylor’s new album to drop so that he could then drop his diss track.
Lamar hit back with a song called “Euphoria” and proceeded to call out Drake’s alleged plastic surgery, coming for Drake’s skin color and asking “How many more black features do you need to feel black enough”. As if that wasn’t enough, he calls out Drake and his label, saying that they submitted a cease to try to get the song “Like That” off the radio.
“A lot of people asking me how I’m feeling,” he began. “I’mma let you know how I’m feeling. Listen, the way I’m feeling is the same way I want you to walk out of here feeling tonight about f***ingself,” Drake said at his tour stop in Sunrise Florida in early April l
Lamar then drops another response when he asks Drake if he ever considered that someone on Drake’s label OVO is working for him, and he calls out Drake for paying to get info on him. The same day, Drake came out with the song called “Family Matters.” He slams Lamar for being a fake activist, questioning why Lamar would call him out for his skin color when his wife is biracial just like Drake, and proceeded to assert physical abuse from Lamar toward his partner.
“This ain’t politics, we don’t need to be bringing up people’s past,” said Grace Wallow, Sophomore.
Minutes later Lamar dropped a song called “Meet the Grahams”, where he dropped four different verses. One is addressed to Adonis, Drake’s son, and another to Sandra, Drake’s mother. The third is addressed to Drake and the last verse is addressed to a child who is 11 years old and is allegedly also Drake’s daughter, whom he has never claimed as his child. He calls him out on being a deadbeat, alcoholic, gambling addict, and much more. He then goes on to address everyone else about the bad Drake does and how he is sincerely sorry for his actions.
“It’s crazy how Kendrick came for his family like that, to bring family into it crazy,” said Carrington Clifto, Sophomore.
Drake has been publicly quiet but it surfaced that a police investigation is underway outside Drake’s Bridle Path mansion as an overnight shooting around two in the morning resulted in someone being taken to the hospital due to serious injuries. Drake is also suspected to be selling all his houses in the United States and moving permanently to Toronto, Canada because he sees no use in America anymore. He has not publicly addressed Lamar after this, but posts on his Instagram telling the cops and news reporters to come when he wakes up around three.
Now we sit back and anticipate whether Drake is going to remain quiet or make another song. This feud has been so entrenched that everyone is dying to know what happens next. As Kendrick did say, Drake is “in a lifelong battle” with himself.
