Kendrick Lamar vs Drake

[shadesofblue 16,031]

For years, Kendrick Lamar and Drake have rivaled in the rap world. This week, their fight escalated after releasing multiple diss tracks. As two of some of the biggest names in recent rap history, tensions between them have been mounting since Drake's "First Person Shooter" in October 2023.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/drake-kendrick-lamar-beef-diss-track-616-b2540125.html

https://variety.com/2024/music/news/kendrick-lamar-drake-j-cole-beef-explained-1235951318/

 

Timeline

10/6/23 - Drake ft. J Cole "First Person Shooter"

https://genius.com/Drake-first-person-shooter-lyrics

Spoiler

Quote

Cole lumped Lamar with himself and Drake as the “big three”: 

Quote

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.

 

 

3/22 - Metro Boomin releases "Like That (Ft. Kendrick)"

https://genius.com/Future-metro-boomin-and-kendrick-lamar-like-that-lyrics

Spoiler

Quote

Ah, yeah, huh, yeah, get up with me

Fuck sneak dissin', first-person shooter,

I hope they came with three switches

Quote

Motherfuck the big three, n****, it's just big me
N****, bum
What? I'm really like that
And your best work is a light pack
N****, Prince outlived Mike Jack'
N****, bum
'Fore all your dogs gettin' buried
That's a K with all these nines, he gon' see Pet Sematary (Yeah)
N****, bum

 

 

4/5 - J Cole releases "7 Minute Drill"

https://genius.com/J-cole-7-minute-drill-lyrics#about

Spoiler

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• response to Kendrick Lamar’s disses on “Like That,” which were aimed at Cole and Drake.
• Establishing this track as “a warning shot" critiques "consistency and quality of Kendrick’s discography."

• calls his last record "Mr. Morale" bad and his second "to pimp a Butterfly" boring

4/7 - J Cole apologizes for calling out on "7 Minute Drill". 

Spoiler

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• Cole headlined his annual Dreamville Festival. He took time during his set to explain that he felt conflicted about making and releasing “7 Minute Drill,” going on to call it “the lamest shit I ever did in my fucking life.”
• During his speech, Cole refered to Lamar’s “Like That”—the song that ignited the artists’ recent feud—as a “bazooka,” and he wanted “7 Minute Drill” to be competitive and “friendly.” Instead, Cole said, his song “don’t sit right with my spirit.”

(https://pitchfork.com/news/j-cole-removes-7-minute-drill-from-streaming-services/)

4/12 - J Cole removes "7 Minute Drill" from streaming services

 

4/19 - Drake releases "Push Ups"

https://genius.com/Drake-push-ups-lyrics

Spoiler

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• reference to a viral 2023 video of Lamar doing “prison push-ups,” while simultaneously addressing what Drake sees as a bunch of music industry subordinates attempting to “push up” to his level.
• came for Lamar, rapping, “How the fuck you big steppin’ with a size-seven men’s on?”
• referencing the title of Lamar’s 2022 album “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.” (https://variety.com/2024/music/news/kendrick-lamar-drake-j-cole-beef-explained-1235951318/)

 

 

4/19 - Drake releases "Taylor Made Freestyle"

https://genius.com/Drake-taylor-made-freestyle-lyrics

Spoiler

Quote

“World is watching this chess game, but oh you out of moves Dot

You know that the OG never fucking doubted you

But right now it seem like you posted up without a clue

Or what the fuck you ’bout to do.” 

 

• Second diss track from Drake in his beef with Kendrick Lamar, largely ignited through the latter’s verse on Future & Metro Boomin’s March 2024 song “Like That.”
• Drake prominently uses AI vocals of legendary West Coast rappers 2Pac and Snoop Dogg; given that the former has been mentioned numerous times by Lamar to be his greatest inspiration & role model

 

• utilizing Kendrick's inspirations AI while rapping in an insulting & critical manner towards Lamar serves as a unique means for Drake to further convey his disrespect & contempt for him. 
• Drake praises Taylor Swift, whom he previously attributed a portion of Lamar’s mainstream success in the diss track “Push Ups,” after his featured verse on Swift’s 2015 song “Bad Blood” provided Lamar his first Billboard number-one hit.
• freestyle implies that Lamar is delaying his response to the “Push Ups” due to Swift releasing her album The Tortured Poets Department.
• due to lack of control over his own career, with lines like,

Quote

“But now we gotta wait a fuckin’ week ‘cause Taylor Swift is your new Top, and if you ‘bout to drop, she gotta approve”

• comparing Swift to label CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, whom Drake regarded in “Push Ups” as dominating Lamar through onerous music contracts & dictating his release schedule—“This girl really ‘bout to make you act like you not in a feud; she tailor-made your schedule, you out of the loop.” The title of the freestyle serves to reinforce this narrative.
• Removes song from streaming after Tupac's estate threatens to take legal action 

 

4/30 - Kendrick Lamar releases "euphoria" 

https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-euphoria-lyrics

Spoiler

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• song’s title is a reference to HBO’s Euphoria, the popular teen drama on which Drake is an executive producer. (which has been) repeatedly criticized for its excessive sexualization of teenage girls, coinciding with the many rumors of Drake’s odd relationships with young women.

• (the song) touches on his public perception, appropriation of and disconnect from an authentic black cultural experience, behavior, psychology, mixed heritage, his parenting, lying, and more.

 

 

5/3 - Kendrick Lamar releases "6:16 in LA" 

https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-6-16-in-la-lyrics

Spoiler

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• Uploaded to Instagram in the early hours on May 3, came for Drake and his OVO crew and featured production from Jack Antonoff.
• Drake accused of keeping silent to avoid Taylor Swift’s new album from taking the spotlight. Antonoff produced on that album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which shattered records in the wake of its release.

(https://variety.com/2024/music/news/kendrick-lamar-drake-j-cole-beef-explained-1235951318/)

 

5/3 - Drake releases "Family Matters"

https://genius.com/Drake-family-matters-lyrics

Spoiler

• response to Kendrick's "euphoria" and "6:16 in LA"
• also disses artists: The Weeknd, Rick Ross, Metro Boomin, A$AP Rocky.
• Denies claims made by Kendrick, says Kendrick abuses his wife
  • so far no credible sources have yet to validate these claims)
  • Kendrick has addressed in his previous album how he wasn't always the best husband, not that he was an abuser

 

5/3 - Kendrick Lamar releases "Meet the Grahams"

https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-meet-the-grahams-lyrics

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• sends a personal message to each member of the Graham family (Drake, both of his parents, his son and alleged daughter)
• most notable allegation is that Drake supposedly has an 11-year-old daughter and unspecified other children.
• Other claims made by Kendrick include:
  • prescription drug addiction
  • comparing Drake to Harvey Weinstein
  • has sexual predators working for Drake's OVO sound
  • Drake is a "sexual deviant"
• most notable allegation is that Drake supposedly has an 11-year-old daughter and unspecified other children.
  • (Drake denied claims on Instagram shortly after.)

 

Quote

• Cover art  (taken down due to HIPPA rights) displayed items rumored to belong to Drake that were stolen from his father’s suitcase, according to a close source; namely, DJ Akademiks. Among these items are Ozempic and Zolpidem pills, as well as receipts of outrageous jewelry purchases.
• These items are resting on a multi-colored button-up T-shirt depicting a cartoon dog urinating on a red fire hydrant. This might coincide with the name of Drake’s October 2023 album, For All The Dogs, which features J. Cole on “First Person Shooter” trading disses directed at K-Dot. Furthermore, this could be a subtle allusion to longtime rumors that T.I. let his friend urinate on Drake, according to a verse on October 2020’s “We Did It Big”:

Quote

So drunk in L.A., end up pissin' on Drake, shit
Fuck it, that’s still my brother

 

Quote

This is alluded to in the first verse, when Kendrick address Drake’s son, Adonis:

Quote

Never let a man piss on your leg, son
Either you die right there or pop that man in the head, son

 

 

5/4 - Kendrick Lamar releases "Not Like Us"

https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-not-like-us-lyrics

Spoiler

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• Kendrick avenges the West Coast for Drake’s controversial use of 2Pac and Snoop DoggA.I. vocals on his song “Taylor Made Freestyle”
• calling Drake a snitch and culture vulture, Kendrick doubles down on prior allegations made against Drakeof sexual deviancy. 
• YouTube thumbnail features a Google Maps screenshot of Drake’s mansion at Park Lane Circle in Toronto, Canada “a Toronto oasis where celebrities love to build extremely lavish mansions.”
• edited in a way that closely resembles the modern sex offender registry, which pinpoints the residency of a convicted offender, is continuing the thread of allegations made by Kendrick Lamar that Drake is a sexual predator. 
• insinuates that Drake’s mansion, nicknamed “The Embassy,” is a hub for illegal sexual activity.

 

 

5/5 - Drake releases "The Heart Part 6"

https://genius.com/Drake-the-heart-part-6-lyrics

Spoiler

• song is in response to numerous accusations made by Kendrick, such as pedophilia
• Drake claims Kendrick's wife had a child with another man that he is currently raising

Quote

• Drake reveals that the supposed existence of an 11-year-old daughter that Kendrick suggested is a completely false hoax that was leaked to Kendrick’s team in hopes of baiting him to use it to his advantage.
• Drake also addresses the allegations of pedophile-like behavior that Kendrick first described on “meet the grahams,” explicitly denying those claims and expressing absolute disgust.

 

 

5/7 Bodyguard at Drake’s house gets shot

 

TLDR:

Spoiler

- J Cole didn't want to get involved so be backed out right after getting involved

- Drake got messy and started coming after Kendrick

- Kendrick hates Drake *a lot* and has released a bunch of diss tracks; says he's a child predator, bad person, & liar

- Drake is now trying to now diss Kendrick while defending himself from claims made by Kendrick and has unverified claims Kendrick is an abuser

 

If there's anything that should be corrected/clarified/added, feel free to share!

[SalvaWHORE 34,113]

this shit is so messy lol but not as entertaining as Nicki vs. Cardi / Lil Kim

[JamesHomofield 933]

I was trying to figure out how this mess started. Kendrick's latest diss tracks were fire, though. Thanks for the thread

[The Grants 13,537]

this is so unfair for drake lmao i say it cause kendrick gotta be top 10 rappers oat and he has an album with preg emojis as the cover 

[shadesofblue 16,031]

43 minutes ago, JamesHomofield said:

I was trying to figure out how this mess started. Kendrick's latest diss tracks were fire, though. Thanks for the thread

Of course! I made this to better understand the situation for yall and myself because there’s a lot going on. There’s more context in each track, but this is just a summary. 

I’ll also add Kendrick writes his own songs while Drake has a few ghostwriters (which Kendrick has also dissed Drake for lol). Makes it even crazier Kendrick is coming out with all these songs before Drake and his team of writers do. 

[rightofjupiter 16,657]

this is such adult baby behavior, these men need to let it go, literally who has this much time to be a hater??

[Divisive Princess 3,755]

I've been praying on the downfall of Drake for so long with seemingly the world against me. This has been a great week for me

[Dark Angel 202,787]

me, personally, i just can't fathom why drake is so popular because his music is not good and he's definitely a strange individual so i'm going to side with kendrick lamar on this one  even though i don't really listen to any of these artists lol 

[MakingOut 2,337]

Honestly idgaf I just want Drake and Kendrick to release good music from this beef which has happened. Kendrick made history with ‘meet the grahams’ and Family Matters is one of drakes best in terms of rap cuz he is trying again bruh

[Lana Del Dufrene 11,190]

Megan Vs Nicki > Drake Vs Kendrick

[Stoned Mary in the Garden 6,804]

Kendrick eats him up easily Drake isn’t even somewhat talented, he never has been 

[Lana Del Dufrene 11,190]

7 minutes ago, Stoned Mary in the Garden said:

Kendrick eats him up easily Drake isn’t even somewhat talented, he never has been 

Fr

[shadesofblue 16,031]

59 minutes ago, rightofjupiter said:

this is such adult baby behavior, these men need to let it go, literally who has this much time to be a hater??

The level of hatered Kendrick has for Drake is on another level just this line from euphoria alone  As a fellow person who isn’t a fan of Drake, I love it 

Quote

I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress

 

[baddisease 17,945]

59 minutes ago, Divisive Princess said:

I've been praying on the downfall of Drake for so long with seemingly the world against me. This has been a great week for me

 

[ttulsa 403]

8 hours ago, shadesofblue said:

Of course! I made this to better understand the situation for yall and myself because there’s a lot going on. There’s more context in each track, but this is just a summary. 

I’ll also add Kendrick writes his own songs while Drake has a few ghostwriters (which Kendrick has also dissed Drake for lol). Makes it even crazier Kendrick is coming out with all these songs before Drake and his team of writers do. 

guys don't kill me ok i think most people here are on kendrick's side but almost every artist has other people who write songs for them.

Someone on reddit sums this up pretty well (lol)

"

I think the one that caused the entire situation was R.I.C.O, when Meek Mill came out telling the world Drake had Quentin write that verse for him cuz he was hurt over some dumb shit. Then other stuff came out, and people started to write their own narratives around the situation. Plus the Drake hate didn't help, people just want to hate on him [...]. Now we're stuck with this idea that Drake can't even hold a pen when he's written for most rappers and given them some hits too lol"

 

I listened to kendrick's song "euphoria" and it's not bad. It's just not for me. I personally prefer drake's voice

 

[shadesofblue 16,031]

52 minutes ago, ttulsa said:

guys don't kill me ok i think most people here are on kendrick's side but almost every artist has other people who write songs for them.

Someone on reddit sums this up pretty well (lol)

"

I think the one that caused the entire situation was R.I.C.O, when Meek Mill came out telling the world Drake had Quentin write that verse for him cuz he was hurt over some dumb shit. Then other stuff came out, and people started to write their own narratives around the situation. Plus the Drake hate didn't help, people just want to hate on him [...]. Now we're stuck with this idea that Drake can't even hold a pen when he's written for most rappers and given them some hits too lol"

 

I listened to kendrick's song "euphoria" and it's not bad. It's just not for me. I personally prefer drake's voice

 

Honestly I didn't really follow a lot of their beef until recently. There’s nothing wrong with having ghostwriters, Kendrick is just using that as another thing to diss him on.  I do find it impressive to see how Kendrick has been pumping out multiple 6min songs before Drake can release a single. But everyone is allowed to like whoever they want! I’m just not a fan of his music and not a fan of him as a person. After hearing he was friends with Millie Bobbie brown and was texting her when she was a minor, it gave me sketchy vibes. 
Kendrick may have used this as an opportunity to come after Drake, but this has gone past just them going at each other being petty. There’s some serious allegations like pedophilia and abuse.

[Waimea Bay 9,408]

Kendrick on BBL Drizzy when

[Rorman Nockwell 56,862]

Idk much about these two but I read about this this morning because of the shooting and then I decided to read about Drake's house and he said all this stuff about how he wanted his house to show his success and all this other embarrassing "rich person" shit and after all that I think I'm team Kendrick

And that is my delightfully uninformed opinion and you're welcome

[baddisease 17,945]

oh no

 

[Dark Angel 202,787]

13 minutes ago, baddisease said:

oh no

 

 

well, let's hope kendrick doesn't back down, especially since the allegations are about something so serious, boo-fucking-hoo if it's costing these large corporations lots of money, honestly