This rivalry, simmering since 2013, has been marked by a series of clever jabs, pointed interviews, and hard-hitting tracks that reflect the tension and competitive spirit between the two artists.
In 9 songs, a history of Kendrick Lamar and Drake's beef
This rivalry, simmering since 2013, has been marked by a series of clever jabs, pointed interviews, and hard-hitting tracks that reflect the tension and competitive spirit between the two artists.
Their beef not only highlights their personal and artistic differences but also showcases their evolution as musicians and influencers within the cultural landscape of modern rap.
A timeline of Kendrick Lamar and Drake's hip-hop feud
Kendrick and Drake's feud brewed slowly over time. Before they became each other's nemesis, they had collaborated on several tracks.
In 2011, Drake featured Lamar in the 'Buried Alive (Interlude)' in his album, 'Take Care' and in 2012 included the 'Count Me Out' rapper as an opening act for his tour.
In September 2017, Drake made his debut as a film producer with a documentary called "The Carter Effect."
"The Carter Effect," a documentary about eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Drake, along with his longtime manager Adel "Future the Prince" Nur, acted as producers for the film.In what The Hollywood Reporter dubbed his "ambitious push into film and TV," Drake also made plans with Nur to executive produce a Netflix revival of the British series "Top Boy."THR reported that Apple has even given Drake "the go-ahead to produce whatever he chooses... just as the cash-flush titan is poised to shake up the content space.""I'm sure I'll stop [making music] one day," Drake told THR. "I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. But I do plan on expanding — to take six months or a year to myself and do some great films. Music's always there."Nearly one year later, HBO picked up the series "Euphoria" — a teen drama starring Zendaya and produced by indie film studio A24 — with both Drake and Nur joining as executive producers.The show premiered in 2019 to critical and commercial success. After two seasons, it had won nine Emmy Awards out of 25 nominations.
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In 2013, A$AP Rocky featured the two in 'F**kin Problems' and they released what would become their final collaboration together, 'Poetic Justice'
2013: 'Control' by Big Sean (featuring Kendrick Lamar)
Kendrick's verse in 'Control' named numerous peers, including Drake, challenging them in the competitive spirit of hip-hop.
Although not a direct diss to Drake, Kendrick's line "I got love for you all but I'm tryna murder you niggas," set the tone for rivalry as he claimed his dominance over his contemporaries.
2013-2014: Subtle jabs in interviews
Drake responded to Kendrick's 'Control' verse in interviews, subtly downplaying its impact.
He mentioned, "It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all that was," which was seen as a dismissal of Kendrick's competitive call-out.
2015: 'For Free? (Interlude)' by Kendrick Lamar
In this track, Kendrick adopted a flow that resembled Drake's style, possibly as a subtle dig.
He emphasised his lyrical prowess, indirectly comparing his skills to those of his peers, which was interpreted as a nod towards Drake.
2016: 'The Heart Part 4' by Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick is more direct here, with lines like "Don't tell a lie on me, I won’t tell the truth 'bout you," which was widely interpreted as a swipe at Drake, possibly referencing rumors around ghostwriting in Drake's career.
Kendrick Lamar has won 17 Grammys but lost the award for best new artist in 2014.
Although Rolling Stone's Brian Hiatt called Kendrick Lamar "the greatest rapper alive" in 2018, the musician didn't take home the award for best new artist in 2014.The award instead went to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. But since then, Lamar has a whopping 50 Grammy nominations and 17 wins.
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2017: '100' by The Game (featuring Drake)
In his verse, Drake seems to address Kendrick indirectly, with phrases that suggest he's unbothered by his competitive nature and reinforcing his own status at the top of the rap game.
One of the lines directed at Lamar went: "I would have all of your fans/ If I didn’t go pop and I stayed on some conscious s**t."
2018: 'No More Parties in LA' by Kanye West (featuring Kendrick Lamar)
Kendrick’s involvement in this track led to interpretations of his lyrics as subtle messages to Drake, critiquing the superficial nature of the industry which both artists are a part of.
2019-2020: Cooling period
The public interactions regarding their rivalry were minimal, with both artists focusing on their individual music careers without obvious references to each other.
2021: 'Family Ties' by Baby Keem (featuring Kendrick Lamar)
Kendrick drops veiled lines that hint at his views on the rap game and perceived supremacy over contemporaries, which listeners speculated included Drake.
He stated, "Smokin' on your top five tonight," asserting his dominance.
2022-2023: Quiet period
No significant direct musical or public confrontations occurred during this period, as both artists worked on separate projects.
2024: 'Push Ups' by Drake
Released on April 19, Drake’s 'Push Ups' includes direct responses to Kendrick's past disses.
Drake performs at Wireless Festival in 2021.Joseph Okpako/WireImage
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He raps, "I'm at the top of the mountain, so you tight now," and addresses rumors about being overshadowed by peers like Kendrick, refuting them assertively.
2024: 'Taylor Made' by Drake
This track featured controversial AI-generated vocals of Tupac and Snoop Dogg, primarily targeting Lamar.
It was pulled from platforms shortly after its release due to legal threats from Tupac's estate, emphasising the line, "What's a prince to a king? He a son, nigga," which directly references and dismisses Kendrick's status compared to his own.
2024: 'Euphoria' by Kendrick Lamar
In response to Drake’s tracks, Kendrick released 'Euphoria' on April 30. He counters Drake's assertions with his lyrical complexity and depth, challenging the portrayal of their rivalry as one-sided.
Kendrick Lamar
Although Drake and Kendrick Lamar collaborated multiple times in 2011 and 2012 ("Buried Alive Interlude," "Poetic Justice," "F**kin' Problems"), Lamar distanced himself from the Toronto rapper in 2013. In a guest verse on Big Sean's single "Control," Lamar crowned himself the king of rap and name-dropped several others who can't compete, including Drake.After years of relative peace, Lamar reiterated this position when he was featured on Future and Metro Boomin's "Like That," released on March 22, 2024."Motherfuck the big three, it's just big me," he raps in the song, a clear reference to the 2023 Drake and Cole collab "First Person Shooter" ("Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three like we started a league").Once "Like That" topped the chart, Cole responded with his own diss track about Lamar, "7 Minute Drill." However, Cole apologized shortly after, and the song was removed from streaming.Drake didn't back down and shot back with a pair of diss tracks, "Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle." The latter, which has been removed from streaming platforms after a legal threat from Tupac Shakur's estate, sees Drake mocking Lamar for deferring to Taylor Swift's album release and "struggling" with "lyrical gymnastics."In response, Lamar dropped "Euphoria," which labels Drake a "master manipulator and habitual liar, too."
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This detailed timeline highlights the escalation and significant lyrical exchanges between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, showing how their rivalry has evolved over the years through their music and public statements.
This content was generated by an AI model and verified by the author.
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