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The longtime feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has just gotten uglier
The world of rap music has been riled up over the past few days after icons Drake and Kendrick Lamar unleashed a stream of verbal assaults and shocking revelations in an ugly feud that has garnered international attention from fans and critics alike. The longstanding animosity between the two artists, which goes back many years, has exploded into full-blown hostility over the past weekend, leaving in its wake a trail of diss tracks, accusations, and even real-life incidents.
Aubrey Drake Graham, better known by his stage name, Drake, is a Canadian rap sensation known for his chart-topping, certified platinum hits such as “God’s Plan” and “In My Feelings.” Over the past decade, Drake has solidified his status as a global superstar, racking up awards and record sales thanks to his particular blend of hip-hop and R&B.
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Opposing him is Kendrick Lamar, the 36-year-old rapper from Compton, California, highly regarded as one of the greatest lyricists of his generation. Lamar’s critically acclaimed albums have earned him a Pulitzer Prize and a worldwide devoted fanbase which includes former US President Barack Obama.
The Roots of the Feud
The roots of the feud started as subtle references exchanged between Drake and Lamar over the course of several years. What began as a rivalry kept behind closed doors burst into the public eye last October when Drake released the single “First Person Shooter,” where featured rapper J Cole claimed they- himself, Drake, and Kendrick- were “the big three”: “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three… but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.”
However, Lamar declared that there was no big three, “just big me,” in the song “Like That,” which also featured Atlanta rapper Future and record producer Metro Boomin. Drake released “Push Ups” less than a week later focusing on Lamar’s height, shoe size, and supposedly disadvantageous business dealings.
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Now both artists are going head to head to prove their dominance in the rap game. With each new song they release the tension between the artists intensifies, all the while grabbing media attention and stirring up fans.
The Explosive Showdown
The bad blood between Drake and Lamar reached its peak after the release of an array of diss tracks and scathing social media posts, bringing up subjects like race, sexual and physical abuse, body image, misogyny, hypocrisy, and generational trauma into the matter.
Lamar targeted Drake with accusations ranging from cultural appropriation to personal misconduct in two separate songs: “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA.” He went on to question Drake’s integrity and authenticity as an artist and challenged his role as a father, igniting a firestorm of controversy amongst critics and fans.
Not to be outdone, Drake fired back with his own barrage of insults and accusations less than 24 hours later with “Family Matters,” where he attempted to expose Lamar’s alleged wrongdoings and painted him as a hypocrite. In the lyrics, he talked about the allegations of domestic abuse Lamar committed against his partner, Whitney Alford: “They hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat your queen.” He also blasted The Weeknd, Rick Ross, Metro Boomin, and A$AP Rocky.
Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ breaks the record for MOST single day streams for a solo rap song — (11.85 Million)
He surpasses Drake’s old record with ‘Champagne Poetry’ pic.twitter.com/VJ50Smtt5O
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) May 8, 2024
Kendrick quickly responded with two additional tracks: “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us.” In the first song, Lamar addressed rumors about Drake’s family life, specifically mentioning speculations that the Canadian rapper has an unacknowledged 11-year-old daughter. On the latter, he references Drake’s alleged sexual misconduct and illegal behavior, calling him a “pervert.”
Drake countered by releasing “The Heart Part 6,” where he claims he fed false information to people on purpose, to see if Lamar would unknowingly use it in a track. He also denied the accusation that he has preyed on young women and girls.
The lyrical beef between the two rappers appears to not come to an end anytime soon, and both fans and critics are worried about what implications this could bring for the entertainment industry
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