Drake vs Kendrick Lamar is the largest beef in current rap historical past. It is a battle that is gone miles past the same old lyrical martial artistry, although there has actually been loads of that. It has spurred a number of courtroom actions and a shocking riot in opposition to their shared file label. It spawned a track that simply gained two of the massive 4 Grammys and can virtually actually be carried out on the Tremendous Bowl this weekend.
It wasn’t at all times this manner. 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$AP Rocky’s “(Expletive) ’ Issues” that very same yr.
It did not final lengthy. In 2013, the Pulitzer Prize winner Lamar was featured on Large Sean’s “Control,” through which he known as out a slew of up to date rappers together with J. Cole, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Large 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, at 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 accident reignited the meat on “First Person Shooter” with Drake. He rapped “Love once they argue the toughest MC / Is it Okay-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?” referencing Lamar and Drake’s start title, Aubrey Graham.
Then, simply over a yr in the past, it exploded exponentially.
The feud was in full show throughout Tremendous Bowl LIX on Sunday the place Lamar was tapped to carry out in the course of the halftime present. It was there the place he carried out what some critics contemplate the most effective diss tracks of present occasions — one which many say is directed in the direction of Drake: “Not Like Us.”
This is a timeline of the foremost developments. It needs to be famous that diss tracks between rappers typically embrace 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 also 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 know-how 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 approaching 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 track 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 difficult. Lamar’s “Euphoria” hits like an opus, unleashing a slew of allegations in opposition to Drake. He comes after Drake’s abilities as a rapper, use of AI, look, racial id, and parenting.
“I bought a son to boost, however I can see nothin’ ’bout that,” Lamar raps.
The title is a reference to the HBO collection “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 placement 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 file label. “You should be a horrible particular person.”
In line with Billboard, the track was produced by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff — the latter notably Swift’s longtime producer. It samples Al Inexperienced’s “What a Fantastic Factor Love Is,” on which certainly one of Drake’s family members performed guitar.
Might 3: Drake launches “Family Matters”
Drake hits again with a music video and a virtually eight-minute response, through which 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 could later attain stratospheric ranges for a diss monitor.
Might 5: Drake softens his blows on “The Heart Part 6”
Referencing Lamar’s “The Heart” collection, Drake drops “The Heart Part 6.” Within the track “Show 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 track — 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’ll spend two weeks on the spot, 38 weeks on the chart, and finish turn out to be the yr’s No. 6 track. It could additionally do stratospheric streaming numbers, ending 2024 atop Apple Music’s world track 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 file of the yr and track of the yr.
November 25: Drake broadens the meat to courts and label
After months of relative silence, Drake takes the battle to courtroom, and takes the meat to a different stage. He alleges in a New York submitting that Common Music Group — the mother or father label for each him and Lamar — pumped up the recognition of “Not Like Us” on Spotify and different streaming providers. 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 might be inflated.
On the identical day, Drake proclaims 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 courtroom once more
Drake strikes once more, this time in a Texas courtroom, 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 massive 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” although it promotes false pedophilia allegations in opposition to him and suggests listeners ought to resort to vigilante justice.
It blames the label and the track for tried break-ins and the capturing of a safety guard at Drake’s Toronto house, on-line hate and harassment and the devaluation of his model.
The go well with doesn’t title Lamar as a defendant.
UMG responds that the allegations aren’t 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’
Every week earlier than his Tremendous Bowl headlining gig, Lamar and “Not Like Us” have an epic evening on the Grammy Awards. The monitor wins track of the yr and file of the yr and Lamar takes 5.
He is gracious and constructive in victory, not mentioning Drake and saying “We’re gonna dedicate this one to the city” earlier than shouting out Los Angeles space neighborhoods.
February 9: Lamar performs on the Tremendous Bowl LIX halftime present
Lamar carried out “Not Like Us” because the closing track for his beautiful Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present. The track is taken into account amongst many music critics as being the most effective diss tracks in present occasions — a diss monitor extensively thought of as being geared toward Drake.
The halftime present additionally featured appearances by Serena Williams and Sza — each rumored exes of Drake. (Nevertheless, it needs to be famous that Sza has collaborated on quite a few songs with Lamar and Williams is from Compton, which Lamar additionally hails from and makes reference to in a lot of his songs. So it might be that their look was simply coincidental and never an added dig at Drake.)
Throughout his efficiency, Lamar launched into “peakboo,” after which teased a efficiency of “Not Like Us.”
“I wanna play their favorite song but you know they love to sue,” Lamar instructed the ladies dancers behind him, referencing Drake.
With its billion streams on Spotify, the huge hit is a regional anthem for Los Angeles, a rallying cry for neighborhood and in opposition to tradition vultures, a diss monitor that gained Lamar the highly-publicized feud with Drake.
Main as much as the Tremendous Bowl, whether or not or not Lamar would carry out the track was a reputable query held by followers and critics alike. Lamar ranges sturdy accusations in opposition to Drake in its lyrics; Drake has sued Common Music Group for defamation on account of the track’s reputation.
The lawsuit claims the monitor led to violence at Drake’s house in Toronto, tarnished his status and decreased the worth of his model.
In a earlier assertion responding to related allegations in pre-litigation filings, the file firm stated the “suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.”
