Two of hip-hop's biggest stars are at odds and people are taking sides. Kendrick Lamar 36, and Drake , 37, have been engaged in a lyrical battle in recent weeks that intensified over the weekend. The two artists released music about each other – but the fight began years ago. Understand below.
Early collaborations
There is a lot that is not known about the fight between the two rappers, but it is known that there is history.
In 2011, Lamar appeared on Drake's second album “Take Care” in “Buried Alive Interlude”. It was the same year that he released his first studio album, “Section.80”.
The two rappers were carving out a place for themselves in the industry at the time, with Drake then best known as an actor for his role as high school student Jimmy Brooks on the teen TV series “Degrassi.”
The pair would go on tour together and collaborate on the track “Poetic Justice” from Lamar’s second studio album, “Good Kid, MAAD City.”
As one of hip-hop's rising stars, Lamar capitalized on his growing success with the swagger one would expect in the rap game during a guest appearance on Big Sean's 2013 single “Control.” Several artists are mentioned in the song, including Drake.
The lyrics say, “I have love for all of you, but I'm trying to kill you,” a euphemism for getting over you professionally. Lamar calls himself “King of New York” and “King of the Coast.”
At the time, Drake commented on the verse billboard: “I really had nothing to say about this, it seems like an ambitious thought. That was it.”
“I know very well that Kendrick is not murdering me, on any platform. So, when that day comes, I think we can revisit the subject”, he said.
War between rappers
The pair have continued to poke fun at each other on tracks over the years, but the latest feud appears to have started in October 2023, when rapper J. Cole collaborated with Drake on the song “First Person.” On the track, Cole refers to himself, Lamar and Drake as the “Big Three” of rap.
Drake compared his popularity in the industry to the stardom of late singer Michael Jackson. Lamar seemingly pushed back against the comparisons and responded in a collaborative track with Future and Metro Boomin released in March 2024 titled “Like That.”
Lamar makes it clear in the song that there is no “Big Three” (Três Grandes, in Portuguese), only “Big Me” (Um Grande, in Portuguese). “Like That” is a track from the album “We Don't Trust You”, which many believe is full of Drake's hints. The apparent insults surprised some listeners, as Drake and Future are longtime collaborators.
Things heated up even more when Future and Metro Boomin released the follow-up album “We Still Don’t Trust You,” which Billboard magazine declared was “full of Drake, but also The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky.”
The singer who helped kick things off, J. Cole, quickly left the battle. He released “7 Minute Drill” on a surprise “Might Delete Later” project, in which he came after Lamar, only to later declare the song weak. He removed it from streaming services, publicly apologized, and has been quiet ever since.
Recent conflict
Last month, Drake released the diss track “Push Ups,” in which he mocked Lamar for his collaborations with pop stars. He has songs with Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift, “Don't Wanna Know” and “Bad Blood, respectively.
“Maroon 5 needs a verse, you better make it witty / So we need a verse for the Swifties,” one line of the song goes.
Lamar responded to the insults in double doses. First it was with “Euphoria”, in which he accuses the singer of using artificial intelligence in a song. Days later, the rapper released “6:16 in LA”, which many interpreted as a mockery of Drake's tendency to title songs with times and locations.
Things got increasingly personal in this rap battle on Saturday (4), when Drake released the eight-minute track “Family Matters”. He makes allegations about abuse and infidelity involving Lamar and his fiancée, Whitney Alford, in the song.
The Pulitzer Prize winner for his album “DAMN” didn't let an hour pass after the release of “Family Matters” to leave a response, titled “Meet The Grahams” – Drake's name is Aubrey Graham.
He quotes Drake's parents, accusing him of having a secret daughter. Lamar followed within hours with another song, titled “Not Like Us,” that Drake said was attracted to underage girls.
On Sunday (5), Drake responded with “The Heart Part 6”. In the song, he claims that he was the one who provided Lamar with false information about a secret child.
“We conspired for a week and then we passed the information on to you / An 11-year-old daughter, I bet he accepts it”, says a verse of the song.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
