Some might call the series of diss tracks between Kendrick Lamar and Drake (also known as Aubrey Graham) one of the biggest beefs in recent hip-hop history. The back-and-forth releases between the rappers have opened several fresh cans of worms. Read on for a chronological rundown of what is happening in this dog-eat-dog world that we call the rap industry.
2011: From friends to enemies
Lamar and Drake weren’t always enemies. In fact, Lamar was featured in Drake’s 2011 “Take Care” album, and shortly after, Drake and Lamar collaborated on “Poetic Justice,” one of Lamar’s most well-known singles. “F**kin’ Problems” by A$AP Rocky was the last song Lamar and Drake ever collaborated on.
2013: “Control” by Big Sean featuring Kendrick Lamar
In 2013, Big Sean released “Control” which featured a verse by Lamar, where a few lines hinted at some tension between multiple rappers in the industry. Tension may be an understatement in regard to the lyrics, “I got love for you all, but I’m trying to murder you // trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you.” Amongst others, Jermaine Cole (AKA J.Cole) released some verses in response, but Drake had nothing to say in the form of music yet.
Throughout this rapper warfare, Cole serves as a mutual ally to both sides, or more like a little brother trying to get involved. Some would argue that recently he went to the Drake side, especially given their latest tour together.
October 2023: “First Person Shooter” by Drake featuring J.Cole
J. Cole’s verse stating “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, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali” in “First Person Shooter” from Drakes For all The Dogs album, reignited the beef that we are witnessing today.
March 22, 2024: “Like That” by Metro Boomin, Future, and Kendrick Lamar
Things got heated in March of this year when Metro Boomin, Future, and Lamar’s “Like that,” was released, with a line in Lamar’s verse serving as a direct response to “First Person Shooter” and “The Big 3” – which consists of Drake, J.Cole and Lamar himself.
April 13, 2024: “Push Ups” by Drake
Drake’s response to “Like that” is premiered by DJ Akademiks via Complex, a pop-culture media company that covers gossip like this. Drake raps, “You ain’t in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down.” If you didn’t know the Big 3, you might not have seen this as a diss. It wasn’t long after that the name-dropping began.
April 24, 2024: “Taylor Made Freestyle” by Drake
After hearing nothing from Lamar, Drake released a second diss track “Taylor Made Freestyle,” that used AI technology to include verses attacking Lamar from the perspective of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, two of Lamar’s public influences. What some may call creative, others call illegal. Tupac’s estate threatened to sue Drake for the use of Shakur’s voice, so he was forced to remove the song from streaming platforms.
April 30, 2024: “euphoria” by Lamar
The seriousness continued after Lamar dropped a single called, “euphoria,” which consisted of six minutes of dissing Drake, bringing up themes of misogyny, the alleged use of ghostwriters and Drake’s racial identity. Interviews with Lamar following this drop made it very clear that he didn’t like anything about the certified lover boy.
May 3, 2024: Lamar drops a follow-up, “6:16 in LA”
Before Drake had a chance to respond, Lamar dropped yet another diss – “6:16 in LA ” with pot-stirring lyrics like “Have you ever thought that OVO is workin’ for me? // Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible person // Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it”
May 3, 2024: Drake launches “Family Matters”
After some warnings on his social media platforms, Drake released a response in the form of his new song, “Family Matters,” in which he accuses Lamar of performative Pro-black activism and domestic violence. He brought Lamar’s wife into the picture, claiming that she has a child with Lamar’s friend and collaborator, Dave Free. Did Drake make a mistake by bringing Lamar’s family into the beef? Well, listen to Lamar’s response “Meet the Grahams” and you’ll have your answer.
May 4, 2024: Lamar responds with “Meet the Grahams”
“Meet the Grahams” is a jaw-dropping ode to several members of Drake’s family, hence the name. Lamar starts by addressing Drake’s son Adonis, with lyrics like “I look at him and wish your grandpa woulda wore a condom” and “Let me be your mentor since your daddy don’t teach you shit.”
These infuriating lyrics continued as he addressed his mom and dad, with lyrics like “Dear Dennis, you gave birth to a master manipulator” and “Mm-mm, your son’s a sick man with sick thoughts.” A common theme throughout the song was that Lamar was accusing Drake of being a predator. This allegation could be from a number of things, true or not, or perhaps just another way to turn people against the Canadian rapper. However, a video that resurfaced of Drake sexualizing a 17-year-old girl at his concert was debunked by the woman herself.
The most controversial part of the song is when Lamar starts a verse off with “Dear baby girl,
I’m sorry that your father is not active inside your world.” The rest of the verse hints at Drake having an 11-year-old daughter, whom he allegedly abandoned at birth. Drake has since responded, telling DJ Akademiks “if you or anybody can find proof that I have an 11-year-old daughter, I’ll quit rapping and I’ll come work for you.”
The last verse of the song is a direct statement to Drake, starting with “Dear Aubrey, I know you probably thinkin’ I wanted to crash your party // But truthfully, I don’t have a hatin’ bone in my body // This supposed to be a good exhibition within the game // But you fucked up the moment you called out my family’s name”
May 4, 2024: Less than 24 hours later, Lamar drops “Not Like Us”
Lamar wasn’t finished though. On the same day, he released “Not Like Us,” yet another diss, rapping “say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one” among other attacks. Drake didn’t have a second to recover from “Meet the Grahams” before this top hit came out.
May 5, 2024: Drake softens his blows on “The Heart Part 6”
It’s unlikely that either rapper would surrender, but Drake’s May 5 drop “The Heart Part 6” seems to be more of a defense than anything else. The name comes from Lamar’s “The Heart” series.
Throughout the song, Drake denies all allegations while repeating the rumors he had started about Lamar. Of course, he had to address the elephant in the room by rapping “You gotta learn to fact-check things and be less impatient//Your fans are rejoicing, thinkin’ this is my expiration.” The theory is that this may be Drake’s final bow in the ongoing beef, as he wraps things up with “You know, at least your fans are gettin’ some raps out of you // I’m happy I could motivate you” and “I don’t wanna diss you anymore, this really got me second-guessing”
Reporters in the entertainment industry are sprinting to catch up with the impressively long resume of diss tracks both rappers have built for themselves since March.
If the rumor from multiple platforms reigns true, the beef ended with “The Heart Part 6” and now it’s up to the fans to decide who won.
Amongst many questions and conspiracy theories that fans are coming up with, I’ve got one for you – whose side are you on?
