The long-simmering rivalry between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake has erupted into a full-blown feud, with both artists releasing a series of diss tracks over the weekend. The lyrical attacks, which span more than 20 minutes of new music, delve into deeply personal territory, touching on issues of race, appropriation, abuse, misogyny, and generational trauma.
Lamar’s Relentless Assault
Lamar, known for his introspective and conceptual approach to music, has been the more relentless of the two, releasing four diss tracks targeting Drake in the past week. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper from Compton accused Drake of being a liar, a “pervert,” and a fake activist who should “die” to make the world safer for women. Lamar also seemed to assert that Drake had fathered a secret daughter more than a decade ago, a claim that Drake quickly denied on Instagram.
Drake’s Retaliation
Drake, long a master of the online public arena and meme ecosystem, responded with his own broadside against Lamar in a three-part track and elaborate music video titled “Family Matters.” In the song, Drake referred to Lamar as a fake activist and attempted to expose friction and alleged abuse in Lamar’s romantic relationship.
The Buildup to the Beef
The current escalation in the Lamar-Drake beef can be traced back to late March when Lamar took a direct shot at Drake on the song “Like That” by Future and Metro Boomin. Lamar took exception to being grouped with Drake and J. Cole as the “big three” of modern MCs, declaring that there was no big three, “just big me.”
Drake responded with a series of diss tracks, including “Push Ups,” which mocked Lamar’s height, shoe size, and business dealings, and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which taunted Lamar for being scared to release music at the same time as Taylor Swift.
A Decade of Subtle Jabs
The animosity between Lamar and Drake has been building for more than a decade, with the two rappers trading subtle digs in verses over the years while maintaining an icy frenemy rapport in public. Despite collaborating on a few tracks early in their careers, the two have taken different paths, with Drake becoming a hitmaker across styles while Lamar has focused on introspective concept albums.
The Nuclear Escalation
The beef went nuclear last week with Lamar’s release of “Euphoria,” a six-minute track warning Drake about proceeding with the feud and accusing him of imitating Black American heritage. Lamar followed up with “6:16 in LA,” hinting that he had a mole in Drake’s operation and was aware of his opponent’s opposition research.
Drake responded with “Family Matters,” taking on Lamar’s fatherhood and standing as a man in excruciating detail. Lamar countered almost immediately with “Meet the Grahams,” a direct address to Drake’s parents and young son, accusing Drake of being a liar and a “pervert.”
Lamar wasn’t done, releasing “Not Like Us” less than 24 hours later, delighting in more traditional rap beef territory with juvenile insults and threats of violence, while also accusing Drake of being a greedy and artificial user as a collaborator.
Drake responded on Sunday with “The Heart Part 6,” denying accusations of predatory behavior and suggesting that he had planted false information about a fake daughter. He seemed to dismiss the fight as “some good exercise” and expressed happiness that he could motivate Lamar to release new music.
As the feud continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how far the two rappers will go in their lyrical attacks and whether the beef will have any lasting impact on their careers or the hip-hop landscape as a whole.
