In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, two of the biggest names in rap music have been in a very public feud that has mostly been taking place over song releases. This is a huge cultural moment and I want to talk about it and perhaps educate you on it.

The pair had a collaborated with each other in 2013 for Kendrick Lamar’s hit Poetic Justice. Things seemed to be okay in between the pair despite a cryptic shot Kendrick took at drake in a feature in Big Sean’s control. Drake essentially brushed off the cryptic diss and said that there was no real issues. The beef was cold and the pair had no further collaborations until, seemingly out of nowhere Drake released the song first person shooter on his 2023 album For all the dogs. The particular line in the song that seems to have come from J. Cole the featured artist on first person shooter, when cole says “Love when they argue the hardest MC
Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? We the big three..” I personally wouldn’t be offended by this as I would not consider being called one of the top three MC’s in the rap game at the present a diss, even if it was coming from J Cole (someone I am personally not a fan of), but Kendrick did.

On March 26 2024 Future and Metro Boomin (two well known drake allies and collboraters realeased a track called “Like that” on the Album “I don’t like you”. In the Like that record Kendrick Responds to J Cole mentioning him as part of the big three by saying “Motha fuck the big three, its just big me” a clear shot at J Cole and an announcement to the world that he sees himself as the best in the game.

On April 5th J Cole responded with the track “7 minute drill” I won’t speak much on this track as Cole apologized and deleted the song from all platforms two days later and has essentially washed his hands from the beef. To be fair to Cole it seemed he thought the beef was on some competitve rap shit and didn’t realize it was personal between Kendrick and Drake.

On April 13th Drake joins the Feud by leaking the song “Pushups” or “drop and give me 50” (officially released on April 19th) In the song Drake takes shots at Kendrick, Future, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross and The Weeknd (all drake colloboraters in the past but have publicly sided with Lamar) which makes me wonder what kind of person Drake is if these people who have made a lot of money with drake will not take his side over someone who they don’t have any collaborations with. In the song Drake takes shots at Lamar by dissing his taylor swift feature, calling him weak and to go lift weights (hence the song title pushups) and the cover art displays a US shoe size of 7, referencing a line in the first verse where Drake clowns Lamar for his shoe size & height “How the fuck you big steppin’ with a size-seven men’s on.”

Three hours after this Rick Ross responds to Drake’s diss on Pushups with his song “Champagne moments” Rozay wastes no time in hurling accusations at Drake, alleging reliance on ghostwriters, his “leak” of pushups, cosmetic surgeries, including a nose reconstruction to appear more Caucasian. The diss paints Drake as an outsider in rap and degradingly refers to him as a “white boy” who climbed the industry’s ranks under the help of mentors including Lil Wayne and himself.

April 19th the same day as the official release of Pushups, Drake strikes with a second diss track called “Taylor Made” in which drake uses AI vocals from Tupac and Snoop Dogg to critize Lamar, the former being a huge influence to Kendrick who also hails from compton and the latter who has praised and collaborated with Lamar in the past was a unique but in my opinon weak way for Drake to convey his dislike for Kendrick, as it sounds like his idols but is not actually coming from his idols so it doesn’t cut the same. In this one he again references Kendricks feature on Taylor Swift’s bad Blood and claims he hasn’t dropped yet to avoid a dispute because Taylor didn’t approve as she is in the midst of an album release her self, implying he has lack of control in his own career. With lines like “But now we gotta wait a fuckin’ week ‘cause Taylor Swift is your new Top, and if you ‘bout to drop, she gotta approve” and “This girl really ‘bout to make you act like you not in a feud; she tailor-made your schedule, you out of the loop.” Taylor Made was on streaming services until April 26th following a dispute from Tupac Shakur’s estate for using his likeness/voice.

On April 20th Kanye West released a like that remix, Kanye and drake had a less contentious but very public feud dating back to 2018, like in many things, Kanye was way ahead of his time.

After weeks of silence Kendrick finally responds with a devestating diss titled “Euphoria” this may be one of the best diss records ever, in the first verse alone Kendrick claims Drakes star is falling, he was never one of “us” an attack to his blackness, a common theme in Drake disses and clearly a sore subject for him. And ends the verse with the line “But don’t tell no lie about me and I won’t tell truths ’bout you.” Saying that we can fuck around but you don’t want the other half of this story, I can’t even tell the truth about you because then it’ll get weird. While also telling him to respond accordingly and with caution. He also says this isn’t a rap battle, I really hate you. “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dressI hate the way that you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it’s gon’ be direct” Where in pushups Drake said Kendrick has small feet Kendrick flat out calls Drake corny. Kendrick’s diss cut way deeper, and I doubt Drake will ever be able to stand next to sexy red with out thinking of this line “When I see you stand by Sexyy Red, I believe you see two bad bitches I believe you don’t like women, it’s real competition, you might pop ass with ’em” another great line in this song is “Headshot for the year, you better walk around like Daft Punk” meaning he will need to cover his face in public or wear a helmet, because of the potential to get shot is now a real one, a dark but clever threat. Euphoria also became the most searched word on meriam webster’s website following the release of this song. Kendrick also references a rap battle drake had with Pusha T in which he lost so bad he had to claim his son adonis who he had not publicly accepted or had any attachment to prior to his rap beef with Pusha T. Drake also makes fun of the toronto accent by saying “crodie” in the song but he may also be referring to plushh who is from toronto and got viral for her accent.

May 3rd Kendrick Lamar releases another Diss titled 6:16 in LA. The title is already a subtle jab as Drake has made many timestamped songs that feature a song and location (4pm in calabasas, 5am in toronto and many more) this one isn’t as potent as euphoria but in it he does insinuate that there is a mole in his camp “have you ever thought that OVO was workin’ for me? / Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible person” and “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.”

On the same day Drake responds to “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA” with his track “Family Matters” the longest song in the beef at 7 minutes and 36 seconds, I’d also argue this song is the most bumping without the context. I also feel like this is Drakes strongest track in terms of actually dissing Kendrick. Drake also again takes shots at Rick Ross, the Weeknd, Metro Boomin and ASAP Rocky. In the music video Drake takes the actual van from Kendricks second album “Good Kid/maad city” and destroys it. The main themes discussed in this diss track were Kendrick’s domestic abuse of his wife, use of ghostwriters, and infidelity. Drake also mentions Whitney, Kendrick’s wife, having a (allegedly) baby with their body guard Dave Free. Throughout the song, he insisted on using the word “nigga” constantly, a way to show Kendrick that he has no say in the matter, after Lamar had said he can’t use that word in Euphoria.

Just 52 minutes later the third diss track in 24 hours is released, Kendrick Lamar releases his response track titled “meet the grahams” This might be even more brutal of a diss track than euphoria was.

Before diving into the lyrics the album art is brutal, and clearly shows a ozempic and ambien prescription (yikes scoob) to be clear there has been some contraversy around the legitimacy of the photo, but assuming it is real it shows that OVO may actually have a mole and paints a nasty picture of Drake. In the song Kendrick addresses each member of the Graham family. Once again the allegation that drake has a child he is neglecting is made. In verse one Kendrick address Adonis Drake’s son and says he’s sorry Drake is your non-responsive father and that his grandfather should’ve worn a condom, making it so Drake was never born. the line “Don’t cut them corners like your daddy did, fuck what Ozempic did Don’t pay to play with them Brazilians, get a gym membership” is Kendrick continues to play on the rumors of Drake undergoing ab surgery, or even a BBL. In the second verse Kendrick address Sandra and Dennis Graham, Drake’s mother and father. Drakes father who was absent in most of Drakes life and served two prison sentences, during his childhood years. Saying they raised a horrible person. Kendrick also draws comparisions to Drake and Harvey Weinstien which is interesting considering the ambien prescription on the cover art. He also adresses the people drake keeps in his inner circle despite their current legal battles. In verse 3 he address the daughter Drake has abandoned and criticizes the example he is making for this child. In verse 4 Kendrick addresses drake personally, claiming this is an exhibition that he is not taking serious, calls him immature and a drug and sex addict. A brutal diss track that I only really scratched the surface on.

May 4 – The next day Kendrick drops “Not Like Us” what I’d consider a victory lap although the saga doesn’t end here. Another incendiary diss track, in which he made a series of extremely serious allegations against Drake over a DJ Mustard beat. The track alleges (without evidence) that Drake is a pedophile and runs a sex trafficking ring with members of OVO Sound. Saying “Why you trollin’ like a bitch? Ain’t you tired? Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor” Among other disses, notably calling Drake a snitch and culture vulture, Kendrick doubles down on prior allegations made against Drake of sexual deviancy. This time, he outright calls Drake and his associates (Baka and PartyNextDoor, and Drake’s security guard Chubbs) pedophiles, using the term “certified pedophile” as a clever play on Drake’s September 2021 album, Certified Lover Boy. Drake has also been in some trouble for his relationship with Millie Bobby Brown and Bella Harris prior to them being 18. Lamar also accused Drake of being a “colonizer,” who exploits Atlanta artists like Future, 21 Savage and Lil Baby for street cred. The cover art is edited in a way that closely resembles the modern sex offender registry, which pinpoints the residency of a convicted offender, is continuing the thread of allegations made by Kendrick Lamar that Drake is a sexual predator. It insinuates that Drake’s mansion, nicknamed “The Embassy,” is a hub for illegal sexual activity.

May 5th Metro Boomin releases BBL Drizzy on soundcloud. There’s not really any lyrical analysis to be made here but the song is catchy and was no doubt made to diss drake.

The feud may not be over but this is where we stand today. This is a huge rap beef with many tracks made and many disses and attacks. It seems that most people are crowning Kendrick Lamar as victor. But this has been a huge beef in the history of rap and a huge moment in the cultural lexicon. The rap game really needed this and it seems to have caused a bit of a rift in the rap game as a whole as it seems many artists who have been linked with Drake have actually taken Kendricks side. I do wonder what will happen to drake after this if his next album is a flop. I’m excited to see what happens next but in my opinion Kendrick does not need to respond. Euphoria and meet the grahams are two lethal diss tracks and alone are more venomous than anything drake has said in any of his diss tracks. It seems that drake has lost his third rap beef for an overall record of (1-3) and it was really silly to go after Kendrick as he is a really hip hop MC and drake is more of a mainstream rapper. The difference is clear in this beef. It is a good thing for rap no doubt, and I’ve gotten a lot of excitement over this whole thing but I think we may be at the end. Tell me who you think won. I hope you enjoyed my analysis, I really tried my best to cover everything and analyize the lyrics and disses the best I could. I also considered making a source page but decided against it as I did a pretty good job linking songs and articles I used to write this article. I will update this should there be any news in this story.