The Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud goes further than just music
Rap heavyweights trade back-and-forth blows on diss tracks
The two icons hurled allegations of domestic violence and secret children at one another. (Wikicommons/The Come Up Show/Batiste Safont/Michael C. Berch/Claudia Culley)
Editor’s Note: This article briefly mentions pedophilia and domestic abuse. If you or someone you know needs help, people can reach out to VictimLinkBC at 1-800-563-0808 or email VictimLinkBC@bc211.ca. Help is available, please reach out.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar having beef was not on my 2024 bingo card, but now that it’s over I’m glad it happened.
Over the past month, nine diss tracks have been released between the two, with each song becoming increasingly more vulgar in subject matter. In a hip-hop scene lacking substance recently, this is exactly what the genre needs. We’re not getting generational music any time soon, so we might as well get a generational feud.
There has been plenty of rap beef in the past, such as Nas and Jay-Z and Drake and Pusha T, but this seems similar to Tupac and Biggie in the 1990s. When each track dropped, everyone knew where they were and immediately picked a side.
This all began when Kendrick Lamar appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s single “Like That,” responding to Drake and J Cole’s claim of a rap “big 3” on “First Person Shooter.” Obviously, Lamar disagreed as he used most of the feature time to bash Drake and J Cole. If you weren’t listening properly, you probably wouldn’t realize Lamar is dissing Drake.
I enjoyed Lamar’s “Like That” verse. It was a catchy and lighthearted response to Drake. But then I began to wonder, ‘Why is Lamar dissing Drake?’ These are two supposed friends and collaborators, appearing on songs such as “Poetic Justice” and even touring together in 2012. Does Lamar know something we don’t?
But that’s beside the point. The two are obviously no longer friends, and maybe fatherhood has made Lamar bored.
Since the release of “Like That”, Drake and Lamar have dropped diss tracks accusing the other of all sorts. Drake began with “Push Ups,” mocking Lamar for teaming up with pop stars like Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 and eventually accused him of physically assaulting his wife on “Family Matters.”
Lamar called Drake a hypocrite on “Euphoria,” called Drake’s team pedophiles on “Not Like Us,” and alleged Drake has an 11-year-old daughter on “meet the grahams,” which Drake took to Instagram to deny.
These songs were awkwardly good, but also felt like something that shouldn’t be aired out to the public. I found myself often questioning if I had really heard what the two rappers said. The diss tracks quickly became less about the music and more about attacking each other personally. But it wouldn’t be a proper rap beef if the allegations weren’t so bizarre and shocking, which is exactly why it’s like Tupac and Biggie. Each bar and diss is supposed to make your jaw drop.
Although, when you’re throwing around accusations as big as pedophilia and domestic abuse, I’d like to see some proof other than word of mouth. Anyone can say anything to make themselves seem like the bigger person.
Despite the hefty allegations, I enjoyed the beef and I think it was the best thing to happen in hip-hop in a long time. Rap finally had fans on the edge of their seats with something to look forward to. If you’re somewhat of a rap fan, or even a music fan, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t invested in this beef.
On May 12, Drake posted to his Instagram story, hinting at the end of the beef. It was fun for a month, but now it’s time for the once close collaborators to part ways.
