When you picture Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who do you think the better artist is? After their recent controversy, it is quite impossible to like both. Though their rocky relationship spans back to 2013, the two artists have recently taken shots at each other through their music over the last few months, with tensions reaching a boiling point.
Kendrick Lamar is an esteemed hip-hop and rap artist who has won the Pulitzer Prize for Music as well as 17 Grammys. Canadian rapper Drake, a pop-rap artist, also has many accolades.
On March 26, artists Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar released their single “Like That,” which was featured on the album WE DON’T TRUST YOU. In this song, Lamar disses artists J. Cole and Drake, igniting the feud between himself and Drake.
Lamar’s lines in “Like That” consisted of the words “Mother **** the big three […] It’s just big me,” which was in response to an earlier track made by J. Cole, where he referred to himself, Drake and Lamar as the “big three” of rap. Lamar, however, claimed that neither Drake nor J. Cole could compare to him.
After initially releasing a track in response to “Like That,” J. Cole dropped out of the feud early. He later removed the track from streaming services and issued an apology. He also publicly apologized at the Dreamville Festival in North Carolina, stating his mental health as the reason he abstained from the beef: “I ain’t gonna lie to y’all the past two days felt terrible. I **** near had a relapse.”
Drake responded to “Like That” in April with “Push Ups,” where he mocked Lamar’s record deal history and small stature.
Lamar responded quickly in the same month with “Euphoria,” where he took shots at Drake’s biracialism, calling Drake “not a colleague” but a “colonizer.” He also rapped about Drake’s fashion sense and alleged claims concerning his relations with various women.
Drake then released “Family Matters” on May 3, where he accused Lamar’s fiancée, Whitney Alford, of infidelity. He also accused Lamar of domestic abuse against Alford and called Lamar’s son a product of Alford and her bodyguard: “I heard that one of ‘em little kids might be Dave Free.”
Lamar fired back in less than an hour with “Meet the Grahams,” a sinister track that consisted of verses addressing Drake’s son Adonis whilst also accusing Drake of having a secret daughter.
Abraham Coumbassa (II) says, “I feel like the text messages between him and Millie Bobby Brown were questionable for sure,” while referring to Drake’s interaction with the young actress.
The beef has even drawn international attention, with artists singing in Chinese and Japanese on “BBL Drizzy,” an instrumental track produced by Metro Boomin, getting its name from the alleged Brazilian butt lift Drake got. Metro Boomin made this track in response to Drake’s line “make some drums” in “Push Ups.”
With fans branching across different platforms, it is clear that Lamar has gathered more support for his side. Avid Kendrick Lamar listener Maya Tran (II) feels that Drake’s disses were weaker than Kendrick’s: “I felt as if Kendrick’s diss tracks were a lot more cohesive and better then what Drake released. A lot of my friends are on Kendrick’s team because of this but also because of his renown.”
