The ground is still shaking from the aftershocks of one of the most historic weeks in hip-hop. Arguably the two biggest stars in the genre and culture, Kendrick Lamar and Drake, released heated, pointed songs about each other, holding the music world’s attention in a vice grip. Like 2Pac and Biggie, Jay-Z and Nas, and even Kool Moe Dee and Busy Bee before them, this was an epic clash. And it’s a conflict that has been over a decade in the making. 

Before Drake and Kendrick’s extensive multi-verse verbal massacres came a series of “playful” jabs. Even further back, the two seemed to have an allyship that would make these exchanges seem more like friendly competition than outright disses. In hindsight, they could either be taken as the proverbial “Death by a thousand paper cuts” or, if we’re being optimistic, a muscle tear that got deeper over the years from all the flexing. This is their story. 

We begin at the start of the 2010s, which brought a turn in the entire music industry. As massive music retailers were shutting their doors in 2009, Drake (then mostly known as “the kid from Degrassi”) was one of the first buzzing rap stars of the post-physical music era. His breakthrough 2009 mixtape, So Far Gone, was officially available digitally for more than six months before a physical version was even pressed.  

Kendrick Lamar’s debut, a self-titled EP, was released at the end of that same year, with no physical follow-up. The same goes for Kendrick’s next mixtape Overly Dedicated (2010) and his debut album Section 80 (2011). This was a time of iPods, post-MySpace social media algorithms and what’s regrettably become known as “the blog era.” As music industry rules and the path to rap superstardom evolved, Drake and Kendrick rose to superstar status. 

Drake hit notoriety first. Echoing his self-professed mentor Lil Wayne (and Wayne’s mentor, Cash Money Records’ Birdman before him) Drake surrounded himself with new young talent. He reached out to a young Kendrick Lamar and featured him on his 2011 heralded album Take Care, a show-stealing appearance on “Buried Alive Interlude.” Drake then brought Kendrick Lamar on the road to be the opening act on his 2012 Club Paradise Tour. The slot raised Kendrick’s notoriety in hip-hop among a mainstream audience and gave Drake credibility with more traditional hip-hop purists. In interviews at the time, both mentioned their friendship being one of instantly clicking, and it seemed to benefit both of them career-wise as well. That same year Drake appeared on Kendrick’s song “Poetic Justice” from his landmark good kid, m.A.A.d city album, arguably the most universally acclaimed rap album of the decade. During a time of Kanye West misfires and Jay-Z becoming more mogul than MC, it elevated Kendrick to the genre’s new artistic pinnacle. 

We start to see the two rappers’ relationship deteriorate in the late hours of August 12, 2013. While Drake began his elaborate mass media rollout for the September release of his new album, Nothing Was the Same, Kendrick Lamar appeared as a surprise guest verse on the remix of rapper Big Sean’s “Control.” There, Kendrick throws down the gauntlet challenging rappers from all corners of the genre by name, including the other rappers on the remix with him, and Drake. Most of the other names either didn’t acknowledge the mention or took it in stride. Drake told Billboard in an interview later that month that the name drop “sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that Kendrick’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform. So, when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic.” 

Kendrick seemingly took Drake’s comments as dismissive. During a performance at the following month’s BET Award Cyphers, Kendrick rapped, referencing the name of the soon-to-be-released Drake album “Nothing’s been the same since they dropped “Control” / And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes…” as he went on, without saying Drake’s name, to call him a “fake.” At the time, to the best of our recollection and research, it seemed Drake didn’t directly respond and instead focused on promoting Nothing Was the Same.

 However, in December, rapper Future gifted the rap world a remix to his song “S***” with a Drake guest verse. Some speculated it about Kendrick at the time. With hindsight, it is almost certainly about him. Possibly referencing the Club Paradise Tour, Drake raps “I hear you talk about your city like you run that / And I brought my tour to your city, you my son there…” and continues the verse rhyming about how he doesn’t take bait or engage in gossip. 

The years to follow found both stars rising without overtly colliding. Drake became rap’s most reliable hitmaker and even the unlikely victor in a public 2015 battle with respected Philly rapper Meek Mill. At the same time, Kendrick’s To Pimp a Butterfly album and guest appearances became causes for celebration, including his high profile 2015 collaboration with Taylor Swift on the remix to “Bad Blood.” Drake continued setting records and dominating charts with No. 1 single after No. 1 single, and Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 album DAMN went on to win a Pulitzer Prize. Combine their careers in this period, and every possible critical and commercial accolade for a hip-hop artist was achieved. In the years to follow, Drake remained a very public figure with a regular stream of releases while Kendrick became reclusive, re-emerging in 2018 for the Grammy-winning Black Panther soundtrack and again 2022 for his critically and commercially successful Mr Morale and the Big Steppers album. 

All the while, those following closely could see Kendrick and Drake taking alleged subliminal shots at each other. The video for fellow Los Angeles rapper — and no stranger to rap beef or diss records – the Game’s single “100” features him showing Drake around Compton. Contemporary coverage at the time speculated Drake’s social media posts cozying up to Game in Compton, a city notorious for rap beef, was an ominous subtle projection for the Meek Mill feud. With the benefit of hindsight this setting, coupled with Drake’s line “I would have all your fans if I didn’t go pop,” seems to be for sure aimed at Kendrick. Nine years later, this theory is further strengthened by the Game publicly siding with Drake against Kendrick on Instagram. Two years after “100,” Kendrick alludes on the DAMN track “ELEMENT” to unnamed rappers who “be in L.A. for free” (referencing both the “100” video shoot and Drake’s unnamed allusion to Kendrick on 2016’s DJ Khaled collaboration “For Free”). He also calls out rappers who “tiptoe around [his] name” on “The Heart Part 4.” It seems unmistakable when heard with 2024 ears. 

Oddly enough, it was a sincere compliment that set off this latest stream of unkind words. In October 2023, Drake and fellow 2010s consistent rap standout J. Cole teamed up for “First Person Shooter.” In it, Cole refers to himself, Drake and Kendrick as “The Big 3.” The tectonic plates of rap began to rumble, a shake finally felt on March 26 of this year.

It was then that Kendrick Lamar appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” and declared there was no “Big 3,” in fact, “there’s only Big Me.” The shot was unmistakably fired, and things sped up. 

On April 13, Drake released a full-length Kendrick diss in the form of “Push Ups,” mocking Kendrick’s height (the single’s cover art is allegedly Kendrick’s shoe size) and his collaborations. 

April 19 saw Drake implementing his winning “Back to Back” strategy against Meek Mill with another diss before Kendrick had a chance to response. This one, “Taylor Made Freestyle” is notable for Drake saying Kendrick was scared to respond due to Taylor Swift dropping a new album that week, as well as for Drake’s use of AI voice recreations of Snoop Dogg and 2Pac, the latter of which’s estate sent Drake a cease and desist that ultimately forced him to remove the song from streaming platforms. 

On April 30, Kendrick responded with “Euphoria.” Dropping at 8:24 a.m. (a Kobe Bryant reference) on a Tuesday with a title referencing the TV show Drake executive produces, Kendrick unleashes specific hatred for Drake, unquestionable by-name vitriol.  

Kendrick followed this up on May 3 with “6:16 in LA,” produced by Jack Antonoff (considered a choice based on Drake’s “Taylor Made” insinuation) and a title reference to both Drake’s penchant for naming songs after specific cities and times, as well as 6/16 (June 16) being both 2Pac’s birthday and this year’s Father’s Day.  

Later on May 3, Drake responded in the evening with a detailed diss “Family Matters,” accompanied by a full-on music video that included Drake crushing a van of the same make and model of the vehicle featured on Kendrick’s good kid, m.A.A.d city album cover.

One hour later, Kendrick released another diss track, the absolutely scathing “Meet the Grahams.” 

Then, the very next night on May 4, Kendrick dropped yet another Drake diss, “Not Like Us.” With the production and hook being a perfect west coast summer party record on top of a Drake diss, it quickly shattered first day rap streaming records.

One night later, May 5, Drake hits back with “The Heart Part 6” (a title referencing the “Heart” series of single releases that Kendrick’s put out before each of his albums). 

As of press time, that’s where things stand in terms of music released in this battle between Drake and Kendrick. While there are other parties feuding in orbit of the extended rap beef cinematic universe, right now Kendrick and Drake are, for the moment, quiet. We’ll keep you updated as the saga continues.