The Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar beef took over the hip-hop world in 2024, but the rappers had been trading barbs for years before «Not Like Us.»
Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s long-running feud reignited in March when Lamar dissed Drake and J. Cole on Future and Metro Boomin’s track «Like That» from their latest collaborative album, «We Don’t Trust You.» This spiraled into a diss-track war in April and May, with Cole, Drake, Rick Ross, and Lamar all releasing new songs.
At first, fans encouraged the beef between Lamar and Drake. Diss battles, which rappers use to prove themselves, are common in hip-hop, and it was seen as some friendly competition between the genre’s heavyweights.
Feuds can also be a clever marketing tactic to help artists boost streams and sales. «Like That», for instance, topped the Hot 100 for three weeks, and «We Don’t Trust You» debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Lamar’s «Euphoria» and Drake’s «Push Ups» also climbed the Billboard chart in May.
But as the beef has continued to intensify over several months, Drake has escalated his attacks legally, launching two legal actions against Universal Music Group (to which both Drake and Lamar are signed) and Spotify, accusing both companies of artificially inflating streams of Lamar’s No. 1 hit «Not Like Us.»
But how did we get here? Here’s everything to know about the beef that took over hip-hop in 2024.
Hannah Getahun contributed to an earlier version of this story.Drake and Lamar have been making digs at each other since 2013
Lamar and Drake started out as friends, with Lamar opening for Drake’s «Club Paradise» tour in 2012. The pair’s feud began when Lamar rapped that he was better than all the rising rap stars, including Drake and Cole, when he featured on Big Sean’s 2013 song «Control.»
«And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Wale, Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller / I got love for you all, but I’m tryna murder you n*****», he rapped.
Drake appeared to respond on the track «The Language» from his 2013 album, «Nothing Was the Same», rapping: «I don’t know why they been lyin’ but your shit is not that inspirin’ / Bank account statement just look like I’m ready for early retirement / Fuck any n**** that’s talking that shit just to get a reaction.»
The two rappers last featured on the same song in 2013 and, since then, have made small digs at each other in their tracks and in interviews.
In 2015, many fans believe that Lamar accused Drake of using a ghostwriter, pointing to Lamar’s 2015 track «King Kunta», where he raps, «I can dig rappin’, but a rapper with a ghostwriter? / What the fuck happened?»
Lamar hasn’t confirmed if the «King Kunta» lyric is about Drake.
Later that year, Meek Mill also accused Drake of using a ghostwriter in a since-deleted post on X, which Drake denied in a 2019 interview with Rap Radar.
The pair have also taken different paths artistically, with Lamar earning critical acclaim, including winning a Pulitzer prize for «Damn» in 2018 and 17 Grammys. Drake is more commercially successful, with 15 songs with over a billion streams on Spotify compared to Kendrick’s five.Cole entered the beef after appearing on Drake’s ‘For All The Dogs’
Drake’s 2023 track «First Person Shooter», featuring Cole, is all about the two being the greatest rappers ever. Cole, who is friends with Lamar, references him in the song when talking about being the «Big 3» of the Hip Hop world.
«Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?» Cole raps, referring to Lamar’s nickname, «K-Dot», and Drake’s birth name Aubrey. «We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.»
Lamar was rumored to be featured in the song too, though that never materialized.
Drake ends the song by comparing his success to that of the late Michael Jackson, who is the sixth best-selling artist of all time. In October 2023, Drake scored his 13th Billboard Hot 100 No.1, tying with Jackson.
Lamar’s verse in «Like That» alludes to those lyrics, the song title «First Person Shooter», and Drake’s 2023 album title, «For All the Dogs.»
«Motherfuck the big three, n****, it’s just big me», Lamar raps, adding later. «Fuck sneak dissin’, first-person shooter, I hope they came with three switches.»
A week after the song dropped in March, Drake appeared to respond to Lamar during a concert in Florida as part of his «It’s All A Blur Tour: Big As In What?» with Cole.
Drake officially addresses Kendrick Lamar on stage “I got my head held high, my back straight, I’m ten f**king toes down… and I know no matter what there’s not another n**ga that could ever f*ck with me on this Earth” pic.twitter.com/4xJZ1kX8uS
«A lot of people ask me how I’m feeling. I’mma let you know I’m feeling», Drake said in a video shared on X. «I got my fucking head up high, my back straight, I’m 10 fucking toes down in Florida and anywhere else I go. And I know that no matter what, it’s not a n**** on this earth that could ever fuck with me in my life!»Cole fired back at Lamar, then apologized two days later
Cole did not publicly comment on Lamar’s «Like That» verse until April 5, when he released a 12-track EP, «Might Delete Later», featuring Gucci Mane, Ari Lennox, and others.
The first verse of the final track, «7 Minute Drill», appears to be a direct response to Lamar, who Cole implies is losing popularity. Rolling Stone’s Andre Gee wrote that the title refers to a military drill in which officers have to explain how to respond to an enemy attack.
«He still doin’ shows, but fell off like the Simpsons / Your first shit was classic, your last shit was tragic / Your second shit put n***** to sleep, but they gassed it / Your third shit was massive and that was your prime / I was trailin’ right behind and I just now hit mine», Cole raps.
Fans believe Cole’s bar about Lamar’s second album references the critically-acclaimed «To Pimp a Butterfly», as most people don’t count 2011’s «Section.80» as his first. «Good Kid, M.A.A.D City», is Lamar’s actual second album.
Two days after the song was released, Cole apologized to Lamar during his performance at the Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina. «I just want to come up here and publicly be like, bruh, that was the lamest, goofiest shit», Cole said in a video shared on X. «And I pray that y’all are like, forgive a n**** for the misstep and I can get back to my true path. Because I ain’t gonna lie to y’all. The past two days felt terrible.»
Cole said he felt conflicted because he respected Lamar but felt pressure from his peers and fans to respond.
J.Cole speaks on his response to Kendrick and says it hasn’t felt good or right with his spirit, calling his own response “corny” and telling Kendrick to return his best shot if he feels a way pic.twitter.com/jan2jctfk9
Cole said his diss verse, and the discourse surrounding it, didn’t «sit right with my spirit», adding that he hoped Lamar, who he describes as «one of the greatest motherfucker’s to ever touch a fuckin’ microphone», wasn’t hurt by his words.
Cole was initially mocked by fans for backing down, but they have since praised him for stepping out of the situation before the beef intensified.
Representatives for Lamar and Cole did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Future and Metro Boomin stirred more trouble with ‘We Still Don’t Trust You’
On April 12, Future and Metro Boomin released their second collaborative album, «We Still Don’t Trust You.» While neither rapper directly dissed Drake, they enlisted The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky to do their bidding. Ross and Cole also appear on the album but don’t diss Drake.
In the track «All To Myself», The Weeknd references declining to sign with Drake’s OVO label, which has led to a frostiness between the two Canadian stars.
«They could never diss my brothers, baby / When they got leaks in they operation / I thank God that I never signed my life away / And we never do the big talk / They shooters makin TikToks / Got us laughin in the Lambo», The Weeknd rapped.
On the track «Show of Hands», Rocky references the rumor that he slept with Sophie Brussaux, the mother of Drake’s child Adonis, before the «God’s Plan» rapper.
«N****s in they feelings over women, what, you hurt or something? / I smash before you birthed, son, Flacko hit it first, son», Rocky rapped.
Rocky and Drake were also friends until the «Fuckin’ Problems» rapper began to date Rihanna, who had an on-again-off-again relationship with Drake.
On the «For All the Dogs» track «Fear of Heights», Drake disses both stars, saying sex with Rihanna was «average» and that Rocky is now stuck with her since they have children together.Drake fires back with another diss track
On April 13, after the release of «We Still Don’t Trust You», another diss track recorded by Drake, «Push Ups», surfaced online.
Although Drake spends most of the four-minute track dissing Lamar, there are a few shots fired at The Weeknd, Ross, Cole, Future, and Metro Boomin.
Drake mocked Lamar’s latest album, «Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers», his appearances on Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift’s pop songs, and suggested that Lamar’s former label, Top Dawg Entertainment, took 50% of profits from the «Humble» rapper’s songs.
«How the fuck you big steppin with a size-seven men’s on? / Your last one bricked, you really not on shit», Drake rapped. «Maroon 5 need a verse, you better make it witty / Then we need a verse for the Swifties / Top say drop, you better drop and give him 50.»
Drake also rapped that SZA, Travis Scott, and 21 Savage were bigger names in the hip-hop world than Lamar.
Later in the track, Drake references Cole’s diss track and apology.
«And that fuckin’ song y’all got is not starting beef with us / This shit brewin’ in a pot, now I’m heating up / I don’t care what Cole think, that Dot shit was weak as fuck», Drake rapped.
Later in the track, Drake raps that he gave Future his first No.
