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Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake Beef Review

Tension buildup has finally surfaced after years of aggressive comments, unfolding into a full-blown rap battle earlier this month
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Drake and Kendrick Lamar (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake have recently exploded into a feud including nine different diss tracks between the two, along with a response from J. Cole which was later wiped. Fans of the artists are arguing about who’s winning, as this is bigger than anyone could have expected. 

The beef initially sprung when Kendrick sang a verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s  “Like That” stating that Drake “needs to prove that he’s the problem,” and that there is no ‘big three’ in hip hop/rap but instead, that it’s just him. This line was in response to a verse in Drake’s “First Person Shooter” which was released last year featuring J. Cole where he suggested that he, Drake, and Kendrick were the ‘big three’ of the current hip hop/rap era.

Following this, J. Cole responded with his diss “7 Minute Drill” mentioning the bore that comes with listening to Kendrick’s tracks along with pointing out how short he is, which Cole eventually apologized for two days later and backed out of the beef when he realized it was going to be a more intense feud than anticipated, and would likely leave a stain on his overall reputation.

Cole must be grateful he backed out when he did because afterward, the string of back-to-back tracks was released between Kendrick and Drake. 

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Shortly after “Like That”, Drake released “Push Ups” on April 13th where he mainly focuses on Kendrick’s shoe size, and height disadvantages, along with mentions of his long-term romantic partner, stating, “I be with some bodyguards like Whitney.” While Kendrick lacked a response, a week later Drake fired with “Taylor Made Freestyle” mocking just that, using AI-generated voices of Snoop Dogg and Tupac, both of which Kendrick looked up to, for the sole purpose of taunting him.

Later on in April, Kendrick finally fired back with “Euphoria” which was 6 minutes of asserting that things were still civil between the two. Kendrick rapped “But don’t tell no lie about me and I won’t tell truths ’bout you”, threatening that if Drake doesn’t stop where he’s at, Kendrick will leak info about him. Kendrick subliminally insulted Drake within this as well when he rapped, “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress,” pointing out his hatred of Drake in different aspects as well as calling out his stance as a father to his son, Adonis. He doubled down on Drake with “6:16 in LA” on May 3rd, which was only released via social media, hinting that he has operatives within Drake’s record label, OVO Sound, and that Lamar was aware of their research and plans, “Have you ever thought OVO is working for me?”

The same night as “6:16 in LA”, Drake released a track nearly 8 minutes long, “Family Matters”, where he ultimately took shots at Kendrick’s relationship with his wife, Whitney Alford, accusing him of abusing her and getting it covered up, “They hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen,” Drake rapped. “The picture you painted ain’t what it seem,” He added. 

Cover art of “Meet The Grahams” of Drake’s father’s belongings out of a stolen suitcase to reveal that he has a mole in OVO and expose him. Within the image, there appears to be prescribed medication with the name “Aubrey Graham” (Drake’s real name) on it later revealed to be for Ozempic, an injection intended for blood sugar, but often used for weight loss.

Immediately after the release of “Family Matters”, Kendrick dropped “Meet the Grahams” and with how quickly this six-minute track came into play, many believe it was something Kendrick had been working on previously. “Meet the Grahams” continued with the theme of family, where Lamar apologizes to Drake’s son, and accuses him of having a secret daughter as well.

He also mentioned the use of Ozempic which Drake had previously mentioned Rick Ross using stating that he was taking it and lied about how he truly lost weight.

Less than 24 hours subsequent to “Meet the Grahams”, Kendrick also released “Not Like Us” where he accuses Drake of being a pedophile, “Certified Lover Boy, certified pedophiles,” Lamar emphasized, and “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minor” …these lyrics went viral.

Cover art for “Not Like Us” resembling a sex offender map, with multiple pins on Drake’s Toronto home.

A day later, Drake released “The Heart Part 6”, where he denies all of the allegations made regarding preying on young girls and having a secret daughter. He also claims to have planted this false information for Kendrick to find and try to use against him, “It’s good to get out, get the pen working,” Drake expresses. “You would be a worthy competitor if I was really a predator.” He added, “This is trauma from your own confessions” referring to Kendrick’s alleged sexual abuse mentioned in an earlier song of his, “Mother I Sober” Considering Lamar has not yet responded to this, fans believe he is still cooking something up in the studio and look forward to it, as do I.

The continuous entertainment this has brought upon me and millions of other fans around the world brings me to give it 5 out of 5 paws while I am excited to see what comes next!

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    AntonioMay 30, 2024 at 2:07 pm

    AMAZING reporting, Viv!

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