Hip-hop is a subculture in which musical battles and opposition have existed since its founding. However, none of them were more talked about than the ongoing struggle between the Canadian rapper Drake and the American rapper from the West Coast of California Kendrick Lamar. This struggle, for which the concept of “rivalry” is not enough, is presented in the wiki as a historical event, the chronicle of which is organized according to the principle of war.
The Wikipedia page for the Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef is formatted like it’s a war between two countries 💀 PIC.TWITTER.COM/H5LQ2WBLSF
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) MAY 7, 2024
The story begins back in 2011 when Drake and Kendrick Lamar collaborated for the first time on Drake’s album ”Take Care” and later on Lamar’s ”Good Kid”, ”M.A.A.D City.” Until that time, the two artists’ relationship was, to say the least, very friendly. They exchanged compliments about each other in the press, performed on stage together, and were generally making people hopeful for the future of their blooming bromance.
However, all was to be ruined in 2013 when Lamar decides to sabotage the cozy atmosphere between the two of them by releasing a verse on Big Sean’s “Control” in which he explicitly stated his desire to “murder” everyone else in the rap game. Later, Lamar tried to walk back his word, saying that the murder was to be “figurative,” and it was to be perceived as “friendly competition.”
In January 2023, J. Cole called Drake, Lamar, and himself the “Big Three” of hip-hop in the song “First Person Shooter” from Drake’s album ”For All the Dogs.” it was a time of tranquility, but the storm was on its way. The feud was reignited in March 2024 with the release of the song “Like That” by Future and Metro Boomin, which featured Lamar. In the verse, Lamar mocks the concept of a “Big Three” in the rap game, which many thought includes him, Drake, and J. Cole. This simple matter of content led to more unanswered questions as to why Lamar and Drake were having the same argument they’d already had.
Soon thereafter, J. Cole, Future, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Rick Ross and Worst Ye guested in the battle. The form of diss tracks as accusations and rebuttals were based on the conflict between the representatives. The battle is considered so severe that it can be compared to more massive conflicts, which indicates how the music industry works and how artists take revenge on each other.
Drake and Lamar have released their most ruthless diss tracks against each other in the past week. They accused each other of various aspects, including their heights and styles, and even made allegations about each other’s children. This battle resulted in spinning eight answers or accusations back.
Cole, however, replied to the song with a diss track of his own; “7 Minute Drill”. Cole would later take down the song and apologize. But Drake was not willing to let it go, releasing two songs in April; ”Push Ups” and ”Taylor Made Freestyle”. Even worse, the latter’s AI-generated voice had lyrics in Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg’s voices; they had reserved legal rights for the same, and the song was taken down.
The beef continued with Lamar releasing a diss track on May 3, 2024, “Meet the Grahams” targeting Drake song, having been dropped to YouTube twenty minutes after Drake’s song, ”Family Matters”. The hip-hop music community is reaching fever pitch as it awaits what the artists have waiting in the stale for each other.
But in the context of this battle, accusations, disses and lyrical sparring has become a norm. Both artists are exploring music, stretching their artistic reach and curating great lyricism that would satisfy their fans. They’re no longer just making music; they are telling a tale – their story. And no matter if you’re Team Drake or Team Kendrick, that’s sure enough what it is, a drama.
