While these hip hop heavyweights have been simmering for over a decade, things went nuclear in March with Lamar’s “Like That”, as fans presume he took direct shots at Drake and J. Cole. It’s been all an all-out Kendrick & Drake Diss Tracks war since with all heavyweights like The Weeknd and Ye.
This war of words is setting the charts on fire. The total number of diss tracks are set to average 250 million streams across the US. They’ve taken over the Billboard Hot 100, with diss tracks representing an incredible 20% of all streams for the week. That’s some chart-topping beef! Drake and Kendrick Lamar won’t make direct payouts from these disses, but the accompanying boost in streams could certainly be helpful.
Diss tracks by Kendrick Lamar & Drake are projected to earn a combined 250 million streams in the United States this week across all streaming platforms. Roughly 20% of all streams on the Billboard Hot 100 this week are expected to be coming from these tracks. PIC.TWITTER.COM/DQEL8IYVET
— Talk of the Charts (@talkofthecharts) MAY 7, 2024
Recently “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar broke the Spotify record for the most streamed rap song in a single day, previously held by Drake’s 2021 collaboration with Lil Baby titled “Girls Want Girls,” which had 6.593 million streams. Kendrick’s diss track “Not Like Us” quickly rose to No. 1 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart after its release.
The song amassed the most streams of any Hip-Hop song since Spotify’s launch back in 2008, with a record-breaking 10.986 million streams in a single day. This record-setting number represents a significant increase from the previous record, marking a new milestone for single-day streams of a hip-hop song in US Spotify history.
Rap beefs are nothing new – think Tupac vs. Biggie or Nas vs. Jay-Z. But comparing the financial impact is tricky. Back in the day, there were no streaming giants, so gauging success is different. One thing’s for sure: a good diss track can definitely boost careers.
This lyrical battle isn’t only a fight between rappers. This is what also the one won is : Both record firms backing Drake and Lamar will be awarded the extra views record firms such as Drake and Lamar. Spotify and Apple Music have also, in all likelihood, added their to the hit chart’s count for the contest brawl. In addition to additional exposure, the other musicians are also getting a slice of the pie in the way of added plays and those occasionally said although not in the fight.
In the final analysis, the big question remains – are the diss tracks a manifestation of real creativity and talent or are they a marketing gimmick. Would the verbal vendetta leave a stain on both artists until they die, or, on the contrary, would they become a benchmark for hundreds of young rappers in future generations? Only time could tell, but one thing is obvious – the rap community is currently in awe of this major rap beef.
