Kendrick Lamar recently performed at his The Pop Out — Ken & Friends Juneteenth concert, reeling off a bold statement. He opened the set with the live debut of the Drake diss track “Euphoria” and added a new bar:
“Give me Tupac’s ring back, and I might give you a little respect.”
This is an unmistakable salvo aimed directly at Drake, referencing a ring previously owned by rap legend 2Pac. The crowd for Kendrick’s concert was super turnt, chanting “OV-Hoe” before he came on stage. The alleged beef between Kendrick and Drake lives on!
What started as an increasingly heated series of diss tracks from Kendrick and Drake took a turn when Kendrick released “Euphoria.” It was a reply to Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which AI-generated verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg. After Drake got heaps of backlash, most notably shortly after in the form of a cease-and-desist letter from Tupac’s estate, it got even more profound.
Besides Drake’s use of AI-generated vocals, Kendrick’s lyrics also refer to broader criticisms concerning Drake’s authenticity and integrity within the rap world. In this beef alone, there were a couple of tracks from both camps: from Drake’s side came “Push Ups,” “Family Matters,” and in reply, Kendrick dropped “Not Like Us,” among others.
This is the lyrical warfare that constitutes part of a much greater tension between these two rappers, whose multiple manifestations include competition for stride in the industry and different views on art.
