It is powerful when we collectively experience something of cultural importance.
With casual observation, you can see how outside influences have tarnished the sanctity of Hip Hop culture over the past 50 years.
Kendrick Lamar has had enough.
Authenticity is a key component of having any validity in Hip Hop culture.
To him, Drake is someone in Hip Hop who he feels has blatantly used both cultural appropriation and the pen of other writers to maintain his status as the most successful musician in Hip Hop for well over a decade.
“You’re not a rap artist. You a scam artist with the hopes of being accepted.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Euphoria”
In the long-standing tradition of the MC, Kendrick has taken it upon himself to go directly at Drake by declaring a rap battle. He’s alluded to Drake in his lyrics throughout a variety of songs over the past decade, but never as directly as what went down in the spring of 2024.
In the many conversations I’ve had about this battle, quite a few people have mentioned that this feels like a battle for Hip Hop’s “soul”. I agree.
This is a battle for what type of artist we want to lead the next era of the culture and what type of artist deserves to sit on the throne as the King or Queen of Hip Hop.
While that may seem a bit dramatic to those outside of the culture, it may not be that far off when you analyze Kendrick’s perspective in his recent diss tracks towards Drake.
What seems to be Kendrick’s main issue, according to his lyrics, is that Drake is tapped into so much of what makes the music and entertainment industries so notoriously toxic and is appropriating Black American regional cultures to become considered as a Hip Hop GOAT.
“You’re not a colleague, you’re a f*cking colonizer.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Kendrick is trying to make us all aware of how proximate the vilest parts of Hollywood are to Drake’s everyday life (such as cultural appropriation, drug addiction, sex trafficking, pedophilia, and gambling) and therefore he should not be worthy of such admiration.
This has put Drake on the defensive. Instead of addressing many of these things directly, he’s used this battle to affirm his authenticity by showcasing his skill at rapping (ex. “Family Matters”) all while attempting to sow seeds of doubt into K.Dot’s fans about his personal and family life.
“We get that you like to put gin in your juice… When you put your hands on your girl, is it self-defense ’cause she bigger than you?”
— Drake, “Family Matters”
It seems the legitimate argument people make in opposition of Drake’s debated status as a Hip Hop GOAT, such as the use of co-writers and ghostwriters, is no longer relevant to him because he feels his “authenticity” is validated through his success.
“I’m at the top of the mountain, so you tight now. Just to have this talk with your ass, I had to hikedown.”
– Drake, “PushUps”
For Kendrick, this battle is giving us an ultimatum: we should not continue to support artists like Drake and the commercialization, commodification, misogyny, and appropriation of Black culture that is being perpetuated by a biracial, Jewish, Canadian actor cosplaying various Black American cultural expressions.
“Tell ’em run to America, they imitate heritage, they can’t imitate this violence.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Euphoria”
I will dig a bit deeper into this, but first I want to share my “Top 9” ranking the best songs of this battle.
1. Kendrick — Not Like Us (May 4, 2024)
2. Drake — Family Matters (May 3, 2024)
3. Kendrick — Euphoria (April 30, 2024)
4. Kendrick — Meet the Grahams (May 4, 2024)
5. Drake — Push Ups (April 19, 2024)
6. Kendrick — 6:16 in LA (May 3, 2024)
7. Drake — The Heart Part 6 (May 6, 2024)
8. Drake — Taylor Made Freestyle (April 19, 2024)
9. Drake — Buried Alive Pt. 2 (May 3, 2024)
(This list excludes Drake & J.Cole’s “First Person Shooter” and Future & Metro Boomin’s “Like That” feat. Kendrick)
At the end of this article are Spotify and Tidal playlists I created with every Kendrick and Drake song available on streaming that has addressed each other since 2013.
It is a chronological timeline of the sneak disses, subtle jabs, and direct shots that have gotten us to this point and a necessary listen if you want to hear how this beef has evolved over the years.
My Perspective on theBattle
My love for Hip Hop culture and music is very similar to how Kendrick expressed his love and connection to Hip Hop.
My foundation, understanding, and immersion into Hip Hop culture starts with my dad, Stephen Sr. He introduced me to the culture at a very young age.
This was important because he grew up in the Castle Hill and Riverdale neighborhoods of the Bronx and he saw the early elements of Hip Hop forming in real time. And just like Hip Hop culture, I was born in the Bronx and returned to live there for several years after college.
Growing up, the more I experienced Hip Hop culture and witnessed how the corporate entertainment industry was influencing the culture to express itself in ways that were antithetical to its founding principles, the more I understood the necessity to protect it.
As some of you know, I have a podcast titled “Style Free Podcast” where my dad and I discuss a variety of topics in Black arts & entertainment from a father-son perspective across two generations: boomer and millennial.
In a recent offline conversation on this Kendrick and Drake beef, my dad offered questions to me that he thought were important to think about as I reveled in enthusiasm after each new diss track dropped.
As we spoke, I began to realize my responses to his questions were something that deserved greater intention. So, for this article, I am sharing my perspective on this battle using his nine questions.
Question #1: “WhyNow?”
Why are all of these artists coming at Drake? Why did Kendrick decide to call him out by name this time?
One of the things I’ve read that could be contributing to the recent issues Drake is having with other artists is the fact that, in 2021, he signed a record-breaking deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) for a base contract of $400 million.
“My last record deal was four hundred M’s, these days, that’s a low ball.”
– Drake, “Family Matters”
Following this deal, UMG began to fold traditional record labels, such as the legendary Motown Records, into the portfolio of a larger subsidiary like Capitol Records and in the process cut significant jobs and restructure business models.
This corporate restructuring impacted many Hip Hop artists. The feeling among many of them is that Drake’s mega-deal was him aligning with the “machine” of the industry.
Another long-running issue Drake has had with other artists has been his track record of being with women who were romantically involved with his peers.
When you think back to most of Drake’s previous beef with other rappers, a woman has been a centerpoint of the conflict each time.
Drake v. Meek Mill? Nicki Minaj was at the center of that.
Drake v. Chris Brown? Rihanna was at the center of that.
Drake v. Common? Serena Williams was at the center of that.
Drake v. Ye? At one point, Kim Kardashian was at the center of that.
Drake v. Ja Morant? Johanna Leia is at the center of that.
Drake v. The Weeknd? Bella Hadid is at the center of that.
Drake v. A$AP Rocky? Once again, Rihanna as well as Johanna Leia.
Drake v. Future? Princess Diana (no, the other one) is at the center of that.
He is also reported to have slept with the longtime girlfriend of Lil Wayne, Tammy Torres, back in 2010 while Weezy was serving a prison sentence at Rikers Island.
The list just goes on and on and on and on.
Drake calls himself a “Certified Lover Boy”, but many of his peers seem to consider him a certified “f*ck boy” as a result of all these messy situations.
“I search one name and end up seein’ 20 tings.
Nadine, Christine, Justine, Kathleen, Charlene, Pauline, Claudine. Man, I pack ’em in this phone like some sardines.
And they send me naked pictures, it’s the small things.”– Drake, “First Person Shooter”
With all these situations, I can understand how there is so much to question about his character and morality. It’s clear why Metro Boomin and Future named their two recent albums that contain Drake disses “We Don’t Trust You” and “We Still Don’t Trust You”. The “we” they speak of is not only speaking for themselves.
“You got gambling problems, drinking problems, pill-popping, and spending problems. Bad with money, whor*house, soliciting women problems.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Meet the Grahams”
When it comes to Kendrick, he’s been taking sneak disses at Drake for years now. My guess as to why he chose this moment to come at him directly, was after seeing Drake collab with J.Cole and make acknowledgement of “The Big 3” in the song “First Person Shooter”.
“Love when they argue the hardest MC.
Is it K.Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?
We the big three like we started aleague.”– J.Cole, “First PersonShooter”
J.Cole sounds amicable to the trio sitting at the top, but earlier in the song Drake dismissed any “Big 3” talk when he said there are only two rappers women discuss in the GOAT debate.
“I love a dinner with some fine women, When they start debatin’ about who the GOAT… Who you bitches really rootin’ for? Like a kid that act bad from January to November, nigg*, it’s just you and Cole.”
– Drake, “First Person Shooter”
In my opinion, this song was the moment that set Kendrick off.
Question #2: “What role are algorithms playing inthis?”
The further this has gone on, the more you realize how much social media is driving points that each rapper has made to one another in their lyrics.
You can see it on Drake’s side when it comes to how hard his fans defend him. But you really see it on Kendrick’s side when you see how his songs are creating cultural moments.
In “Euphoria”, Kendrick accurately states “I’m what the culture feeling” and you can tell by the success of “Not Like Us” breaking Drake’s record for the most streams in one day for a solo Hip Hop song that Kendrick’s ability to “make music that electrifies ‘em” rings true.
At the very moment I write this, people are screaming “Tryna strike a chord, and it’s probably A-Minorrrrrrrrrrr!” at the top of their lungs in clubs all over the world.
The most potent example of the role algorithm played is the way in which Kendrick stepped on Drake’s release of “Family Matters”.
“Family Matters” has an argument for best song of the battle, as does “Euphoria”. In the song, Drake crafted a masterful assault at everyone who has been coming at him lately.
His focus is clearly on Kendrick, but he also addresses The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Future, Metro Boomin, Kendrick, and Rick Ross through a furious torrent of raps in the second verse.
“Abel, run your f*ckin’ bread, need to buy some more chains for some more guys… Rakim talkin’ sh*t again. Gassed ’cause you hit my BM first… Pluto sh*t make me sick to my stomach, we ain’t never really been through it. Leland Wayne, he a f*ckin’ lame, so I know he had to be an influence… K-Dot sh*t is only hittin’ hard when Baby Keem put his pen to it. Ross callin’ me the white boy and the sh*t kind of got a ring to it.”
– Drake, “Family Matters”
The song was accompanied by a stylishly-crafted music video, which features Drake crushing a van reminiscent of the one from the cover of Kendrick’s album “good kid, m.A.A.d City”. Drake later dines at New Ho King, which is the Toronto restaurant Kendrick name dropped in “Euphoria” and subsequently gave a surge of new customers.
Within minutes of Drake releasing “Family Matters”, Kendrick unexpectedly dropped “Meet the Grahams” and stepped all over the release of a song that was supposed to serve as the “red button” and be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb.
The algorithm certainly played into Kendrick’s favor with this strategy.
His name was already trending worldwide due to “Family Matters” and as a result, “Meet the Grahams” became the atomic bomb of the battle.
“Your son’s a sick man with sick thoughts, I think nigg*s like him should die. Him and Weinstein should get f*cked up in a cell for the rest their life. He hates Black women, hypersexualizes ’em with kinks of a nympho fetish… He got sex offenders on hoe-VO that he keep on a monthly allowance. A child should never be compromised and he keepin’ his child around them. And we gotta raise our daughters knowin’ there’s predators like him lurkin’.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Meet the Grahams”
It is a song that was so shocking and personal, it even made listeners feel incredibly uncomfortable upon first listen.
It was a brilliant chess move by Kendrick that clearly considered the massive role social media was playing into this whole battle. For over a week, it felt like all of social media was engaged in a worldwide barbershop conversation on Hip Hop.
“Don’t tell no lies about me and I won’t tell truths ‘boutyou.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Euphoria”
I’m curious to see how the leveraging of social media continues to evolve in future rap battles, knowing what we’ve seen in this one and how it affected Drake’s prime strategy.
Question #3: “How much is reaction influenced by the reality show landscape?”
When it comes to the conversations surrounding this battle, it’s reminiscent of the same way episodes of reality shows like “Love and Hip Hop” are dissected in real time as they air.
These two artists were quietly releasing songs, but the reaction to their drops was loud.
There was no promo for any of the songs except for one link to each song directing listeners to either YouTube or Instagram. There was also a delay before most of the songs would end up on streaming and not all of them are available due to lack of sample clearances.
I think the “reality show” vibe is really happening more in Metro Boomin’s battle with Drake.
Drake told him to “shut yo hoe ass up and make some drums” in his song “Push Ups” because Metro is a producer.
This insult ended up backfiring as Metro responded with “BBL Drizzy”, which is being called the first diss beat (or disstrumental) in Hip Hop.
Using a sample from an AI-originated song by King Willonious, Metro posted the instrumental song online and encouraged anyone to make their own diss track to Drake for a chance to win an original beat and $10,000.
Some of them are thought-provoking, some are pretty harsh, but most of them have been pretty funny.
Much like a reality show, thousands of rappers from every corner of the world have gotten in on the competition and are rapping on it in different languages and to diss Drake for a chance to win.
There’s a lot of perspectives on the concept of “Drake” as a brand, and people around the globe are letting their thoughts be known.
But scrolling along my timeline and coming across “BBL Drizzy” complete with a Masego saxophone solo over top of it has to be one of the funniest and unexpected moments of this, or any, rap battle.
Question #4: “Is this another spectacle that will wind up lining some boss’s pockets?”
Sir Lucian Grange is the head of Universal Music Group and regardless of who we’re rooting for, he in some way is making a profit off this battle.
Drake is signed to the $400 million megadeal with UMG and Kendrick’s music is also licensed for distribution through Interscope Records which is owned by UMG.
Grange and UMG are lining their pockets with every stream. So that’s unfortunately a big part of the business end of this battle.
“Where’s Lucian? Serve your master, nigg*. You caught a little bag for your masters, didn’t ya? Lifetime deal, I feel bad for nigg*s.”
– Ye (Kanye West), “Like That” Remix
One of the ways it seems Kendrick is trying to balance that is by releasing the rights to his diss tracks on platforms like YouTube, so content creators can monetize their reaction videos and lyric breakdowns of his music.
That hasn’t happened on Drake’s side, which is likely due to his contractual obligations to UMG.
Therefore, the optics once again look like Drake is choosing to make money for the industry while Kenrick is supporting everyday people.
There’s no other way for these artists to truly release music independently unless they relinquished themselves of their contracts and dropped their new releases on a platform like Bandcamp, but we know that’s not happening.
So, at the end of the day, because of the capitalist nature of our music industry, Sir Lucien Grange and the UMG shareholders will continue to eat off this entire spectacle.
Question #5: “Is it healthy for some of these accusations to be aired out publicly?”
Does it allow us to examine ourselves individually and collectively through the art form?
I think that from what I’ve seen on Twitter and TikTok, there are creators in each of these spaces that are using the beef as a conversation starter for self-examination and self-awareness.
The most serious accusation is Kendrick is alleging that Drake has some role or influence in the underage sex trafficking that happens among powerful elites and that one of the ways Drake lures young women into this lifestyle is through leaking videos exposing himself.
“They be streamlinin’ victims all inside of they home and calling ’em tender. Then leak videos of themselves to further push their agenda.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Meet the Grahams”
I think it is resonating with listeners because there has been growing speculation about Drake and his purported friendships with teenage girls. At the same time, the accusations Drake made about Kendrick physically abusing his fiancée haven’t gained nearly as much traction in public discourse.
“They hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen. The picture you painted ain’t what it seem.”
– Drake, “Family Matters”
I think the public reaction to both of these serious allegations is so dramatically different because, for years, Drake has been the target of criticism for his proximity to young women while there has never been any public speculation of Kendrick being a domestic abuser.
Things have gotten very messy on both ends and as a result, regardless of the validity of these accusations, the way we engage with celebrity culture is also being reexamined.
Question #6: “How is this advancing the culture?”
There have always been debates on who the Hip Hop GOAT is when it comes to the art of MCing.
Over the past decade, it has been hard for the culture to come to a clear decision of who is the best of this generation between Drake, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. As a result, the concept of “The Big 3” was born.
In this battle, J.Cole was consulted by ScHoolboy Q to drop out of the competition because he knew that Kendrick would be making some serious allegations against Drake that Cole wouldn’t want to be associated with.
And who knows, maybe when the dust settles it will be J.Cole in the top spot because he decided to take up that advice and stay quiet, in his lane, doing his own thing.
But in this battle, as in every battle, there is something to prove.
For Drake, he is proving to his haters that he is successful for a reason. That he has the skill to be an elite MC and, after Kendrick’s allegations, that he is not a sexual predator.
“I’m your baby mama’s screen saver. Only f*ckin’ with Whitneys, not Millie Bobby Browns. I’d never look twice at no teenager. I’m a f*cking hitmaker, dog, not a peacemaker.”
– Drake, “The Heart Part 6”
For Kendrick, he is using this battle to prove to his haters that he isn’t just an avant-garde, Pulitzer Prize-winning, highbrow artist who can’t connect with regular people, but that he can unleash the pen and dismantle an opponent lyrically on some Hip Hop sh*t.
“Sometimes you gotta pop out and show nigg*s. Certified boogeyman, I’m the one that upped the score withhim.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Not LikeUs”
His chosen opponent happens to be the most successful rapper of the 21st century. Which is why in addition to penning exceptional lyrics, Kendrick is also dismantling Drake’s image and brand.
Almost equally as devastating for Drake has been Kendrick’s ability to shed light on the cultural inauthenticity that he seemingly cosplays in his music, language, and image.
“You run to Atlanta when you need a check balance… You called Future when you didn’t see the club. Lil Baby helped you get your lingo up. 21 gave you false street cred. Thug made you feel like you a slime in your head. Quavo said you can be from Northside. 2 Chainz say you good, but he lied.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
By giving acknowledgement to the important role Atlanta’s Hip Hop artists have played in influencing Drake over the years, it has reignited fans questioning the appropriation of other Black American, Caribbean, African, and British cultures in his work.
“And notice, I said “we,” it’s not just me. I’m what the culture feelin’.
How many more fairytale stories ‘bout your life ’til we had enough?
How many more Black features ’til you finally feel that you’re Black enough?”– Kendrick Lamar, “Euphoria”
Kendrick has executed so well in this battle that an argument could be made he is the most feared lyrical opponent in Hip Hop, of anyone who isn’t a traditional battle rapper.
That alone is a culture shifting moment and worth paying attention to.
Question #7: “How does the focus on each other’s personal lives not perpetuate conditions where the need to diss only functions to perpetuate dysfunction?”
The dysfunction seemed to begin when Drake dropped “Family Matters”.
In the song, he addressed Kendrick’s long-time fiancée, Whitney Alford, by name and accused her of being the victim of domestic violence by Kendrick.
He also made the accusation that Kendrick’s manager, Dave Free, is the actual father of one of his & Whitney’s children.
“Your baby mama captions always screamin’ ‘save me!’
You did her dirty all your life, you tryna make peace.
I heard that one of ’em little kids might be Dave Free’s…Don’t make it Dave Free’s. ’Cause if your GM is your BM’s secret BD.
Then this is all makin’ plenty f*ckin’ sense to me.”– Drake, “Family Matters”
In response, Kendrick toes the line on perpetuating dysfunction in “Meet the Grahams”. In this song he not only addresses Drake (whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham) but writes individual letters to his parents, son, and alleged daughter.
“Dear Aubrey, I know you probably thinkin’ I wanted to crash your party.
But truthfully, I don’t have a hatin’ bone in my body.
This supposed to be a good exhibition within the game.
But you f*cked up the moment you called out my family’s name.”– Kendrick Lamar, “Meet the Grahams”
It’s probably one of the most vicious battle raps ever recorded.
I also can’t write any further without giving a shout out to The Alchemist who, as always, does a masterful job with the song’s production.
It feels like all of this raw honesty-sharing in 2024 started on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast interview with Katt Williams.
In what is now the most watched interview of all time, Katt made a point to mention that sexual predators will be exposed in 2024.
“It’s God’s side and it’s the other side. And we don’t care nothing about the other side… All of these big dick deviants is all catching hell in 2024. It’s up for all of them… All lies will be exposed.”
– Katt Williams on Club Shay Shay, 1/3/2024
Taking advantage of the opportunity to speak one’s truth on a public platform has been a growing theme, post-pandemic. We’re more mindful of the value of time, all while operating more independently than ever.
With so many podcast platforms existing today, there are a lot of drawbacks to giving just anyone a microphone, but it is also giving people opportunity to really speak their truth and to let various “truths” exist at the same time.
In this circ*mstance, I think that Kendrick’s focus on truth-telling is an attempt to exorcise someone from the throne of Hip Hop whose disingenuousness he considers the antithesis of what the culture is intended to represent.
“f*ck a rap battle, this a long life battle with yourself.”
– Kendrick Lamar, “Meet theGrahams”
Question #8: “Why do you generally not find the same type of public attacks between artists in other genres like country, folk, pop, R&B, classical, etc.?”
To keep it simple — that’s because Hip Hop is a culture and not just a genre of music.
Hip Hop culture was born on August 11, 1973, at a DJ Kool Herc “Back to School” party hosted by Cindy Campbell in the rec room of 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx.
But the culture’s principles of “peace, unity, love, and having fun” were not established until November 12, 1973, by the Universal Zulu Nation.
They defined Hip Hop culture as the expression of those four principals through the creative elements of DJing, MCing, Breaking, and Graffiti.
From the earliest days of the culture, conflicts were settled through artistic competition.
Just two years prior, in 1971, an intergang peace treaty was signed in the Bronx after the murder of Cornell “Black Benjie” Benjamin who was a member of The Ghetto Brothers. This peace treaty resulted in a necessity for young people to resolve conflicts in a new way.
Instead of physically harming one another, the idea of battling somebody through using an element of Hip Hop became a redefining moment for youth culture in the Bronx.
It is a tradition that continues to this day, most visibly in this battle between Kendrick and Drake.
No other genre of music is part of a larger culture that places significant value in conflict resolution.
That’s why you don’t often see it anywhere else like you do in Hip Hop.
Question #9: “What would happen if these great talents focused on the unhoused, the open air prison in Gaza, the school-to-prison pipeline, the toxicity in our ecosystem, or anything else globally relevant?”
What would happen is that we would have much more desire and awareness around these things. And that would be fantastic.
My hope is that there is something on Kendrick’s next project that has nothing to do with addressing Drake and connects with the more important things described in the question.
I also hope Drake does the same thing. He needs to if he can. And it’d need to be genuine.
Drake has never really talked about anything socially important, besides the rare occasion like his feature on Snoop’s “No Guns Allowed”.
I read that Drake did sign an “Artists for Ceasefire” petition calling for ceasefire in Gaza, which is great. Especially being the most famous Jewish musician in the world.
But I think the opportunity is also there for Drake to address bigger things in his music.
Even amid this battle, they both could be dropping songs about what’s going on domestically and internationally, all while dropping these diss songs about each other.
It’s not like we can only be focused on one thing at a time.
It’s the same feeling I get when people say things like: “I can’t believe everybody is focused on this one trivial thing when they could be focused on something very important”.
Of course. And as artists, we could focus on both.
It’s not extremely hard to talk about how messed up so much of the world is today and promote awareness and inspire people get energized to do something about it.
And then, when you’re not doing that, drop a bunch of disses at someone you don’t like.
But again, my hope is they’re able to address more worldly topics on their next projects instead of focusing on each other.
A Timeline of Drake v. Kendrick — Playlist
Now how did we even get here?
Technically, it started with Kendrick’s verse on Big Sean’s song “Control” and was followed by his freestyle on the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher.
But neither of those (along with Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” and “Buried Alive Pt. 2”) are currently available on streaming.
So, I created a playlist of Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s songs that are available on streaming, which contain all the sneak disses, subtle jabs, and direct shots at one another since 2013.
Below are the Spotify and TIDAL versions, enjoy!
And thank you for taking the time to read a bit of my perspective on what may go down as the greatest rap battle of all time.
“Drake v. Kendrick: A Timeline” — SpotifyVersion
“Drake v. Kendrick: A Timeline” — TIDALVersion
