Three days last May, Kendrick Lamar and Drake caught fire with their epic rap battles for ages. A year later, the outcome of this lyrical quarrel is still having an impact.
While K-Dot and the boy seemed to have a potential beef between brewing decades, the Compton, California rapper threw a seductive bait when he threw a gun on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Future” last March. Kendrick refuted the idea that there is a big three in Hip-Hop composed of himself, Drake and J. Cole, and took “Muthaf **K The Big 3, Ni **a, this is my big self”. Drake grabbed the bait.
On April 13, 2024, Drake released the Diss song “Pusp Ups”. A week later, the drizzle doubled the song “Taylor Made Freestyle” and he begged Kendrick to respond. A week later, he did it on the song “Euphoria.” Three days later, on May 3, 2024, Sh*t hit the fan.
Kendrick and Drake are remembered for the most jaw-dropping three days in rap beef history, and extend for three days in rap beef history. Kendrick started things by releasing “Los Angeles 6:16.” Fourteen hours later, Drake responded to “family affairs.” He then revolves the block with the imitation of “buried alive episodes.” Before fans took a breath, K-Dot applauded with “Meet the Graham Man” nearly an hour after the drizzle dropped.
Fans run out of popcorn. Kendrick accused Drake of being a cultural vulture and hiding his second child. Drake claims Kendrick is a family abuser. Things get dark. Then there is the smashing blow.
On May 4, Kendrick released the mustard-made coffin near “Not Like Us”, a mature bop that appears to have nails placed in the coffin. The song was released 19 hours after “Meet Graham.” The next day, about 24 hours later, Drake made a response to “Heart Part 6”, which was seen by many rap fans as too late.
What makes this fight different from anyone else in rap history is that the Diss tracks drop for a very short time. Rap fans have little time to dissect one offending track before releasing another.
The consequences of the battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake Rap
After the fight, both rappers changed dramatically. Kendrick is ready, and in this case many are seen as giants by many. “Don’t Like Us” ranked No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with record numbers. Last June, DOT performed in Los Angeles at Pop Out: Ken & Friends Concert, where he “don’t like us” five times. Last September, he was announced as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime performer. That November, he released the surprise album GNX, which also surpassed the billboard.
That same month, Drake filed two former action petitions against Universal Music Group, accusing them of artificially expanding “not like us” using bots and payola. In January, Drake filed a federal lawsuit against UMG for distribution “not like us,” referring to Drake as a child predator. The suit attracts mixed reactions.
February 2025 will include more wins from Kendrick Lamar to damage Drake’s interests. “Don’t Like Us” won five awards at the 2025 Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The following week, Kendrick Lamar performed record ratings in the 2025 Super Bowl.
Although Kendrick couldn’t lose with the victory, Drake’s loss of the battle he chose was considered a blow to the Golden Boy’s status as top Doug. Despite Kendrick’s year, Drake is still a hip-hop artist in 2024. Drake’s $OME SEXY $ONGS 4 U COMPOR’s collaboration with PartyNextdoor album ranked No. 1 on the Billboard 200 rankings in February, but the three-day Royal Rumble had lasting consequences.
Mine, what’s the difference in one year?
