Two of the most famous rappers of all time, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, have recently gotten into a fiery online feud, accessorized with diss tracks, media posts, and even allegations of crimes. However, the timeline of the feud has been long and confusing. So, if you’re behind on the drama, don’t miss this complete timeline of the Drake v. Kendrick beef.
In March, Kendrick Lamar was featured on Future and Metro Boomin’s album We Don’t Trust You. In the song “Like That,” Lamar rapped about an anonymous opponent that he was fighting. However, Lamar did reference Drake’s song “First Person Shooter” and his album For All the Dogs, making it clear that he was referencing Drake.
Lamar seemingly started the beef due to his competition with Drake as a top rapper. Drake gained popularity earlier than Lamar but allowed Lamar to feature on some of his music in 2011, kickstarting his career. Now that Lamar is one of the most popular rappers, winning Grammys and topping the charts with every release, his and Drake’s relationship has become more competitive.
Just a few weeks after Lamar’s initial diss, J. Cole, not Drake, responded. In Drake’s album First Person Shooter from 2023, Cole rapped “We The Big Three, like we started a league,” referring to himself, Drake, and Lamar. However, in “Like That,” Kendrick rapped “Motherf- the Big Three, it’s just Big Me.” Because “Like That” referred to J. Cole as well as Drake, Cole responded with the diss track “7 Minute Drill,” which notably lacked many hard-hitting jabs at Lamar. In fact, Cole went on stage at a festival and apologized for the diss track just days later.
Drake was not so kind to Lamar. About a week after “7 Minute Drill,” he responded to Lamar with a diss track of his own, “Push Ups.” “Push Ups” was not nearly as vague as “Like That.” Drake directly named and dissed Rick Ross, The Weeknd, and Ja Morant for supporting Lamar after “Like That” dropped. Of course, Drake also went after Lamar, making fun of all of his features in pop albums, ranging from Taylor Swift to Maroon 5.
Before Lamar had a chance to respond, Drake dropped yet another diss track. In the days following the release of “Push Ups,” a fake response from Lamar was released using A.I. The fake response had a poor beat and lyrics, allowing Drake to make jabs at Lamar’s skills, even if he never released any new music. After the drama with the A.I. Lamar song, Drake released the A.I. generated “Taylor Made,” which features the fake voices of 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. In “Taylor Made,” Drake eggs on Lamar, urging him to respond with another diss track.
Lamar finally responded with the six-minute-long “Euphoria.” In the diss track, Lamar notably attacked Drake’s Blackness and his ability to parent, completely uprooting his identity. Lamar also poked fun at the idea of using A.I. in music, directly responding to “Taylor Made.”
Lamar didn’t let his stamina run dry, releasing “6:16 in LA” three days later. This time, Lamar played into the allegations that Drake’s standings with OVO, his own record label, aren’t as stable as he thinks, rapping “have you ever considered OVO is working for me?”
Drake responded to the two diss tracks a couple of days later with “Family Matters.” True to its name, the diss track discusses Lamar’s family. It alleges that he is domestically abusive to his wife and that one of his children is not his own.
Immediately, Lamar responded with “Meet the Grahams.” Drake has a son, Adonis, who was kept out of the public eye for many years. In “Meet the Grahams,” Lamar mentions Adonis and alleges that Drake has a secret daughter. Going even further, Lamar implies that Drake may even be a sexual predator, using his connections at OVO.
Lamar posted “Not Like Us” in another back-to-back release next. Again, Lamar accused Drake of being a sexual predator and of not truly being Black, digging deeper into his claims from “Euphoria” and “Meet the Grahams.”
The next day, Drake responded to Lamar’s very serious allegations with “Not Like Us.” In his latest diss, “The Heart Part 6,” Drake adamantly denies Lamar’s allegations of sexual misconduct, accusing Lamar of deflecting his own experiences with abuse onto him. Drake also claimed that his team fed Lamar fake information about him having a secret daughter, baiting him to spread rumors that could be easily shot down.
Since “The Heart Part 6,” there has been little noise from either Lamar or Drake. With almost a month having passed since “The Heart Part 6” was released, it may be safe to assume that the beef is over. But who knows if or when the Drake v. Kendrick feud will flare up again.
