Kendrick Lamar and Drake, two of the biggest hip-hop artists of today, are beefing, and it is quickly becoming the most famous rap beef since Tupac and Biggie.
The verbal smackdown between Kendrick Lamar and Drake reached a climax recently, however, this battle has been in the making for around a decade. Future and Metro Boomin’ re-sparked their fight after putting out an album called We Don’t Trust You in March 2024. This was an album full of Drake diss tracks, and Kendrick Lamar featured on the song “Like That” which became one of the most famous tracks on the album. The line “motherf*** the big three, n****, it’s just big me” in particular became iconic. This was a reference to J Cole calling himself, Drake, and Lamar the big three of hip-hop.
After “Like That” was dropped, both J Cole and Drake separately put out diss tracks about Kendrick Lamar. J Cole apologized and deleted his track not long after releasing his diss track, but Drake doubled down and released another one. It took Kendrick a little under two weeks to respond to Drake’s songs. In those two weeks, he was planning out exactly how this beef would go.
Here are some lyrics in Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss tracks that make J Cole glad he apologized.
“euphoria” by Kendrick Lamar
“Euphoria” was dropped on a random Tuesday in April after Drake’s first two diss tracks. With three beat switches, Lamar comes in strong with his response. The title of the song is thought to be a reference to the show of the same name where Drake is an executive producer. The show is riddled with controversy as many people accuse it of sexualizing characters who are minors. This theme will come up again later.
“I calculate you’re not as calculated, I can even predict your angle”
Kendrick Lamar
This is one of those lines that hit differently upon re-listening. When the song first dropped it was easy to pass over this lyric as simply Lamar saying he was smarter than Drake. After “Meet the Grahams” came out, however, it was clear that Lamar had a mole on Drake’s team (which Lamar did claim to have), and/or he truly did predict what Drake was going to say.
“I don’t like you poppin’ s*** at Pharrell, for him, I inherit the beef
Kendrick Lamar
Yeah, f*** all that pushin’ P, let me see you push a T”
This lyric is about Pusha T, a rapper Drake had beef with a few years ago. This beef culminated in Pusha T releasing photos of Drake in blackface and exposing him for having a son that Drake didn’t take care of through the song “The Story of Adidon.” While Drake denied it at first, he later revealed that he did have a son named Adonis. Many believe that the song pressured Drake into fatherhood. In the end, Drake never made a song in response to Pusha T’s.
“6:16 in LA” by Kendrick Lamar
Within the same week as “Euphoria,” Kendrick Lamar dropped “6:16 in LA” on Instagram. This second diss track is the shortest of the four he has out right now and is often overlooked. Overall, the main message that people seem to be pulling from 6:16 is that Drake has opps on his team who are leaking information to Lamar
“Are you finally ready to play have-you-ever? Let’s see
Kendrick Lamar
Have you ever thought that OVO is workin’ for me?
Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible person
Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it”
OVO is in reference to OVO Sound, Drake’s record label. Kendrick Lamar is saying that the people who work for Drake are actually reporting back to him. He then goes on to call Drake a bully and a terrible person. Lamar also says that everyone on Drake’s team expect Drake’s downfall to come and even think he deserves it. Drake has a habit of ruining relationships with the people he works with (a famous example being the Weeknd), so it isn’t much of a surprise that the people on his team would betray him in this way.
“It was fun until you started to put money in the streets
Kendrick Lamar
Then lost money ’cause they came back with no receipts
I’m sorry that I live a boring life, I love peace
But war-ready if the world is ready to see you bleed”
Kendrick Lamar is saying that Drake has tried to pay people to find dirt on him, which he touched upon in “Euphoria” briefly. This could also be referencing the fact that Drake tried to do the same to Pusha T and the search came up empty. Lamar claims to be peaceful and boring which is why Drake won’t find anything bad about him. That being said, while Lamar does “love peace,” he is willing to fight dirty when it comes to Drake.
“meet the grahams” by Kendrick Lamar
“Meet the Grahams” is less of a diss track and more of a musical exposé. Using a sample of “Benny and the Jets” by Elton John, the descending chords create an eerie and tense atmosphere. This was dropped around 20 minutes after Drake’s “Family Matters” meaning that Lamar had this diss track prepared. Many say Lamar was waiting for Drake to talk about his family so he could drop this. The song is reminiscent of “The Story of Adidon” since it alleges that Drake is a deadbeat dad who has another hidden child; This time a daughter.
To the Son
“Dear Adonis
Kendrick Lamar
I’m sorry that that man is your father”
This was an absolutely brutal opening line. It is an unspoken rule to keep a person’s family out of the diss track about them. Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar is outright speaking to them. He is insulting Drake while addressing his son, extending genuine sympathy over his living situation. This isn’t the first time Lamar has insulted Drake’s parenting. He also mentioned it in his first diss track about Drake, but this was different since Lamar was speaking directly to Adonis. Many believed that this was Lamar going too far, but this was just the start.
To the Mother
“Sandra, sit down, what I’m about to say is heavy, now listen
Kendrick Lamar
Mm-mm, your son’s a sick man with sick thoughts, I think n****s like him should die
Him and Weinstein should get f***ed up in a cell for the rest their life
He hates Black women, hypersexualizes ’em with kinks of a nympho fetish”
Lamar decided to address Drake’s mother, Sandra, in this verse. He tells her about her son’s predatory behavior and claims that he thinks people like Drake “should die.” He then compares Drake to Harvey Weinstein, a man accused of rape and sexual assault. Weinstein is also currently in legal trouble because of this. Drake has had sexual assault allegations thrown at him over the years, which is likely why Lamar makes these comparisons. Lamar finishes off by exposing Drake’s negative attitude towards black women. Throughout all of Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss tracks, he claims that Drake is a culture vulture who doesn’t feel black enough. This furthers Lamar’s point that Drake is removed from the black community due to his own opinions, attitudes, and actions toward the people within it.
To the (Alleged) Daughter
“Dear baby girl
Kendrick Lamar
I’m sorry that your father not active inside your world”
This lyric is a direct mirror to the beginning. This time, however, Kendrick Lamar is pulling a Pusha T and exposing Drake for hiding another child. Just like when Pusha T revealed Adonis, Drake would go on to deny these claims. Although articles from 2015 have resurfaced recently with claims that Drake has a 2-year-old daughter. With Lamar claiming that Drake has an 11-year-old daughter, the math adds up. There is still no concrete proof that Drake has a daughter, but many fans agree that the evidence coupled with his past actions is enough to believe this might be true.
“Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
“Not Like Us” came out less than 24 hours after “Meet the Grahams” and has quickly risen to popularity. With a traditional West Coast beat and Mustard as his producer, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is by far his catchiest diss track with lyrics so out of pocket that it’s almost comical. Lamar expands on his points about Drake and calls out some members of OVO for similar actions.
“Why you trollin’ like a b****? Ain’t you tired?
Kendrick Lamar
Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor”
This is not the first time that someone has made an A minor joke, but that doesn’t take the punch out of this insult. With little time to recover from the like “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” this line comes in swinging. There are YouTube compilations of people’s reactions to just this lyric. It should also be said that the chord A minor only contains white keys on the piano which could be a reference to the fact that Drake “hates black women” as Lamar has stated before.
“Let me hear you say, “OV-ho” (OV-ho)
Kendrick Lamar
Say, “OV-ho” (OV-ho)
Then step this way, step that way
Then step this way, step that way”
While this may not be Lamar’s most lyrically impressive work, this lyric rubs salt into the wound. It is incredibly catchy and makes you want to move. After four scathing diss tracks, people will be dancing and yelling to a borderline playground insult. In fact, this song is already being played in the club.
Conclusion
Lamar throws some serious accusations against Drake in these diss tracks. He calls Drake a pedophile, claims he is involved in sex trafficking, claims he has multiple addictions, says that Drake is a deadbeat dad, and so much more. It would be nearly impossible to lay out all the details of this rap battle succinctly without leaving some things out. But if what Kendrick Lamar is saying is true, then he was right to say “f*** a rap battle, this is a long life battle with yourself.”
