In the last few days, it’s likely that you’ve come across some shrapnel from the public spat between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar. On social media and American tabloids, the subject has been debated mainly due to the accusations made by one artist against another, which range from domestic violence to sexual abuse of minors. iG Gente is here to explain everything about this confusion!
In the hip-hop universe, the term “diss track” is used to refer to an attack song, something like a disrespect song if we translate it to the Portuguese. It is through unreleased releases that rappers are exchanging barbs and serious accusations.
Beginning of the relationship
Canada’s Drake and American Kendrick Lamar are part of the elite list of international Hip-Hop. Early in their career, the duo collaborated together on several projects, such as “Buried Alive Interlude” (2011), “Poetic Justice” (2011), and “F**kin’ Problems” (2013).
p class=” “>It was from this time that the relationship began to become publicly troubled. On the song “Control” with rapper Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar dedicated venomous lyrics to his colleagues, including mention of Drake.
“I’m friends with the guys I rhyme with/ But this is Hip-Hop, they gotta touch each other/ This is for [cites Drake’s name and other rappers], I have love for y’all, but I’m trying to murder you,” the song excerpts.
Drake didn’t fight back with a diss, but he did echo “Control” during an interview in which he was pressed to talk about it. “It just seemed ambitious. Is that it. I know very well that he’s not going to kill me, in any way, on any platform. When that day comes, we can talk about it again,” he told Billboard.
In
2017, Kendrick released what would be one of Hip-Hop’s most popular albums. With “Damn”, the American surpassed Drake in sales, who had released the album “More Life” at the same time. The then-former colleague called a truce and congratulated Lamar on his success. However, the compliment was not very well received.
In 2018, Kendrick Lamar published another hit song, “All The Stars”, which was part of the soundtrack of the movie Black Panther. In the song, the rapper added hints at Drake, stating that he didn’t want Drake’s congratulations.
In October of the same year, Drake retaliated against Lamar’s debauchery in the song “Fist Person Shooter”, featuring J. Cole. “I love when they debate who’s the best MC/ Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? We’re the big three, we inaugurated a category, but now I feel like Muhammad Ali,” the verse goes teasing Kendrick.
Five years after this tease, in March 2024, Kendrick released “Like That”, in partnership with rappers Future and Metro Boomin, where he clearly gives an answer to Drake. “the hints, Fist Person Shooter, I hope they brought three triggers/ (…) Fuck the big three, it’s just me here,” he said.
Rapper J Cole, mentioned in the confusion earlier, even contributed to the confusion by releasing “7 Minutes Drill.” In the song, he takes a jab at Kendrick Lamar, saying that the first Diss was “classic,” as opposed to the more recent one, which he called “tragic.”
Days after the publication, J. Cole rethought the attitude and deleted the track from the platforms. In addition, he published a note saying he had no desire to condone the fight.
The situation has started to get problematic in recent months. In April 2024, Drake released “Push Ups”, where he makes it clear that Kendrick is not part of any top 3, he even made fun of the appearances that the American rapper made, pointing out that his place is only in a supporting role.
Parenting, aggression and more…
The fight imploded for good when Kendrick Lamar released “Euphoria,” in which he questions Drake’s paternity of his son, mocks him for being Canadian, and says he’s not really black. “You’re not a rap artist, you’re a scammer hoping to be accepted,” the rapper lashes out in one of the verses.
Drake didn’t let it go and hit back with the song “Family Matters.” This one, without a doubt, addressed even more sensitive family issues.
In the song, Drake accuses Lamar of cheating on his wife, supposes an aggression by the American against his own wife and points out that the heir is not his biological son. Kendrick’s response was just as problematic.
In early May, the rival posted the song “Meet the Grahams,” a seven-minute song in which he quotes members of Drake’s family by name. The American accused the Canadian of having an unassumed nine-year-old daughter and insinuated that Drake was involved in a case of sexual abuse of minors and sexual predators. Lamar even compared him to former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who was imprisoned for sexual assault.
The American didn’t even give Drake time to respond and soon released another song attacking him. On “Not Like Us,” the criticism of sex scandals became even more explicit, while Kendrick Lamar calls his rival a “qualified pedophile.”
“Hey Drake, I heard you like the girls” and “you better never go to a jail cell” are some of the verses. In addition, the cover of the song is a photo of the Canadian’s mansion with several arrows on top. This system would be an app used to tag houses of sexual predators.
The latest update on the confusion was published on Sunday, when Drake released “The Heart Part 6.” In the song, he demands proof from Kendrick Lamar about the abuse allegations and stresses that he is too famous to be involved in these cases. In addition, he again accused his rival of assaulting his wife.
“And, Whitney, you can call me if you need a favor,” Drake says in one excerpt, mentioning his former colleague’s wife.
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