Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud: Everything to know about the recent rap beef

This can easily be called the biggest rap feud in recent history as Drake and Kendrick Lamar are all guns blazing against each other – to the point that a security guard was shot outside Drake’s Toronto house. The police are currently still investigating the crime and trying to find links for the firing with the ongoing feud.

But you ask how it all started?

It picked up when Kendrick Lamar dissed Drake and other rappers in an interview in 2013. He called out Drake and other contemporary rappers like J Cole, Meek Mill, ASAP Rocky. When Drake didn’t respond to the diss, Kendrick took another jab at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards.

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This led to the two launching disses at each other over the years. Over the next few years, Drake has beefs with other rappers like Meek Mill in 2015 and Pusha T in 2017.

It escalated when J Cole reignited the beef when he rapped about Drake and Lamar and called them the “big three” and added, that he now feels like “Muhammad Ali”.

These diss tracks which often include exaggerated truths and rumours for dramatic effects led to the current feud. On March 22, Kendrick Lamar appeared to respond to J Cole’s diss and said, “The big three”...nah, “It’s just big me”.

He referenced to Drake’s 2023 album “For All the Dogs,” and compared himself to Prince and Drake to Michael Jackson: “Prince outlived Mike Jack.” J Cole released a response in “7 Minute Drill” but apologised soon after for it.

How did the rap feud escalate?

On April 13, Drake posted a supposed response. Rapping about Lamar, Drake said, “You ain’t in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down.” It also looked like he took an aim at Future, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross and The Weeknd.

On April 24, Drake responded with a second, A-assisted diss track, “Taylor Made Freestyle” which included verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg, two of Lamar’s influences. In his own verse, Drake accused Lamar of delaying his response track because of the imminent release of Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department.” (Lamar collaborated with Swift on “Bad Blood”).

On April 30, Lamar hit back with a reply, in the form of song “Euphoria” which slapped a slew of accusations against Drake – about his skills as a rapper, the use of AI, appearance, racial identity, and parenting. The title of the song matches the name of popular HBO series which Drake executive produced.

Lamar didn’t stop and dropped a follow-up song “6:16 in LA” on May 3. In this he targetted Drake’s company, his record label. Drake responded with “Family Matters”. He alleged that there was abuse and infidelity in Lamar’s relationship with his fiancee.

Next day, Lamar responded with “Meet the Grahams” in which he addresses Drake’s son and sang, “I’m sorry that man is your father.” Lamar also addresses Drake’s parents, and “a baby girl,” alleging that Drake has a secret daughter. He also called Drake a “predator,” without elaborating.

On May 5, Drake dropped “The Heart Part 6” where he asked Lamar to prove the allegations and said he’s happy this feud could make him rap.

Cut to now, when there was a shooting outside Drake’s mansion in Toronto.