The beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar appears to have died down, as neither artist has released a diss track in a little while now. So, now that we’re at what looks like the end, Lil Yachty is taking a look back at the situation. He believes that from the very start, many people had already decided that Lamar was the winner.
On a new episode of the A Safe Place podcast, Yachty said:
“Drake was deemed a loser in this battle before it started, because people don’t like him, and haven’t, and he’s won for a very long time. And he’s sat at the top of the throne… honestly, respectfully, I think he still sits on top of the throne. I think that even if opinionated masses would say that Kendrick won, I don’t think that people are going to stop listening to Drake and Drake’s career is going to flush, you know?”
He added, “I said to Drake, I told him, ‘I don’t feel like you won or lost.’ Rappers have lost and then lost everything. […] I think Drake will still be in everyone’s rap Spotify at the end of the year at the top. He can still drop hits and it will still control the summer. I think that Kendrick made very smart moves, and I don’t think Drake would disagree.”
Lil Yachty speaking on the Kendrick Lamar & Drake rap battle
“Drake was deemed a loser in this battle before it started, cause people don’t like him and havent… I think he still sits on top of the throne… I told Drake I don’t feel like you won or lost”
Ralfy the Plug said the quiet part out loud when he alleged that Kendrick Lamar’s lingo and flow on the diss track, “Not Like Us,” is a trickle-down version of his brother Drakeo The Ruler’s style of rap. And while there were naturally a lot of dissenting opinions, many seem to agree with the statement. This was even before Ralfy brought it up. However, the nuances should not be ignored. K-Dot has always shown signs of being a student of rap first and foremost. While his style is innovative, there will always be similarities here and there. But is this a classic case of copping another artist’s flow? Or did Kendrick Lamar give Drakeo the Ruler a very subtle shoutout on the record-breaking “Not Like Us”?
Ralfy the Plug has previously expressed his thoughts on Kendrick Lamar’s music following the release of Lamar’s album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. On an episode of Bootleg Kev’s podcast, Ralfy criticized the album, specifically suggesting that it had “barbershop old n***a vibes” mixed with “politic music.” He particularly argued that Kendrick Lamar should not be hailed as the messiah of rap, especially when there were artists like his brother who had been releasing “heat no skips.”
Ralfy made it clear that he acknowledged a few records on the album as good. He also claimed to appreciate Kodak Black’s contributions. However, he did not want Lamar’s album to be seen as the saving grace of rap. He then further elaborated on his views on Twitter, stating: “Kendrick make the type of music you listen to when you on yo way to a job interview or when you at home doing homework so you got to put yo head phones on to block everybody out because knowledge is power I don’t be on that type shit don’t be mad at my opinion.” Unsurprisingly, this criticism was met with backlash.
Drakeo The Ruler’s Influence
Drakeo the Ruler’s rap style and lingo were truly distinct. His work quickly set him apart in the L.A. rap scene and beyond. Notably, his musical approach was characterized by a laid-back yet assertive delivery, often described as “creeping” through the beat. His music also often featured dense and claustrophobic beats, and he was recognized for his whispery vocal delivery and complex lyrics. Drakeo was also a pioneer of words. He was known for coining phrases like “flu flamming,” “uchies,” “Pippi Longstockings,” and “mud walking.”
However, Drakeo the Ruler himself confessed his unique style was influenced by a number of LA classics. He was greatly inspired by the battle rapper Cocky, who Drakeo admired for his smooth and calm delivery despite the aggressive content of his lyrics. Besides the delivery though, Drakeo was widely known for creating atmospheric music. His flow was unconventional; and he would often mumble in a blunt yet compelling manner. This stylistic approach is known as the “nervous” rap. Despite not being a chart-topper, Drakeo the Ruler defined a new generation of LA rap with his unique style and language.
Did Kendrick Lamar Pay Homage To Drakeo The Ruler?
Kendrick Lamar has long been associated with the old school style of West Coast rap. After all, K-Dot is a proud Compton native. Beyond that, Kendrick seems to be quite distant from newer acts. However, a second listen to “Not Like Us” shows that some aspects of Kendrick Lamar’s track give off similar vibes to Drakeo the Ruler’s work.
For one, there are the lyrics. Words and phrases like “Deebo,” and “certified boogeyman I’m the one that upped the score with ‘im,” seem to carry Drakeo the Ruler’s signature on them. Evidently, one can argue that words like these are direct effects of the LA rap scene. But it’s also enough to claim that Drakeo’s shadow looms large over the track. “Walk em down I know he got some ho in him” and “man call an amperlamp tell ‘em breath bro” both mirror Drakeo’s art. In fact, the entire first verse on the track seems to be a testament to Drakeo’s legacy.
So it’s not a stretch to say that Kendrick Lamar is adopting Drakeo the Ruler’s flow. But what’s most important is identifying Kendrick’s allegiance to the West Coast. It’s definitely worth mentioning the similarities, as well as the homage, but Drakeo the Ruler is not the only artist K-Dot references on the track.
Kendrick, a master of his craft, is not one to shy away from drawing inspiration from his contemporaries. His silence on adopting the new style championed by Drakeo doesn’t diminish the evidence presented in his music. But then it also raises the question of Kendrick’s intentions to emulate this rap style on his diss track against Drake, especially when the Canadian rapper previously collaborated with Drakeo before his passing. Moreover, the production by DJ Mustard — known for his “ratchet” style West Coast beats — adds another layer of complexity.
Despite the rumors of Mustard’s alleged falling out with Drakeo the Ruler, the beat for “Not Like Us” does carry the essence of his sound. It’s quite evident that fans of both artists will easily pick up on it. However, a simpler theory is that Kendrick is simply branching and trying out a newer West Coast sound, one that’s inspired by the younger homegrown LA artists.
Both Kendrick Lamar and Drakeo the Ruler’s music often falls squarely into the tradition of classic L.A. rap. However, what makes them stand out is their wit, as well as their refined and vivid perspectives. They are both authentic and original artists, known to adapt to the flows of the legends before them. Despite his untimely death, Drakeo the Ruler’s legacy continues through his music. Evidently, Kendrick Lamar’s work, whether consciously or not, pays homage to this legacy. Regardless, they will forever be influences within the genre of West Coast Hip Hop.
The year of the rap feuds keeps giving. Fans are still not over Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s beef, and now it seems Meek Mill and 50 Cent are on the brink of renewing their own clash. Tensions between Meek and Fif have escalated recently, putting them on a collision course. Meek Mill is known for not backing down from conflicts, and 50 Cent is notorious for his blunt remarks and trolling. But how did their feud return to headlines after all this time?
Meek Mill found himself mentioned in a high-profile lawsuit filed by producer Lil Rod against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. This sparked rumors about a possible sexual relationship between Meek and Diddy. Soon after, comedian Andrew Schulz made a joke about Meek Mill’s sexual orientation during a stand-up routine. 50 Cent wasted no time trolling Meek Mill amidst the chaos. He subsequently shared a clip of Schulz’s joke on his Instagram account. He captioned the post: “This guy is funny as hell, @andrewschulz, check him out. This wasn’t even the best of his set. Some people just got it! @bransoncognac @lecheminduroi.”
Meek then responded with a tweet on X. He wrote: “The first time I laughed at being gay. But don’t wit me in real life—I may swing, lol.” Despite the situation appearing to be under control, Meek Mill frequently had to defend himself against persistent rumors about his sexuality. He also faced another controversial issue when he was accused of following a gay porn account on X. Meek vehemently denied these allegations, suggesting it was part of a smear campaign against him. After this, things seemed to cool off… until May.
May 12, 2024: The King Combs Diss Track
On May 12, King Combs, Diddy’s son, released a song called “Pick A Side,” targeting his father’s critics. In the track, he specifically called out 50 Cent for mocking his father and the Combs family amid the various allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking. 50 Cent swiftly trolled the track by sharing images of the alleged victim’s injuries on Instagram. Meek Mill, however, criticized 50 Cent’s reaction, accusing him of feuding with a child.
In a series of now-deleted tweets, he expressed his disapproval. “Because your federal the street n***as in queens know that’s why you tryna pick on a lil boy,” he began. “Your own son hate your guts lol I’m so grateful to be on an island with my son and his friends on his bday… Ya’ll niggas, 50 online beefing with kids…” According to HipHopDX, Meek concluded his rant by labeling 50 Cent as “mentally sick” and “a rich parasite.”
In typical fashion, 50 Cent responded, mocking Meek Mill’s low album sales and sexual orientation allegations. He captioned the post: “You sold 6k copies your last project, you should not be on vacation. Still chasing the dream or embracing the nightmare. Standing by your man, that I respect!”
In his response tweet, Meek deflected the allegations that his latest project was a flop. He wrote: “My last project sold 90k first week expensive pain …Ross did that last cd for fun to let me out my contact cause we rich and have some type of history! It’s different lol i don’t even know how Cuban was talking to you ya swag is extremely wack!”
Sadly, it seems his response didn’t hit as hard as he hoped it would. Furthermore, 50 Cent wasted no time to respond, putting an end to his side of the beef. He posted a video of Meek Mill and Diddy at a party, and captioned it: “I commend you for being a strong supportive woman for your man meek, stay by his side and together you guys may have a good life. GOD BLESS!”
Despite already being in hot water with rap fans over his take on the Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef, Questlove derided a different diss track in a new interview. This time, his beef (heh) is with a classic of the genre: Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up,” which is widely regarded as one of the best — or at least, the most disrespectful — diss tracks in rap.
Appearing on SiriumXM’s One Song Podcast to discuss Public Enemy’s “Cold Lampin’ With Flavor,” Quest was inevitably baited into commenting on the evolution of diss tracks. While pointing out how the lyrics on them are usually just “okay,” he brought up his issue with “Hit ‘Em Up” — which is so very specific, and so very, very Questlove.
“I would actually respect Tupac’s ‘Hit ‘Em Up’ if his music tracking was better,” he announced. “‘Hit ‘Em Up,’ to me, is disqualified not because of the misogynist… forget all that. Dude, you’re rhyming over smooth jazz dinner music! Luther Vandross could sing over this!”
He’s referring here to “Don’t Look Any Further” by Dennis Edwards, the song sampled by “Hit ‘Em Up” producer Johnny “J.” (For a laugh, check out the original music video, which is unintentionally hilarious in its 1980s-ness.)
Once a clip of the interview — out of context, of course — made its way to Twitter, Questlove became the target of fans already incensed that he had declared “hip-hop is dead” over the Drake/Kendrick battle. Some fans pointed out that The Roots’ video for “What They Do” could be interpreted as a satirical diss of The Notorious B.I.G. (and, in fact, was seen that way by Biggie, but as Quest has repeatedly pointed out, that was all a misunderstanding — read the liner notes sometime, people).
Never dooooooooo what they do what they do what they dooooo
Questlove must’ve forgotten his group dissed a whole style and movement (Biggie and Bad Boy) over a track that would’ve been perfect for Sade to hop on. https://t.co/mAHzbmCY0fpic.twitter.com/ksfxx7Zfdi
— Carl Thomas’ Turtleneck (Real Name’s KJ) (@therealkj4) May 14, 2024
It’s OK to disagree with Questlove on his last couple of takes (I do), but let’s not discount his contributions to music and forget he is who he is for a reason. pic.twitter.com/TEdv5JOG8e
I respect Questlove but I thought everyone knew the original sample by Dennis Edwards. Also hiphop is built on sampling so idg his argument either tbh https://t.co/LLJIvEbMlcpic.twitter.com/H0M6hbAHu5
It seems unlikely that Quest is going to change his opinion. After all, he’s seen hip-hop through a great many iterations and has maintained more or less the same level of forward-thinking, left-of-center outlook on it the entire time. The people fronting on him now probably aren’t the people who actually had Illadelph Halflife on vinyl, so some friction between their viewpoints is probably not only to be expected, but practically inevitable (anyone who was on rap forums in the late 90s or early 2000s can attest to this).
This year isn’t halfway through, but it’s already been cemented as the “year of the diss track.” Whether there’s something in the water or the stars are misaligned, there’s been a ton of beef this year, and now Sukihana and JT want in. While the City Girl has had her fair share of feuds, Suki’s the latest opp on her roster. Not one to shy away from the spotlight, the “Casamigos” singer has set the ball rolling. Sukihana recently released the devastatingly scathing “Cocaine,” an official diss against JT, kicking down the door for a newfound feud.
Things Aren’t “Okay”
The beef between Sukihana and JT unofficially began after JT released her solo single “Okay.” A specific line in the song seemed to target Sukihana.“She ate crab legs, now her whole tooth missin’ / Cheap ass veneers, you stay talkin’ sh*t / Put a marker to this b*tch, she’s so counterfeit,” JT rapped. The track was released while Sukihana was in jail for possession of codeine and ecstasy with intent to distribute. That’s most likely why it did not immediately spiral into a full-blown feud at the time. In fact, some listeners believed it was a reference to Cardi B, who had a similar experience with her veneers and was also recently at loggerheads with JT.
Suki’s Response
I was finna roast tf out of floptavia aka Ms.Shitty girl during her coke rant but I’m gone take it to the booth and show you I can really rap bum ass long tittie bed bug looking winchhhhhhhhhhhh
— Suki WITH THE GOOD COOCHIE (@sukihanagoat) May 5, 2024
After her release on bond on April 25, Sukihana addressed the “crab legs” line during an Instagram Live session. She acknowledged her past incident with crab legs, which led to her losing a veneer. “We all know I did break my teeth on some crab legs… But I don’t talk sh*t about b*tches,” she said. “I always show b*tches love. Never hate on a b*tch. Never call a b*tch names.”
Sukihana then asked JT to clarify if the lyrics were about her but did not get a reply from JT. This led to her dissing the “No Bars” rapper on X (formerly Twitter). “She pretty then a muf**a but she be doing cocainnnn,” Suki wrote. She followed it up with, “Y’all pray for me nothing wrong it’s just Jt lips use to be so white.”
JT & Sukihana’s Beef Blows Up
Ms.shitty but YOU have a song that say EATING NIGGAS ASS?? your the skum of the earth hoe! Everything YOU do come with shock value & nobody’s never shocked or does it hold any value! Flop ? Girl stop you let Stan twitter drag you in this & ima take it wherever you wanna go! BITCH https://t.co/QTXeUhif1a
JT took to her account on the same platform with a series of posts alleging that Sukihana was very much aware that the lyrics were not about her. She also claimed that Suki wanted to use the beef to chase clout. JT quickly took things up a notch, referring to the Baddies star as “Sardine Suki.” Furthermore, she wrote that Sukihana goes “viral for stupid sh*t daily.”
In reference to Suki joking that her lips used to be white, JT fired shots in return. “Talking about my lips use to be white, h*e yours use to be flat! Don’t let that synthetic hyaluronic acid get to your brain sardine suki.” She also accused Suki of attending her birthday party uninvited and posted pictures of Suki (an outspokenly sexual woman). One photo featured her sucking on someone’s toes, and in another, an unknown pill was placed on her tongue. The pictures were captioned: “I don’t think I’m better than Suki baby, I AM BETTER THAN SUKI this is not a woman.”
Suki Drops “Cocaine”
Sukihana escalated the beef even further when she released a JT diss track titled “Cocaine” on May 8th. The track was promised in one of the many posts from her exchange with JT: “I was finna roast tf out of floptavia aka Ms Shi*ty girl during her coke rant but I’m gone take it to the booth and show you I can really rap bum a** long tittie bed bug looking winch.” In the song, she accused JT of using cocaine. Suki also attacked JT’s appearance for most of the 3-minute track.
“Ol’ botched body bald eagle lookin’ ass b*tch / With that 5 o’clock shadow, girl, shave that chin,” she rapped. Sukihana also asserted that JT looked “like a trans,” with the lyrics: “You ain’t lyin’ when you say you look like a trans / ‘Cause your n***a only f*ck wit’ you because you look like a man.” She took things further when she made a reference to JT’s past beefs with other female rappers. Specifically, she referenced her past feuds with Ice Spice and her City Girls co-act Yung Miami.
“You was mad at Ice Spice cause your n*gga wanna f*ck her.” This line points to the infamous MTV VMA’s incident, when JT hurled her phone at Lil Uzi, allegedly because he flirted with Ice Spice. Regarding JT’s fight with Yung Miami Sukihana said, “You been hatin’ on Caresha since a baby.” She also dropped the line, “You the type of b*tch that’ll backdoor your friend.” The relationship between the two City Girls seems to have hit a number of rocks lately. Moreover, although the duo is not officially disbanded, JT is currently midway to launching a full-blown solo career.
Conclusion
JT has been preparing to drop her solo debut project City Cinderella amid the ongoing feud. Some onlookers still believe the rappers are setting the scene for their respective releases, and this is all a stunt. Nonetheless, it’s important to note that the beef between Sukihana and JT does not seem to have peaked just yet. Should JT decide to respond in kind with her own track, then things could really take off. Maybe then, the pair could finally earn a spot among 2024’s most interesting rap beefs.
Poor 21 Savage. Caught in the middle of the beef between two of his closest collaborators, Drake and Metro Boomin, the rising Atlanta trap star expressed his hope for peace. During an Instagram Live session with fans while on his American Dream Tour, 21 shared his thoughts on the simmering tension between his two friends and his optimism for the future (no pun intended).
“Don’t keep coming on to my motherf*cking Live talking about no motherf*cking beef,” he told his fans. “Metro my brother and Drake my brother. Those n****s going to figure that sh*t out eventually.”
Fans first sensed that Drake and Metro might be on shaky terms late last year, after Metro voiced his frustrations with the reception of Drake and Savage’s collaborative album in comparison to his own on year-end lists. “Her Loss still keeps winning rap album of the year over [Heroes & Villains],” he wrote. “Proof that awards shows are just politics and not for me.”
Drake needled the producer a couple of times after that, but the tension broke into open warfare with the release of the Future & Metro Boomin album, We Don’t Trust You, which contained an incendiary verse from Kendrick Lamar and kicked off Drake and Kendrick’s increasingly vitriolic back-and-forth.
A splinter conflict between Drake and Metro emerged as a result of Drake’s “Push Ups” taunt for Metro to “shut the f*ck up and make some drums,” resulting in Metro crafting the “BBL Drizzy” instrumental. For all the ruckus, though, Drake appears to have thrown in the towel on his beef with Kendrick, which could mean an end to his similar one with Metro — although fans are still having a field day with the “BBL Drizzy” memes.
In the ongoing Hip Hop saga, “The Heart Part 6” is the latest entry in the ongoing lyrical battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The track is a response to Kendrick’s heavy-hitting “Not Like Us” and “Meet The Grahams.” Drake announced the song with the caption, “The Heart Part 6 out now. And we know you’re dropping 6 mins after so instead of posting my address you have a lot to address.”
Drake’s track is a clever inversion of Kendrick’s own “The Heart” series, a collection of songs that have been a recurring theme throughout Kendrick’s career. By naming his diss track “The Heart Part 6,” Drake not only mocks Kendrick’s series but also implies a continuation of the narrative, suggesting that he’s now taking over the story Kendrick began. In this latest installment, Drake addresses head-on the allegations thrown at him by Kendrick in his last two diss tracks, “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us.” Moreover, he backs it up with his allegations of his own. However, Drake’s latest release isn’t sitting well with fans.
Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” featured an aerial map view of Drake’s mansion, splattered with red tags to imply sex offenders inhabit the house. Unsurprisingly, the cover art for Drake’s response similarly intends to be provocative. It features a screenshot of an Instagram comment left by pgLang co-founder Dave Free, on a post about Whitney Alford’s children. Whitney Alford, who is the mother to Lamar’s two children, does not follow him on Instagram. The cover art is thus a strategic jab at Kendrick. Drake is referencing his previous accusation on “Family Matters” that Alford had been unfaithful with Free, and fathered the son who Kendrick is now raising.
Kendrick accused Drake of having an 11-year-old secret daughter he wouldn’t publicly claim in his previous track “Meet the Grahams.” In “The Heart Part 6,” Drake flips the script. He claims that OVO planted the story as bait to trick Kendrick. “We plotted for a week and then we fed you the information / A daughter that’s eleven years old, I bet he takes it / We thought about givin’ a fake name or a destination,” he raps. This aligns with Kendrick admitting he received the information about Drake’s alleged hidden child from someone close to Drizzy.
The Pedophilia Allegations
Kendrick also called out Drake and the OVO crew as child molesters on multiple of his diss tracks. Specifically, on “Not Like Us,” he referred to Drake and his crew as “certified pedophiles.” Drake vehemently denies this, multiple times on “The Heart Part 6.” “I never been with no one underage but now I understand why this is the angle that you really mess with / If I was f**king young girls, I promised I’d have been arrested / I’m way too famous for this sh*t you just suggested,” Drake insists.
He also suggests that the allegations were Kendrick’s way of misdirecting the beef instead of focusing on music solely. “Speaking of anything with a child, let’s get to that now / This Epstein angle was the shit I expected / TikTok videos you collected and dissected / Instead of being on some dis-direct sh*t / You rather fu*king grab your pen and misdirect sh*t,” Drake raps. Listeners would later point out that Kendrick had referred to Weinstein on his track, and not Epstein.
On “The Heart Part 6,” Drake also brings up Lamar’s alleged domestic troubles. For example, he touches on Lamar’s relationship with his fiancee, Whitney Alford. Drake alleges she was cheating on and planning to leave Kendrick for allegedly physically abusing her. Drake questions why Whitney hasn’t publicly denied the allegations. “And why isn’t Whitney denying all of the allegations / Why is she following Dave Free and not Mr. Morale / You haven’t seen the kids in six months, the distance is wild / Dave leaving heart emojis underneath pics of the child,” he raps.
Elsewhere in the song, he continues to suggest that Dave Free is actually the father of his son, rapping, “Like if Dave really fu*ked your girl and got her pregnant, talk about breedin’ resentment.” He also ties together his response to the allegations of grooming minors, specifically Millie Bobby Brown and Kendrick’s speculated split from Alford. “I’m your baby mama’s screen saver / only fu*king with Whitney’s, not Millie Bobby Brown’s.”
Drake mocks Kendrick’s signature series, “The Heart,” by naming his diss track “The Heart Part 6.” This move mirrors Kendrick’s own mockery of Drake’s AM/PM series with “6:16 In LA.” However, he also took a shot at Kendrick by referencing another song from Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. “My mom came over today and I was like/ ‘Mother I-, mother I-, mother I-‘ / Wait a second, that’s that one record where you say you got molested / Aw, f**k me, I just made the whole connection,” he raps. “This is trauma from your own confessions / This when your father leave you home alone with no protection, so neglected / That’s why these pedophile raps is shit you so obsessed with, it’s so excessive.”
This is a direct reference to Kendrick’s confessions from 2022’s “Mother I Sober.” Here, he tells a story of his mom forcing him to admit to a sexual molestation by his cousin that never happened. Kendrick, who is a child at the time tries to convince his mother he hadn’t been molested, but it’s futile. Kendrick explains her refusal to believe him as being a result of her own childhood trauma. Some argued Drake’s reference attempts to make Kendrick relive the experience of not being believed. It’s a twist on Lamar’s pedophile accusations against Drake.
The release of Drake’s “The Heart Part 6” has certainly made waves. As a result, the song garnered a wide array of reactions from fans, critics, and fellow artists alike. Metro Boomin reacted to the track with a meme of Chris Paul. This suggests that despite Drake’s efforts, he is still trailing in the battle with Kendrick.
In the outro of “The Heart Part 6,” Drake raps on the feud with Kendrick Lamar in the past tense, saying he got “some good exercise.” This retrospective view hints at the possibility that Drake may be bowing out of the diss track exchange. Whether or not this puts the beef on pause is still unknown. Regardless, the public is still patiently waiting to see if Kendrick decides to retaliate or not. The ball, it seems, is in Kendrick’s court to decide if this is the final chapter of one of Hip Hop’s biggest beefs.
With the release of his song “The Heart Part 6” on Sunday, Drake might have finally waved the white flag in his battle with Kendrick Lamar. Now that the dust has seemingly cleared, it looks like a good time to take stock of the damage. Here are six things we learned from the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef.
Nobody Wins When The Family Feuds
Depending on who you ask, the winner of the battle remains a toss-up. Fans are divided by personal loyalties and favorites, of course, but also along lines of regionality, generation, and background. Some fans don’t feel there could be a winner after the battle became increasingly noxious. Whether you believe a rhyme fight should focus on punchlines and metaphors or mean-spirited mudslinging, both rappers went for broke, accusing each other of horrible crimes against women and children (going for the ol’ catch-22 loaded question, “Have you stopped beating your wife?“). Fans ascribed all sorts of symbolism to the battle — the future of the culture, philosophy of hip-hop, etc. — but ultimately, it all just came down to two guys who don’t like each other (despite having spent very little time together, to the best of my ability to ascertain) and put their problems on front street.
Drake’s Popularity With Fans Has Waned
For the past 15 years, one thing that could be relied on is that Drake would be the biggest thing in hip-hop anytime he dropped. Every one of his eight studio albums has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. He’s had thirteen No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, all but one of them coming in the last six years. Fans still anticipate every release like kids do Christmas morning, and let’s just say if Kendrick Lamar had spent the past four weeks dropping bombs on just about any other rapper, the press coverage would probably have gone from “breathlessly recounting every move” to “middle of the local news section in an indie weekly” levels in comparison.
But one thing the response to the war of words showed was just how much resentment against Drake has been simmering just under the surface. He’s always had his fair share of haters — people for whom hip-hop has always stemmed from a place of animosity and struggle, however ahistorical that outlook may be. But over the past few years, he’s alienated a great many more who’ve grown tired of his maudlin, paranoid subject matter, his faux-gangster posturing, and his insidiously misogynistic view of women (more on that later). Most of the interest in the battle had little to do with proving which rapper was the best — people just wanted to see Drake lose.
Kendrick Hates Not Only Drake But Also Drake’s Whole Family
I’m not sure when exactly being a hater went from a vice to a virtue — consider it a function of the goalpost moving many fans were willing to do to ensure a Drake loss. But if “hating” was an Olympic sport, K. Dot would be its Michael Phelps after spending no less than 20 minutes across four tracks detailing all the ways he dislikes Drake, Drake’s dad, Drake’s friends, Toronto, Canada, Nickelodeon, and anything else he deemed responsible for his rival’s rise to stardom.
Calling Drake a “horrible f*cking person” is by far the most direct attack on his character, but turning mean-spirited social media gossip fodder into outright accusations of literal crimes is … a lot (especially for someone who has been determinedly vague about whether or not he actually killed another human being). There had long been rumors of friction between the two but no one had any idea just how deep it went until Kendrick rhymed “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress.”
Drake May Have Leaks In His Camp
Part of how methodically Kendrick picked his opponent apart stemmed from his assertion that he had moles in OVO feeding him information. Drake himself both denied and took credit for the leaks in “The Heart Part 6,” claiming that he’d seeded false information knowing Kendrick would pounce on it in his haste to find dirt to throw on Drake’s name.
But Drake should still find it concerning that anyone would be so invested in his downfall they’d sell him out — especially after the way Pusha T dug up the info concerning his son, Adonis. While cooler heads might attribute both rappers’ angles to them just being predictable as people — the jokes about jazz raps and Drake’s friendship with former child star Millie Bobbie Brown have been floating around on social media for years now — Drake’s “no new friends” policy probably hasn’t yielded all the results he’s hoped.
Kendrick Has Been Sitting On Entirely Too Many Fire Beats
The part of all this I found personally infuriating was learning just how much heat Kendrick has in his vault, especially after the navel-gazing disappointment that was Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Say what you want about having grand artistic vision, but we’ve had enough high concept albums that still had bangers on them that we should be holding Kendrick accountable for having had a Mustard-produced C-walk anthem on his hands and wasting it on something as petty as rap beef.
He also threw away a perfectly good Alchemist album on this nonsense. After getting a half-dozen incredible Alchemist-produced projects since 2020 (with such luminaries as Curren$y, Earl Sweatshirt, Freddie Gibbs, and Larry June), the idea that we could have had a Kendrick album produced by Al should be borderline unconscionable for all the so-called “real hip-hop heads” crowing about a battle. Bring that man up at The Hague and force him to put out all the material he has right now on the threat of life imprisonment. I’m only barely joking.
This may be controversial, but considering Questlove (who has forgotten more about hip-hop in the time it took me to write this feature than most of us will ever learn in a lifetime) thinks this too, I’m okay with whatever comes. I don’t think people who say that beef is “good for hip-hop” have ever considered what is or isn’t good for hip-hop. They’re just repeating a talking point, like “lower the rims” or “build the wall.”
The fact is, according to Audiomack co-founder Brian Zisook, “Multiple releases previously scheduled for next Friday, May 10, have already been delayed.” He further pointed out how the battle overshadowed releases from the likes of both rising stars like Chris Patrick and Foggieraw and underground veterans like NxWorries and Saba. How is that good for hip-hop? I joked that Detroit rapper Bfb Da Packman was just scamming with his much-touted Drake collab, but if Drake really did pull his feature — a feature that could have made Packman’s career — how does that help hip-hop?
Did the battle establish a new top dog in rap? It didn’t seem like that was even the goal after the initial jabs taken on “Like That” and “Push Ups.” Instead, both rappers seemed more intent on proving who was the bigger scumbag. Rap’s long-documented history of misogyny and homophobia reared its head yet again as they both used women as props, neglecting to acknowledge them as people, and used the very possibility of being gay as a weapon. This is good for hip-hop?
The recent shooting at Drake’s Toronto mansion may have nothing to do with the beef — but what if it did? I’m old enough and have been loving hip-hop long enough that I remember the slew of interviews from rap radio luminaries expressing their regrets at hyping up the beef between Biggie and Pac after both had been slain. Their deaths also may not have stemmed from their feud, but they let that feud define and consume the final year of Tupac’s career. B.I.G. went to his grave regretting losing a friend and that the last words they’d exchanged were hateful.
Competition might well be baked into the fabric of the genre and culture, but that personal vitriol has never been part of hip-hop. Wishing someone would die — which Kendrick straight-up said on “Meet The Grahams” isn’t hip-hop. No rap feud stopped either Jay-Z or Nas from being two of the most respected names in hip-hop to this day. But just imagine if they’d been helping each other the whole time instead of tearing each other down.
Unlike much of the online hip-hop community, Questlove was less than impressed with the rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Over the weekend, the two rappers exchanged a slew of acidic diss tracks — “6:16 In LA,” “Family Matters,” “Meet The Grahams,” “Not Like Us,” and “The Heart Part 6” — that did little to promote either rapper as the vanguard of a generation in favor of simply airing out each other’s dirty laundry.
Questlove, a 30-plus-year veteran of the rap business, who heard “Rapper’s Delight” on the radio and has written at least two books about the history of hip-hop as pop culture, deplored the contest on his Instagram, where he wrote, “Nobody won the war.”
This wasn’t about skill. This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary — women & children (& actual facts) be damned. Same audience wanting blood will soon put up ‘rip’ posts like they weren’t part of the problem. Hip Hop truly is dead.
As one of hip-hop’s foremost historians, Quest’s opinion holds a lot of weight. He also sees and remembers more than most. His ominous pronouncement isn’t just doomsaying, it’s a remembrance; interviews with prominent hip-hop journalists from the ’90s expressing regret over the coverage of the interpersonal feud between Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. aren’t hard to find.
And no, it doesn’t seem like either Drake or Kendrick would do some dummy sh*t and escalate the conflict to violence, but that doesn’t mean those around them won’t — or even unrelated superfans taking their jabs to heart. If nothing else, the pair never seemed to consider the effects of the battle on those they care about. Kendrick directly addressed Drake’s mother and son on “Meet The Grahams,” while Drake insinuated Kendrick’s manager was schtupping his fiancée on “Family Matters.”
Those are things you can’t take back and, honestly, probably would warrant violence in a face-to-face confrontation — I’ve seen folks punched in the face at rap battles for less (maybe they should take up Shawn Michaels on his WWE invitation and put on a shoot match for the ages). The battle wasn’t exactly “good for hip-hop” in the way many — who really just wanted to see a couple of really good rappers RAP — might see it. There were always plenty of raps, but many underground stars just looking to climb their way into public notice had rollouts ruined, opportunities overlooked, and releases swept to the side in the rush to hear these two guys air their personal grievances. Quest’s pronouncement that “hip-hop is truly dead” might be dramatic, but the spirit of friendly competition seems to have gotten lost in the modern climate of ad hominem and frankly outrageous accusations.
Kendrick Lamar released “Not Like Us,” on May 4, as the latest in a number of lyrical onslaughts that target Drake. The tensions between Kendrick Lamar and Drake seem to have escalated after J. Cole referred to them as the “big three” of modern Hip Hop. However, it’s become increasingly evident that Kendrick has a bone to pick with Drizzy. In fact, one would say that he absolutely despises the Toronto rapper, and Kendrick is airing Drake’s alleged dirty laundry on the track. As a result, their back-and-forth disses have continued to evolve from playful jabs to personal shots. It looks like Kendrick is currently at an edge over Drake though, as the public has been leaning in his favor following the back-to-back disses on “Meet the Grahams,” and now, “Not Like Us.”
While Kendrick’s lyrics about Drake definitely steal the show, the production on “Not Like Us” does deserve a few points as well. The instrumental is a collaboration between producers Mustard and Sounwave. The track’s tempo is relentless, creating an urgent atmosphere that features pronounced snares and bass, emphasizing the aggressive tone. Nonetheless, Kendrick Lamar’s vocal performance takes center stage, with the instrumentation allowing his words to cut through.
Sex Offense Allegations
The song opens with a haunting line, “Pss, I see dead people,” referencing M. Night Shyamalan’s Sixth Sense (starring Haley Joel Osment) before diving into a barrage of insults aimed at Drake. Kendrick calls him a “free throw,” an easy target and continues with a series of accusations and metaphors that paint Drake as weak, untrustworthy, and worse, a predator. Throughout “Not Like Us,” Kendrick accuses Drake of having inappropriate sexual relationships with minors. This is also a topic Drake has had to debunk in the past. However, Kendrick doesn’t shy away from blowing up the rumors surrounding Drake’s personal life with his lyrics like, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one / To any b**ch that talk to him and they in love / Just make sure you hide your lil’ sister from him.”
Accusing Drake of being sexual with underaged women has become a recurring topic in Kendrick’s diss tracks. However, K. Dot found new, creative ways to hurl these heavy allegations at Drizzy, but that’s not all. Another standout moment in “Not Like Us” comes when Kendrick hits Drake with the line, “Why you trollin’ like a b*tch? Ain’t you tired? Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-Minor.” With this, Kendrick is referencing all of the memes and online insults Drake posted on social media last month in order to goad Kendrick into responding.
The predator accusations on “Not Like Us” don’t stop with Drake, as Kendrick moves on to accuse the entire OVO crew. The cover art for the track is in fact an aerial view picture of Drake’s mansion, allegedly dotted with sex offender location tags. Kendrick alleges that Drake’s close friend Chubbs, gets his “hand-me-downs;” a metaphor for the women Drake has sexual relations with. He also accuses PartyNextDoor of having a drug addiction before moving on to address Baka Not Nice, Drake’s former bodyguard and rapper who has had a history of run-ins with the law. “They tell me Chubbs the only one that get your hand-me-downs / And Party at the party, playin’ with his nose now / And Baka got a weird case, why is he around? Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” he raps. Later, he doubles back on these allegations, rapping, “And your homeboy need a subpoena, that predator move in flocks / That name gotta be registered and placed on neighborhood watch.”
J. Cole & Lil Wayne Relationship
One of the most striking lines on “Not Like Us” is “Led a n*gga to the cross, he walk around like Teezo.” Here, Kendrick doesn’t just stop at suggesting that Drake’s actions have always been hypocritical. He follows up with names of those who have allegedly been subjected to Drake’s wiles, starting with J. Cole and Lil Wayne. “Did Cole fouI, I don’t know why you still pretendin’ / What is the owl? Bird n***as and bird b***hes, go. The J. Cole lyric is perhaps referencing the fact that Drake keeps mentioning Cole in a beef he does not want to be a part of anymore. Evidently, this comes off as an attempt to goad a reaction out of him too.
“Fucked on Wayne girl while he was in jail, that’s connivin’ / Then get his face tatted like a bitch apologizin’,” he continues. The second lyric is much more explicit in its meaning and is as on-the-nose as can be. Kendrick references Drake getting intimate with Lil Wayne’s girlfriend while Wayne was in prison. Wayne confirmed the rumor in his 2016 memoir Gone Til November. Drake subsequently tattooed Lil Wayne’s face on his arm in 2017, which Kendrick claims was a way to apologize.
Kendrick Questions Drake’s Authenticity On “Not Like Us”
Kendrick also lists other names within the industry on “Not Like Us,” specifically rappers from Atlanta, whom Drake allegedly leveraged to get his street cred. However, first, he opens the second verse condemning Drake for using A.I vocals of rap legend 2Pac in his diss track “Taylor Made Freestyle.” “You think the Bay gon’ let you disrespect Pac, n***a? / I think that Oakland show gon’ be your last stop, n***a.”
The social climbing accusations are also consistent with his lyrics on “Meet The Grahams.” Summarily, K. Dot reminds listeners about how Drake allegedly only embraces his Blackness when it’s convenient. Kendrick gives a history lesson about how slaves built the city of Atlanta on their backs. White settlers eventually exploited these slaves. He then infers that Drake, who is biracial and Canadian, is a white settler in Hip-Hop. Altogether, he believes these Atlanta rappers have helped Drake get his reputation in the industry.
“Atlanta was the Mecca, buildin’ railroads and trains / Bear with me for a second, let me put y’all on game / The settlers was usin’ town folk to make ’em richer / Fast-forward, 2024, you got the same agenda/ You run to Atlanta when you need a check balance / Let me break it down for you, this the real n***a challenge / You called Future when you didn’t see the club / Lil Baby helped you get your lingo up / 21 gave you false street cred / Thug made you feel like you a slime in your head / Quavo said you can be from Northside / 2 Chainz say you good, but he lied,” he raps on the third verse.
Drake’s previous diss tracks, including “Push Ups,” released in April, took direct aim at Kendrick Lamar. On the track, Drake referred to Kendrick as a “pipsqueak.” He also questioned his stature in the industry. How the f*ck you big steppin’ with a size-seven men’s on?
This was in response to Kendrick’s verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s “Like That,” where he dismissed the notion of the “big three,” which included himself, Drake, and J. Cole. No one expected that those lines would lead to a series of songs that serve as character assassinations. However, 24 hours after “Not Like Us,” Drake followed with “The Heart Part 6.” On the track, he made sure to address Kendrick’s pedophilia accusations while also claiming Kendrick was working with false information about him.
“I never been with no one under age but now / I understand why this the angle that you really mess with / Just for clarity, I feel disgusted I’m too respected / If I was fucking young girls, I promise I’d been done arrested / I’m way too famous for this shit you just suggested, but that’s not the lesson, clearly there’s a deeper message,” he raps. Though it marked the first time
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