Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar

You have most likely heard about the back and forth between Kendrick Lamar and Drake in the past month. This is a summary of the whole beef from how it started to how it ended.

Some background to the beef and how it started in the first place was a verse in a Big Sean song from 11 years ago named Control (Big Sean never dropped it because he was afraid that Kendrick would overtake the song with his feature). The lyric that sparked tension between the two was:

“But this is hip hop and them n***** should know what time it is
And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller

I got love for you all but I’m tryna murder you n*****”

Drake took it personally, deciding to cut all ties with Kendrick after the song was leaked, and it would go nowhere for the next 11 years.

The Start of the Back and Forth

First Person Shooter

What started the back and forth was a song on Drake’s studio album For All the Dogs and that song was First Person Shooter.
The lyric that made Kendrick respond specifically to was J Cole’s lyric that said:

“Love when they argue the hardest MC

Is it K-Dot [Kendrick]? Is it Aubrey [Drake]? Or me [J Cole]?

We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali

Huh, yeah, yeah, huh-huh, yeah, Muhammad Ali”

Kendrick felt that he needed to respond to this verse because he didn’t like it that J Cole and Drake thought they were near his level. Kendrick was also supposed to appear on First Person Shooter instead of J Cole but he declined.

Like That 

Kendrick would respond to First Person Shooter in Future and Metro Boomin’s collaboration album We Don’t Trust You (the whole album was to diss Drake.).

Kendrick Lamar in Like That sang:

“F**k sneak dissin’, first-person shooter, I hope they came with three switches”  – Kendrick is talking about J Cole’s verse in the First Person Shooter.

“Think I won’t drop the location? I still got PTSD”  – Kendrick is referring to the cover of a diss track he later made called Not Like Us.

“Mother**** the big three, n****, it’s just big me” – Kendrick thinks he’s above Drake and J Cole in rap.

“N****, Prince outlived Mike Jack’” – Kendrick is talking about how Drake refers to himself as Michael Jackson and now Kendrick is referring to himself and Prince because Prince outlived Michael.

7 Minute Drill

7 Minute Drill would be released on J Cole’s studio album Might Delete Later responding to Like That. The song would receive so much hate for being a nothing burger and basically just J Cole saying To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN. was bad. J Cole would apologize to Kendrick for releasing it, saying how it made him feel bad for disrespecting Kendrick and also deleting the song. 

Pushups

Push Ups is a single Drake released as his response to Like That. The title of Push Ups was referring to a video of Kendrick doing push ups.

Drake in Push Ups sang:

“You won’t ever take no chain off of us, How the f**k you big steppin’ with a size-seven men’s on?” – Drake is making fun of Kendrick’s shoe size and how he’s too short to steal a chain.

“’Cause Top told you, “Drop and give me fifty,” like some push-ups, huh” – Drake is saying how Kendrick gave 50% of his music profit to his old label Top Dog Entertainment.

“Then we need a verse for the Swifties” – Drake is saying how Kendrick doesn’t wanna drop another diss track because of Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department.

Taylor Made Freestyle

Taylor Made Freestyle is a single Drake released to do back-to-back diss tracks. In this diss track he basically just says the same stuff in Push Ups but just uses A.I Snoop Dogg and Tupac. This received negative backlash and he never dropped it officially.

Euphoria

Euphoria is a single Kendrick released to respond to Push Ups. The song’s name Euphoria is a reference to a show executively produced by Drake. The show’s name was of course Euphoria and had mostly teen actors.

Kendrick in Euphoria sang:

“Then hop online like “Pray for my city,” he fakin’ for likes and digital hugs” – Kendrick is talking about how Drake always acts like the victim.

“I’d rather do that than let a Canadian n**** make Pac turn in his grave” – Kendrick is talking about how Drake used A.I in his diss track.

“We hate the b***hes you f*** ’cause they confuse themself with real women And notice, I said “we,” it’s not just me, I’m what the culture feelin’” – Kendrick is saying that he’s not speaking out alone and is speaking for others who feel the same about Drake.

“You gon’ make a n**** bring back Puff, let me see if Chubbs really crash somethin’” – Kendrick is making fun of Drake’s label and saying that Chubbs is not a real thug like he portrays. He’s also saying he’ll bring back Puff (Diddy, the Diddler, Puff Daddy, Sean John Combs) who was a man who would silence people who spoke out his name in a negative shade.

“When I see you stand by Sexyy Red, I believe you see two bad b***hes I believe you don’t like women, it’s real competition, you might pop a** with ’em” – Kendrick is making fun of his label again now poking at the artists in his label.

“Let’s speak on percentage, show me your splits, I’ll make sure I double back with ya You were signed to a n**** that’s signed to a n**** that said he was signed to that n**** Try cease and desist on the “Like That” record? H*, what? You ain’t like that record? “Back To Back,” I like that record” – Kendrick is making fun of Drake for talking about his 50% split with TDE even though Drake’s splits are worse. Kendrick also mentions how Drake sent a cease and desist on Like That then he tried to do back to back diss tracks basically saying the same things.

6:16 in LA

6:16 in LA is Kendrick’s second response to Push Ups. However unlike Drake, Kendrick would change the flow of the song and use different disses. John Antonoff would also produce 6:16 in LA  and he was also someone who produced for Drake and Drake’s dad. The cover of 6:16 in LA would also have Drake’s Glove, shirt, Ozempic, Zolpidem, and a Popular Jewelry receipt.

Kendrick in 6:16 in LA sang:

“Have you ever thought that OVO is workin’ for me?” – Kendrick is saying how Drake has someone leaking info to Kendrick and the person is on OVO (Drake’s music label).

“It was fun until you started to put money in the streets Then lost money ’cause they came back with no receipts” – Kendrick is referring to how Drake paid rapper Coole Bravo $150,000 for dirt on Kendrick. Kendrick and Coole would tell Drake that Kendrick beat his wife so they can get a quick $150,000 from Drake. Drake would fall for this on the next song Family Matters. 

Family Matters

Family Matters is Drake’s response to Euphoria and 6:16 in LA. 

Drake in Family Matters sang:

“What the f**k I heard Rick drop, n****? Talkin’ somethin’ ’bout a nose job, n**** Ozempic got a side effect of jealousy and doctor never told y’all n****s” – Drake is making fun of Rick Ross doing Ozempic but he also does Ozempic.

“I ain’t even know you rapped still ’cause they only talkin’ ’bout your ‘fit again Probably gotta have a kid again ‘fore you think of droppin’ any s**t again Even when you do drop, they gon’ say you should’ve modeled ’cause it’s mid again” – Drake is making fun of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers because it’s viewed as one of Kendrick’s worst projects because of most of the album being stories.

“K-Dot s**t is only hittin’ hard when Baby Keem put his pen to it” – Drake is saying that Kendrick is only good when Baby Keem ghostwrites for him, but Drake said Kendrick’s only good songs were on good kid, m.A.A.d city. So is Drake saying 12-year-old Baby Keem was the one who wrote the line, “All my life I wanted money and power?”

“Where is your uncle at?” – Drake is making fun of Kendrick’s aunt who transitioned to a male.

Meet the Grahams

Meet the Grahams, unlike Kendrick’s other tracks, isn’t a response to anything. The song came out 20 minutes after Family Matters to overshadow it. 

Kendrick in Meet the Grahams sang:

“Dear Adonis I’m sorry that that man is your father, let me be honest” – Kendrick starts off the song not even addressing Drake but talking to his son Adonis.

“Never let a man piss on your leg, son” – Kendrick is referring to how Drake let a man pee on him without resistance.

“Don’t pay to play with them Brazilians, get a gym membership” – Kendrick is making fun of Drake’s alleged Brazilian butt lift.

“Don’t be ashamed ’bout who you wit’, that’s how he treat your moms Don’t have a kid to hide a kid to hide again, be sure”- Kendrick is telling Adonis how Drake was ashamed to reveal that Adonis was his and tried to hide who he had Adonis with.

“Dear Dennis [Drake’s dad], you gave birth to a master manipulator Even usin’ you to prove who he is is a huge favor I think you should ask for more paper, and more paper And more, uh, more paper I’m blamin’ you for all his gamblin’ addictions” – Kendrick is blaming Dennis for Drake’s gambling addictions and is also saying that Drake uses Dennis as an excuse to say the n word.

“Dear baby girl I’m sorry that your father not active inside your world” – Kendrick is now talking to Drake’s alleged daughter. 

“You a body shamer, you gon’ hide them baby mamas, ain’t ya? You embarrassed of ’em, that’s not right, that ain’t how mama raised us” – Kendrick is bringing light to how Drake tries to hide every woman he’s been with.

“’Cause you lied about religious views, you lied about your surgery” – Kendrick is also bringing light to how Drake would switch from Islam and Christianity several times. Kendrick is also talking about how Drake would say he’s never had face surgery but it’s pretty obvious with previous photos of his nose and recent photos of his nose.

“F**k a rap battle, this a long life battle with yourself” – Kendrick is poking at how Drake seems to cause all his problems.

Not Like Us

Not Like Us is Kendrick’s response to Family Matters. Kendrick also released Not Like Us just an hour after Family Matters. The cover of Not Like Us is Drake’s mansion in Toronto with sex offenders labeled to be near the area.

In Not Like us Kendrick sang:

“Sometimes you gotta pop out and show n****s Certified boogeyman, I’m the one that up the score with ’em” – Kendrick is referring to his unreleased mixtape Certified Boogeyman which is full of diss tracks and is the last song on the track list.

“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young”
“To any b***h that talk to him and they in love Just make sure you hide your lil’ sister from him”
“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” – Kendrick in separate lines is saying that everyone on OVO is allegedly either a pedophile or a sex offender like Baka.

“F**ked on Wayne’s girl while he was in jail, that’s connivin’ Then get his face tatted like a b***h apologizin’” – Kendrick is making fun of how Drake was hitting on Lil Wayne’s girl when he was in jail then got Wayne’s face tattooed on him.

The Heart Part 6

The Heart Part 6 is Drake’s response to both Meet the Grahams and Not Like Us. Drake named the track The Heart Part 6 because Kendrick has a series of songs called The Heart and Drake wanted Kendrick to think of him when he eventually makes part 6. The “diss track” is basically just Drake saying “nuh uh” to everything Kendrick has accused him of so there’s no point in quoting lyrics. The only notable likes of the track were him mentioning Millie Bobby Brown when no one mentioned her name, and another line where he was making fun of Kenrick’s mom being molested which isn’t a good look for Drake.

Drake also tried to say he and his team were feeding Kendrick false information but it would be later debunked by someone on twitter named EbonyPrince2k24. He would also receive backlash from it because he was basically saying he was a fake pedophile for the past 12 years just to bait Kendrick.

The End of the Back and Forth

The Heart Part 6 is the end of the diss tracks and the majority think Kendrick won the back-and-forth because Drake shot himself in the foot with The Heart Part 6. 

This wouldn’t be the end of Drake’s troubles, unfortunately, because he is currently being accused of much worse stuff. The Kendrick and Drake disses would shine light to other Drake allegations. The allegations would include the recent shooting at his mansion being planned by Drake, Drake having his own fake security firm,  and him having sexual relations with a dog.