Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud

Drake and Lamar

Since the 2010s, the Canadian rapper Drake and the American rapper Kendrick Lamar have been regarded as two of hip-hop's most prominent figures.^[6] Their relationship began on favorable terms, with the collaboration "Buried Alive Interlude", a two-minute track performed by Lamar on Drake's 2011 studio album Take Care.^[7] Both artists are about the same age, but at the time, Drake had already achieved mainstream success with his 2009 single "Best I Ever Had",^[8] while Lamar was relatively unknown, having recently appeared on the 2011 XXL Freshman list.^[9] In "Buried Alive Interlude", Lamar shares how meeting Drake felt like an introduction into the tempting, but potentially harmful world of celebrity, luxury, and fame. Lamar expresses complex feelings about fame—both desiring and fearing what it might bring into his life, especially after witnessing Drake's life of luxury—and shares his impatience when finding out that he was the same age as Drake. This fraught relationship with fame became a recurring theme in Lamar's music and often stood in contrast with Drake's celebration of luxury.^[10] GQ described "Buried Alive Interlude" as foreshadowing themes that would lead to Drake and Lamar's feud.^[6]

Lamar complimented Drake after their initial meeting and collaboration, describing him as "a real good dude [with] a real genuine soul".^[7] He said that Drake had been the first to hear his debut album, Section.80 (2011).^[7] Their relationship continued to develop amicably. "Buried Alive Interlude" received positive reviews,^[11][12] and Lamar (alongside ASAP Rocky) opened for Drake during Drake's Club Paradise Tour in early 2012.^[13] Around that time, Lamar signed to a major label, Interscope Records.^[14] In October 2012, Lamar and Drake appeared on ASAP Rocky's single "Fuckin' Problems",^[15][16] and Lamar released his first major-label album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.^[17] Drake made a guest appearance on the track "Poetic Justice", which became a successful single, though it would be his last collaboration with Lamar.^[18]

Previous feuds involving Drake

In June 2015, the American rapper Meek Mill accused Drake of not writing his rap verses as he had always claimed, but instead having them ghostwritten by his creative partner Quentin Miller.^[22] Doreen St. Félix wrote for The New Yorker in 2018 that Drake's success "hinged on outfoxing artists who are stubbornly attached to rap's dated notions of [cultural] authenticity", and that his "complicated virtue out of riding genres and trends [made] him oddly impervious to attempts to puncture his credibility".^[23] Drake responded to the ghostwriting allegations with what St. Félix described as "a juvenile but charismatic two-song barrage",^[23] the diss tracks "Charged Up" and "Back to Back".^[24] BET wrote that the hip-hop community regarded Drake as the victor over Meek Mill.^[25]

As a member of the YMCMB entourage, Drake became involved in a rivalry with the American rapper Kanye West's GOOD Music crew, which included artists such as Big Sean, Kid Cudi, and Pusha T.^[19] In May 2018, Pusha T released the West-produced album Daytona. On the track "Infrared", Pusha T likens Drake using Miller as a ghostwriter to Donald Trump winning the 2016 presidential election with Russian assistance. St. Félix wrote that Drake's responses ("Duppy Freestyle" and "I'm Upset"^[26]) kept him in good standing with audiences concerned about authenticity, one reason being that on "Duppy Freestyle", he rebutted the ghostwriting claims by noting that he helped write West's lyrics on "30 Hours" (2016).^[23]

Pusha T responded with "The Story of Adidon", which St. Félix wrote severely undermined Drake's credibility;^[23] Pitchfork's Sheldon Pearce described it as character assassination.^[27] Pusha T raps that Drake, who is biracial, is insecure about his race, and used a previously obscure picture of Drake smiling while wearing blackface makeup, evoking a minstrel show performer, as the cover. He revealed that Drake was hiding a son, Adonis, from the public, and accused him of being a deadbeat parent.^[26][23] Drake released a statement explaining that the photo was intended as a satire on Black stereotyping and typecasting,^[23] and later in 2018, confirmed his fatherhood and said he would publicly raise Adonis.^[28] He never released a response track and, in December 2019, conceded that he lost to Pusha T.^[29] While Drake continued to find success in hip-hop, Char Adams of NBC News wrote that Pusha T put "[his] cultural identity on trial".^[21] Pusha T's attacks mirrored those Lamar would make in 2024.^[20][21]

Prior allegations involving Drake and pedophilia

Claims on social media that Drake is a pedophile and sexual abuser of minors had been widespread for years before Lamar made similar allegations in 2024.^[30] In 2018, the actress Millie Bobby Brown, then aged 14, revealed in an interview that she had a concurrent online friendship with Drake, who is 17 years her senior:^[31]

"I love him. I met him in Australia, and he's honestly so fantastic. We just texted each other the other day and he was like, 'I miss you so much,' and I was like, 'I miss you more.' He's great."

This led to accusations that Drake was grooming Brown—developing a friendship with her so he could then easily convince her to have a sexual relationship with him.^[30][31] Brown defended their friendship in an Instagram post:^[32]

"Why u gotta make a lovely friendship ur headline? U guys are weird . . . for real. I'm lucky to have people in the business extend their time to help me further my career and offer their wisdom and guidance." ...

In 2019, a 2010 video of Drake performing in Denver resurfaced on social media; during the performance, Drake brought a female fan from the crowd onstage, slow-danced with her, kissed her, and put his arms on her breasts. He paused, telling the crowd, then her: "Y'all gonna have me get carried away again. I get in trouble for shit like this! How old are you?" She answered "17", to which Drake replied: "I can't go to jail yet, man! Why do you look like that? You're thick. Look at all this." According to USA Today, "Twitter [users] didn't hold back on Drake" in accusing him of pedophilia.^[33][34]

"First Person Shooter" and "Like That"

In October 2023, J. Cole featured on Drake's track "First Person Shooter", a single from his album For All the Dogs. Cole suggested that he, Drake, and Lamar were part of the "big three" greatest rappers in modern hip-hop, and suggested that he was currently the best of the three.^[77] The song became a smash hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[78]

Five months later, Lamar responded directly to the track and the "big three" notion in a feature on Metro Boomin and Future's song "Like That", from their album We Don't Trust You (2024). Lamar dissed both Cole and Drake, saying "motherfuck the big three, nigga, it's just big me".^[79][80] Other tracks on We Don't Trust You were interpreted as also containing lyrical shots at Drake, with some fans speculating that the featured artists on the album were chosen for their known animosity towards Drake.^{[81][82][83][84]}

Lamar's diss prompted Cole to release a response song, "7 Minute Drill",^[85] in which he criticizes To Pimp a Butterfly.^[86] In the days after, he publicly apologized onstage for releasing the song and removed it from streaming services.^[85] The apology drew backlash from fans and commentators, with Slate calling it "artistic cowardice"^[87] and NPR noting it "threw a lot of people for a loop".^[88] Drake did not directly acknowledge "Like That" on tour, simply stating at one concert: "I got my head up high... and I know no matter what there's not another nigga on this Earth that could ever fuck with me".^[80] On April 12, Metro Boomin and Future released a second collaborative album, We Still Don't Trust You, and on April 21, a remix of "Like That" featuring ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign); both feature more shots at Drake.^[89][90]

"Push Ups" (Drake)

On April 13, 2024, early versions of Drake's "Push Ups" were leaked online.^[91] The song served as a response to Lamar's verse on "Like That";^[91] Drake claims multiple artists are better than Lamar, including 21 Savage, Travis Scott, and SZA.^[92] On "Push Ups", Drake also mocks Lamar's short stature of 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), and criticizes Lamar for collaborating with Taylor Swift and other pop artists.^[93] In addition, Drake disses numerous other artists on "Push Ups", including Metro Boomin, Future, The Weeknd, ASAP Rocky, and Rick Ross. Shortly afterward, Ross released a diss track against Drake entitled "Champagne Moments".^[91] On April 19, 2024, Drake officially released "Push Ups".^[94]

"Taylor Made Freestyle" (Drake)

Also on April 19, Drake used social media to release "Taylor Made Freestyle", another diss targeted at Lamar. The song featured AI-generated vocals imitating two of Lamar's fellow West Coast rappers, Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur.^[94] Shakur and Lamar had been popularly associated ever since To Pimp a Butterfly featured extensive references to Shakur's life and works; the album ends with Lamar "interviewing" Shakur, Lamar's questions having been inserted between samples of Shakur's answers from a real interview.^[95]

Using these AI-generated voices, as well as his own, Drake taunts Lamar for purported cowardice over not yet having responded to "Push Ups", and claims that Lamar held back his response to the track to avoid being drowned out by the chart success of Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department.^[96] On this track, Drake makes the feud's first reference to the pedophilia accusations against him, using Shakur's AI-generated voice to implore Lamar: "Talk about him liking young girls, that's a gift from me / Heard it on the [Joe] Budden Podcast, it's gotta be true."^[94]

The song received direct criticism from Shakur's estate, which stated disapproval of the AI-generated verse and threatened to sue Drake to pull the song from social media, citing the violation of Shakur's personality rights and the decision to diss a friend of the estate trustees (Lamar): "The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac's voice against Kendrick Lamar [...] who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult."^[97] On April 26, Drake took down "Taylor Made Freestyle" from social media (the only place the song was ever officially released).^[98][99]

"Euphoria" (Lamar)

On April 30, 2024, Lamar released a diss track named "Euphoria" in response to Drake.^[94] The title has been interpreted as a reference to the TV drama series Euphoria (2019–present), which Drake serves as an executive producer of, that as of 2024, focused on a group of high school students (the third season from 2026 shows them after high school).^{[92][100][101]} Vulture described the track as Lamar showing his "pure hatred" towards Drake. In the track, Lamar criticizes Drake's parenting, saying: "I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin' 'bout that".^[92] He also claims that Drake's abs were made through plastic surgery.^[100]

"6:16 in LA" (Lamar)

On May 3, 2024, three days after "Euphoria", Lamar posted an Instagram Reel captioned "6:16 in LA", containing a new diss track of the same name, similar to how Drake released "Taylor Made Freestyle".^{[102][103][104]} The title parodies Drake's "[timestamp] in [city]" song series, including "9AM in Dallas" (2010), "5AM in Toronto" (2019), and "8AM in Charlotte" (2023); speculation has surrounded the meaning of the time 6:16 in the track's title, with several meanings proposed, including the date of Father's Day 2024 and a potential reference to the Devil.^{[105][92][106]} "6:16 in LA" was produced by Jack Antonoff, the producer well known for his work on many of Taylor Swift's albums, which was widely interpreted as a response to Drake's comments regarding Swift on "Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle". In the track, Lamar claims that members of Drake's camp are leaking information to him, and threatens that Drake's darkest secrets will be exposed if he does not bow out of the beef immediately.^[104]

"Family Matters" & "Buried Alive Interlude, Pt. 2" (Drake)

On May 3, Drake released "Family Matters", a response to "Euphoria" and "6:16 in LA".^[107] In the track, Drake alleges that one of Lamar's children is biologically from Dave Free, Lamar's friend and co-founder of the company pgLang.^[86] He also claims Lamar is a domestic abuser and unfaithful in his relationship with his fiancée Whitney Alford. The track is also directed at ASAP Rocky and Metro Boomin, who collaborated with Future on the diss track "Show of Hands" from We Still Don't Trust You.^{[108][109][110]} In promoting "Family Matters", Drake used Instagram to drop a short parody remix of Lamar's "Buried Alive Interlude" from Take Care in which he mentions Lamar opening for his Club Paradise Tour.^{[111][93][112][113]}

"Meet the Grahams" (Lamar)

Twenty minutes after the release of "Family Matters", Lamar released another diss track against Drake, titled "Meet the Grahams", produced by The Alchemist.^[114] In the song, he speaks directly to members of Drake's family, each member the subject of a different verse. On the verse towards his son Adonis, Lamar says he is sorry that Drake is his father.^[92]

Speaking to Drake himself, Lamar alleges he is sexually attracted to minors, and makes accusations that had not been publicly leveled before—that Drake is hiding a daughter from the public, and running a sex trafficking ring out of his mansion in Toronto.^{[115][116][117]} He predicts the mansion "is 'bout to get raided too", referring to the recent U.S. federal raids on rapper Sean Combs' mansion as part of an unrelated investigation.^[118] He also disses the employees and affiliates of OVO Sound, a label Drake founded—claiming they are sex offenders harbored by Drake—as well as the latter's security guard.^[118][119]

Charles Holmes of The Ringer wrote that with "Family Matters" and "Meet the Grahams", "the Doomsday Machine has been activated", and the feud was no longer inconsequential.^[86] The allegation that Drake had a secret daughter added to the previous controversy of his hiding of Adonis.^[26] Responding to the allegation on Instagram, Drake wrote: "Nahhhh hold on can someone find my hidden daughter [please] and send her to me ... these guys are in shambles", followed by multiple laughing emojis.^[92] Some fans of both artists—who liked "Meet the Grahams", but denied the allegations on the verse aimed at Drake—uploaded a version of the song to various social media platforms that has the verse edited out. Lamar filed copyright violation claims against these uploads on some platforms, like Twitter, getting them taken down there.^[120]

"Not Like Us" (Lamar)

On May 4, 2024, Lamar released "Not Like Us", produced by DJ Mustard. On the track, he more explicitly accuses Drake and his acquaintances, like those as OVO Sound, of being pedophiles. He raps: "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young / You better not ever go to cell block one"—"cell block one" referring to prison, possibly referencing how sex offenders there are often attacked by other inmates.^[121][122] Lamar calls Drake a "certified lover boy, certified pedophile", referring to the latter's album Certified Lover Boy (2021).^[92][118] Some of his acquaintances are mentioned by name, and Lamar references the prior criminal charges of Baka Not Nice, a rapper signed to OVO Sound. In 2014, the latter was charged with sex trafficking, for allegedly forcing a 22-year-old woman into prostitution; procuring her services afterwards; and assaulting her. He was only convicted of the assault charge and an unrelated weapons charge.^[123][124]

Lamar's line, "Why you trollin' like a bitch? Ain't you tired? Tryna strike a chord, and it's probably A minor", is a triple entendre.^[121][125] He is claiming Drake had not been "striking a chord" (making an impact) in the feud by supposedly trolling him on Instagram over the previous month, and that the chord Drake was really trying to "strike" is a musical chord on the A minor scale—to say, "striking" (having sex with) a minor under the age of consent. An A minor chord plays while he says this.^{[121][126][127]} Outlets later wrote that the line became possibly the most iconic line on the song, or of Lamar's career.^[128][129] His fans have loudly chanted it during his performances of the song.^[130][131]

On the third verse, Lamar criticizes Drake for allegedly co-opting elements of Atlanta's hip-hop culture, despite having no roots in the city; the latter is labeled a "colonizer", alluding to the historical slave trade ran by European colonists in the American south, where Atlanta is located.^[132] He also claims Drake disrespected the Bay Area, where Tupac Shakur had lived, by using an A.I. version of Shakur's voice on "Taylor Made Freestyle"—and seemingly predicts Drake will be killed if he ever performs there: "I think that Oakland show gon' be your last stop, nigga".^[92] Lamar then hints at having already prepared multiple future diss tracks against Drake.^[86]

The cover art for "Not Like Us" is a satellite image of Drake's mansion covered with pins, as if appearing on an online map of sex offenders.^[122][133] After the song's release, Lamar's fans added similar pins to the mansion on Google Maps, with the names "Owned by Kendrick", "A Minor", and "Kendrick's Dog", the latter likely referencing For All the Dogs.^[134]

"The Heart Part 6" (Drake)

On May 5, 2024, Drake released "The Heart Part 6". The title references Lamar's "The Heart" series, picking up after Lamar's critically acclaimed "The Heart Part 5".^[135] Drake's song samples Aretha Franklin's lines on the song "Prove It" (1967): "Now let me see you prove it / Just let me see you prove it"_, as he denies Lamar's allegations of pedophilia.^[136][30] In doing so, Drake references the allegations that he had been grooming Millie Bobby Brown: "[I'm] only fuckin' with Whitneys, not Millie Bobby Browns, I'd never look twice at no teenager".^[136][30] Drake claims Lamar's allegations were based on Lamar's own trauma stemming from abuse.^[119][135] He also alleges that that his inner circle fed Lamar false information about having a secret daughter,^[135] and that Lamar had not seen his children in six months. He again claims that Lamar had abused Alford.^[137]

Writing on social media after the song's release, Drake predicted Lamar would respond shortly: "And we know you're dropping 6 mins after so instead of posting my address you have a lot to address".^[138] "The Heart Part 6" received negative reviews from critics and fans, amassing an estimated over 1 million dislikes on YouTube.^[139]

Lamar's The Pop Out concert

In June 2024, Lamar announced a one-off concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, titled "The Pop Out: Ken & Friends" in a reference to a lyric from "Not Like Us": "Sometimes you gotta pop out and show niggas". The concert was scheduled for Juneteenth (June 19), which Charlamagne tha God suggested was a dig aimed at Drake.^[140] Lamar opened his part of the concert with "Euphoria", which contained updated lyrics aimed at Drake's possession of Shakur's crown ring. Later, he performed "6:16 in LA" (with Ab-Soul), and then his verse on "Like That". Lamar and Dr. Dre then performed Dre's songs "Still D.R.E." (1999) and "California Love" (1995), the latter of which features Shakur. Dre then spoke the intro line of "Not Like Us", "Pssst, I see dead people", before Lamar performed the song five consecutive times, while dancing on stage with colleagues and local gang members such as Crips and Bloods.^[141]

"Not Like Us" music video

The music video for "Not Like Us" was released on July 4, 2024, in celebration of American Independence Day,^[142] at approximately 3 p.m. PT,^[143] after four still images from the clip were leaked to social media the day before.^[144][145] Dave Free and Lamar directed it, and Charm La'Donna handled the choreography and is also credited as the associate producer.^[146] The video features cameos from Tommy the Clown and NBA star DeMar DeRozan (a Compton native and former star of Drake's hometown Toronto Raptors who is mentioned by name in the track),^[142][147] and is set in Lamar's hometown of Compton, California.^[146] By the morning after, the video had reached over 13 million views on YouTube.^[148] CNN and NME noted widespread anticipation for the video up to its release.^[149][150] Numerous publications and websites called it another victory lap for Lamar in his feud with Drake.^{[note 2]} The video discredited many allegations and claims that Drake had used to diss Lamar with the appearance of his family dancing happily in the video, as well as the video credits reading "Directed by Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar".^[142][146] It was called a moment of re-ignition of the feud,^[156] and was seen as Lamar's "knockout punch" against Drake.^[157]

Concert cancellations at History

Schoolboy Q was set to commence his Blue Lips Weekends concert tour, in support of his sixth studio album Blue Lips (2024), on July 18, 2024, at History in Toronto.^[158] The music venue was established in 2021 through a creative partnership between Drake and Live Nation Entertainment.^[159] On the evening prior to opening night, Schoolboy Q announced that the sold-out concert was unexpectedly cancelled.^[160] He blamed the cancellation on Drake and Lamar's feud, citing his longtime friendship with Lamar, and claimed the Toronto Police Service prohibited artists from Top Dawg Entertainment from performing in the city due to safety concerns.^[161] The police agency dismissed rumors of their involvement, saying the decision to cancel the performance was made solely by History.^[160]

On July 29, 2024, DJ Scheme played "Not Like Us" at History during his opening set for Ski Mask the Slump God.^[162] The two artists taunted Drake and gloated over the move with Schoolboy Q on social media.^[163] Sir, who is also signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and has close associations with Lamar, announced the following day that his sold-out concert at History was also cancelled.^[164]

Drake's comments and legal actions against UMG

On November 25, 2024, Drake appeared on a livestream with Canadian streamer xQc, describing himself as "fully intact, mind, body, and soul" and remarking that "you need facts to take me out, fairy tales won't do it".^[165] He also sent additional jabs at the Weeknd and Steve Lacy; the latter and Lamar reacted to the stream with amusement.^[166][167] On the same day, Drake filed a petition against Universal Music Group (UMG)—a label he and Lamar are signed to—and Spotify alleging they violated the RICO Act by using illegal tactics to boost streams for "Not Like Us".^[168] UMG responded the same day, denying the allegations and stating that "no amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear".^[169] On November 26, Drake filed another petition against UMG, alleging defamation and a "pay-to-play" scheme between UMG and iHeartRadio.^[170]

On December 20, 2024, Spotify released opposition papers in response to the original petition, denying allegations of "any arrangement" between themselves and UMG.^[171] Drake's legal representation responded the same day, stating Spotify and UMG "should be perfectly fine complying with this basic discovery request" if they have "nothing to hide".^[172]

On January 15, 2025, Drake filed a lawsuit against UMG for defamation; Lamar was not included as a defendant.^[173] On March 17, 2025, UMG filed a motion to dismiss Drake's lawsuit.^[174] On October 9, 2025, the lawsuit was dismissed.^[175]

New releases

In September 2024, shortly after being announced as the halftime show musical guest for the upcoming Super Bowl, Lamar dropped his first track following the feud, an untitled Instagram-only release known colloquially as "Watch the Party Die" after its refrain; the song did not mention Drake, and was interpreted as an attempt to reshape the narrative from the beef towards Lamar's broader goals of shifting hip-hop away from glorifying luxury and the celebrity lifestyle (symbolized by Drake) and towards lyricism and music with a deeper meaning.^{[176][177][178]}

Lamar followed up this teaser track with a new studio album, GNX, that autumn. The album did not directly mention Drake, nor did it feature any of that spring's diss tracks; however, many of its songs, particularly the opening track "Wacced Out Murals", were interpreted as containing reflections on the feud and further indirect shots at Drake.^{[179][180][181]} Lamar also included a track on the album entitled "Heart Pt. 6", reusing the title that Drake had earlier claimed for his feud-ending track.^[182]

"Fighting Irish Freestyle" (Drake)

On January 3, 2025, producer Conductor Williams, who had previously produced with Drake on For All the Dogs, posted and then took down a link to a Drake freestyle dubbed "Fighting Irish Freestyle".^[183] Drake addresses the feud in the freestyle and, according to many commentators, takes shots at LeBron James,^{[184][185][186][187]} whom Drake was formerly friends with, and even has a tattoo of, as James attended Lamar's Pop Out concert and has been seen dancing to "Not Like Us".^{[185][186][187][188]} Other lyrics in the song were read as targeting UMG, DeMar DeRozan, and Lil Wayne.^[189][190] The song received mixed reactions from critics, with HipHopDX writing that "after retreating in his beef with Kendrick following the underwhelming reception to 'The Heart Part 6', the tough talk just feels empty".^[191]

67th Annual Grammy Awards

"Not Like Us" was nominated in five different categories at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video) and won all of them.^[192] It became only the second rap song ever to win in the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories, generally considered the Grammys' most prestigious awards for performance and songwriting in an individual song, respectively.^[193]

Though Lamar did not mention Drake in his victory speeches, instead dedicating them to the city of Los Angeles (which had recently been impacted by the January 2025 wildfires), his outfit at the ceremony – a denim top along with denim pants, known as a "Canadian tuxedo" – was seen as a playful jab at the Canadian-born Drake.^[194] The Grammys audience, including numerous celebrities, could be heard singing along to "Not Like Us" and its "A Minor" line as it played while Lamar entered to accept his awards.^[195]

Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show

On September 8, 2024, Lamar was announced as the headlining act for the February 2025 Super Bowl LIX halftime show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. In the video announcing his selection, Lamar said "You know it's only one opportunity to win a championship. No round twos", which was interpreted as a shot against Drake, who posted a few weeks before that "we will win Game 2".^{[196][197][198]} Speculation arose as to whether he would incorporate "Not Like Us" into his performance.^[199][200] Justin Sayles of The Ringer called the halftime performance announcement as the capstone of a year that had seen Lamar "ascend to the highest levels" of popular culture, and seen Drake "sink to the lowest levels" of his career.^[201]

Lamar performed "Euphoria" and "Not Like Us" during the show. He also wore a chain with a lowercase "a" on it, which was either referencing pgLang or the "A minor" line.^[202] In an interlude during the middle of the set, Lamar teased the latter song and alluded to Drake's litigation by quipping "I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue", which was followed by a brief audio clip of the song's introduction.^[203] In another interlude after performing "All the Stars" towards the end of the set, he said "they tried to rig the game but you can't fake influence", then launched into "Not Like Us".^[204] Lamar looked directly into the camera with a smile when he rapped "Say Drake, I hear you like 'em young". The lyric including the word "pedophile" was censored, but the audience could be heard shouting the lyric "tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor" along with him a few lines later.^[205] Tennis player Serena Williams made a cameo appearance as a dancer, which was received as a diss towards Drake, whom she was rumored to have dated several years earlier.^{[206][207][208]}

The critical response to the performance was positive. Lisa Respers France of CNN called "Not Like Us" the star of the halftime performance, while Maria Sherman of the Associated Press called Lamar performing the song on the biggest stage in U.S. sports a few days after it swept the Grammy Awards "another step in Lamar's continued victory lap".^[205][209]

$ome $exy $ongs 4 U and "Gimme a Hug" (Drake)

On February 14, 2025, less than one week after Lamar's Super Bowl performance, Drake released a collaborative album with PartyNextDoor titled $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. This was Drake's first major release in nearly one year following the beef.^[210] Drake had previously stated that he would minimize the beef in the album; however, the track "Gimme a Hug" contained a verse that was widely interpreted as being about the beef.^[211] In the track, Drake touts his resilience despite many fans' desire to see his career ended, says he wants to "get the party lit" (a likely reference to Lamar's "Watch the Party Die" track from September 2024), and makes an indirect diss at his view that Lamar's music is too cerebral to party to, saying it would have "girls...twerking with a dictionary".^[211] Around the same time, Drake wore a shirt with bullet holes in it to symbolize his resilience around the beef while on tour in Australia.^[131]

In April 2026, amidst the rollout for Drake's album Iceman, a hoax spread that Lamar would be releasing a project called Fireman in opposition. However, this was later debunked as false.^[212][213]

Iceman (Drake)

Less than two days before the release of Drake's ninth studio album Iceman, a track titled "1AM in Albany" surfaced online. Serving as a continuation of his timestamp series of songs, it included disses directed at Lamar along with several other musicians and celebrities, such as LeBron James and Dr. Dre.^[214] The track would be released on the album under the title "Make Them Remember". Several songs from Iceman contain lyrics aimed at Lamar, including "Make Them Cry" and "Janice STFU", as well as disses toward "Not Like Us" producer Mustard, DeMar DeRozan, and Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge, among others. The album includes the song "Ran to Atlanta" featuring Future and Molly Santana, marking Drake's first collaboration with the former since 2022, as well as the end of their public falling-out amidst the 2024 feud.^{[215] [216]}

Celebrity and media reactions

Drake has been supported by Birdman, Azealia Banks, 50 Cent, the Game, DJ Akademiks, Adin Ross and Juelz Santana, among others.^{[note 5]} A leaked audio recording of Young Thug revealed that he had some frustrations with Lamar, and said that Lamar will never be bigger than Drake.^[224] Lamar has been supported by Metro Boomin, Future, Pusha T, The Weeknd, ASAP Rocky, Rick Ross, Serena Williams, Joe Budden and Jay Rock, among others.^{[note 6]} Kanye West has taken contradictory positions, shifting between support for Lamar,^[233][234] support for Drake,^[235] and belittlement of both.^[236]

HotNewHipHop referred to Metro Boomin as being a major part of the feud.^[110][237] In "Push Ups", Drake directly dismisses Metro's involvement in the feud with the line "Metro, shut your ho ass up and make some drums, nigga".^[238] On "Family Matters", Drake targeted Metro Boomin again, saying one of Metro's friends had sex with his girlfriend.^[110] On May 5, Metro responded to Drake's claim, saying: "what we not gon do is spread lies and have my loved ones involved nobody ever hit [had sex with] my girl nigga".^[110] He also posted the cover photo of "The Story of Adidon".^[110][239]

Boosie Badazz criticized both Lamar and Drake and their respective fanbases over the feud, expressing that the feud undermines their careers and respective contributions to the genre.^[240] Kurupt, Ice Cube, and Questlove echoed similar sentiments, with Kurupt saying "Life is precious, my nigga. So if y'all ain't gonna fight, stop it...".^{[241][242][243]} The feud was also criticized by Stevie Wonder and Macklemore for overshadowing ongoing international conflicts, with the latter releasing the pro-Palestinian song "Hind's Hall" (2024), containing the line "I want a ceasefire, fuck a response from Drake".^[244][245] Singer Sheryl Crow criticized Drake's use of AI in "Taylor Made Freestyle," saying: "It's hateful. It is antithetical to the life force that exists in all of us."^[9]

Outside of the music community, the feud attracted numerous reactions from various celebrities. Actress Uma Thurman jokingly offered her Kill Bill costume to Drake for his feud with Lamar and other rappers.^[246] Former wrestler and current WWE producer Shawn Michaels, whose Sweet Chin Music finishing move was mentioned in "Not Like Us", invited the pair to settle their feud on NXT.^[247] During the face-off against John Cena on SmackDown before the 2025 Night of Champions, CM Punk referenced the feud, saying "you're gonna lose to Kendrick, 'cause bitch, you are my Drake!"^[248] Tennis star Naomi Osaka claimed that in her opinion, Lamar is winning the feud, and that she used "Not Like Us" in coming out to the court before beating Clara Burel at the Italian Open.^[249] After defeating Canada in the 2024 Copa América semifinals, the Argentine national football team posted images with "Not Like Us" emblazoned above a photo of the team, a jab at Drake for betting $300,000 on the Canadian team.^[250] The feud was referenced on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment.^[251] Professional basketball players Stephen Curry and LeBron James, who were both mentioned in "Meet the Grahams", discussed the frequent usage of "Not Like Us" after a Team USA basketball match. Curry said "it's not the only song in America" while James said he loves the song, while agreeing that "we gotta get something else."^[252] Curry later said in an interview with GQ that he's still a 'big Drake guy'.^[253][254] In June 2025, Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh attended the Toronto stop of the Grand National Tour at the Rogers Centre; Drake publicly criticized Singh's attendance at the concert, and Singh apologized the next day on Instagram.^[255][256] Following the 2025 World Series where the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, social media posts were made referencing the feud.^[257]

Analysis

According to The Ringer, the feud has been considered the "last great rap beef", with Holmes asserting that "[I]n terms of size, scale, and capital, we're witnessing the last rap beef of this magnitude."^[86] Multiple commentators, including Todd Boyd, compared the feud to the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry from the 1990s,^[263][264] which culminated with the drive-by shooting deaths of both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. in 1996 and 1997, respectively.^[265] The feud was also considered a debate about the future of the genre and its culture, specifically in regards towards its commercial appeal and authenticity; an MSNBC article drew parallels to the feud between Jay-Z and Nas.^[266] Likening the feud to literary debates, The Independent's Ryan Coogan opined that the two rappers' poetic talents had elevated their conflict from celebrity gossip to art. He further claimed that the feud "has caused both men to dig deep and produce some of their best work in years".^[267] Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork labeled the feud "the most miserable spectacle in rap history", calling it a "disinformation campaign that has turned rap's all-time biggest beef into a messy, confusing conflict that, at its core, is nothing but ugly" and stated it "doesn't even sound like rap beef anymore, but the death knell of an entire era", specifically noting both the severity of the accusations leveled against the parties involved and how the feud had been received on social media in light of those accusations.^[112]

Among other beefs in 2024, the feud has also been regarded as an example of social media's influence in shifting the nature of rap beefs. Howard University professor Tia Tyree compared the past release of diss tracks on radio and CD to the instantaneous nature of social media releases. The prevalence of Stan culture was also noted as a factor in the feud.^[268] Holmes noted that unlike Drake's leverage of meme culture in his feud against Meek Mill, he was at a disadvantage compared to Lamar's less accessible nature on the internet.^[86]

Both artists received criticism for their use of women and family members as "punchlines" in their respective diss tracks.^[86][268] The Ringer argued hypocrisy in both parties' messaging, stating that Drake, who went after Lamar for allegedly abusing women, had shouted out Chris Brown on "Family Matters" and posted his support on social media of Tory Lanez, both of whom had been arrested for domestic violence.^{[86][269][270]} Similarly, Lamar was accused of hypocrisy for attacking Drake for allegedly being a sexual predator, despite featuring Kodak Black on his last studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers after Kodak had previously taken a plea deal in a first-degree criminal sexual assault case^[86] and bringing out Playboi Carti to perform the track "Good Credit" at a show in Atlanta during his Grand National Tour after Carti was accused of being a deadbeat father by Iggy Azalea, with whom the latter was previously in a relationship.^[271][272] In addition, criticism resurfaced of Lamar's label head, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, threatening to remove Lamar's catalogue from Spotify in 2018, in opposition to Spotify announcing they would remove XXXTentacion's and R. Kelly's songs from official playlists after the two artists were accused of various forms of domestic and sexual abuse.^{[273][274][275]}

In May 2024, UMG denied rumors that they had been mediating an end to the feud.^[276]

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