From early collaborations to a decade-long thaw and a 2024 revival, Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s beef turns into a rapid-fire string of diss tracks—followed by legal trouble, a Super Bowl moment, and more Drake releases.
There was a time when Kendrick Lamar and Drake sounded like they belonged on the same track.. Early on. Kendrick appeared on Drake’s “Buried Alive Interlude” from Take Care. and Drake later showed up on “Poetic Justice” from Good Kid. M.A.A.D.. City.. Even their live history crossed paths—Kendrick opened Drake’s 2012 tour.
But the modern version of their relationship doesn’t look anything like collaboration.. By late 2023 and into 2024. what started as lyrical side-shouts quickly turned into a full-blown war of diss records. public claims. and pointed personal allegations—so loud it even spilled into legal action and major stages.
The spark returns in a track that flares up reputations and stakes
In October 2023. Drake’s album For All The Dogs arrived with standout cut “First Person Shooter. ” featuring J.. Cole.. On the song. both Cole and Drake traded boasts about being at the top. while Cole also offered Kendrick a shoutout—calling them “the Big 3”—even as he compared himself to boxing great “Muhammad Ali.”
Months later, Kendrick’s response made it clear that “Big 3” wasn’t going to be the end of the story.. On March 26, 2024, Kendrick appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” taking shots at Drake and J.. Cole while insisting he was the best.. “F**k sneak dissin’, first person shooter, I hope they came with three switches,” Kendrick rapped.. “Motherf**k the big three.. N***a, it’s just big me.”
Kendrick also hit Drake’s Michael Jackson comparison from “Like That,” with K.Dot flipping the reference toward himself: “Prince outlived Mike Jack’.”
Cole adds fuel—then walks it back fast
On April 5, 2024, J.. Cole released “7 Minute Drill” as the closing number on Might Delete Later. and it included direct criticism of Kendrick’s place in the current rap scene.. Cole accused Kendrick of dropping disses to stay relevant. rapping. “He still doin’ shows but fell off like The Simpsons.” He added. “If he wasn’t dissin’. we wouldn’t be discussin’ him.”
But Cole didn’t stick with it.. Just two days later, at his Dreamville Festival, he apologized for dissing Kendrick.. “It’s one part of that s**t that make me feel like. man. that’s the lamest s**t I ever did in my f**king life. right?” he said.. Then he asked the crowd for a different framing of Kendrick’s talent: “How many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest motherf**kers to ever touch a f**king microphone?. Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar, correct?”
Cole has not returned to the beef since.
Drake and Kendrick trade harder punches—then things turn intensely personal
With Cole stepping back. Drake’s next moves didn’t soften the volume.. On April 13, 2024, Drake’s “Push Ups” leaked, and it targeted Kendrick in multiple ways, including personal jabs.. The track also took aim at Kendrick’s deal with Top Dawg Entertainment. while insulting Kendrick’s height and name-checking other rappers like Rick Ross. who had supported Kendrick during the feud.
Then came April 19. 2024: “Taylor Made Freestyle.” Drake integrated AI technology so that Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg’s voices delivered lines on the track.. The song taunted Kendrick to respond and speculated that Drake hadn’t released a diss yet to avoid being overshadowed by Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department release.. After Tupac’s estate threatened legal action, the track was pulled from streaming platforms.
Over a week later. Kendrick dropped “euphoria” on April 30. 2024—arguing his case with heavy shots at Drake’s credibility. reputation. and abilities as a father.. “I got a son to raise, but I can see you don’t know nothin’ ’bout that,” Kendrick rapped.. He also accused Drake of trying to block “Like That” before it dropped: “Try cease and desist on the ‘Like That’ record?. Ho, what?. You ain’t like that record.” Kendrick also aired the personal dislike plainly: “I hate the way you walk. the way you talk/I hate the way you dress.”
The pace quickens into back-to-back release mode
On May 3. 2024. Kendrick backed up “euphoria” with “6:16 in LA. ” returning to the subject of information leaking from Drake’s side.. “Have you ever thought that OVO [Drake’s label] is workin’ for me?. Fake bully.. I hate bullies.. You must be a terrible person,” Kendrick rapped.
Hours later, Drake answered with “Family Matters.” In the song, Drake alleged that one of the children he has with his wife might not be his, claiming it belonged to Kendrick’s childhood friend Dave Free. Those rumors were not verified.
Then Kendrick moved immediately—dropping “Meet the Grahams” just 20 minutes after “Family Matters.” The track is styled as letters to Drake’s son Adonis. Drake’s parents. an alleged secret daughter. and finally Drake himself.. Among the most discussed claims was Kendrick’s allegation that Drake has an 11-year-old daughter he’s absent from. which Drake quickly denied as untrue.
Kendrick also escalated into serious allegations involving sex trafficking, sexual abuse, and sexual predators working with OVO.. In one of the lines highlighted from the second verse. Kendrick rapped: “Him and [Harvey] Weinstein should get f**ked up in a cell for the rest of their life.” He added: “He got sex offenders on OVO that he keep on a monthly allowance.”
One day later, Kendrick doubled down with “Not Like Us” on May 4.. The track repeated allegations of sexual abuse tied to Drake and people associated with OVO. with Kendrick rapping. “Say. Drake. I hear you like ’em young/You better not ever go to cell block one. ” and adding. “Certified Lover Boy?. Certified Pedophile.”
Drake responded the next day with “The Heart Part 6” on May 5.. Drake said he knowingly fed Kendrick false information to see if he’d run with it. including the claim about the daughter.. Drake also denied sexual allegations and claimed he had never been involved with underage women. rapping: “I never been with no one underage.”
Outside the music, the feud drew real-world attention in Toronto
As the song releases continued to land, real life intruded.. Days after Drake released “The Heart Part 6. ” there was a shooting outside Drake’s mansion in Toronto that left a security guard injured.. Police investigated the shooting. and Inspector Paul Krawczyk said he couldn’t speculate on whether the incident was motivated by the current feud.
Later, more than music kept the conflict in motion
In November 2024, Drake filed a Universal Music Group (UMG) lawsuit. He accused his own label of defamation, saying it spread a “false and malicious narrative” while promoting Kendrick’s song, according to NBC News.
The feud also followed Kendrick to one of the biggest live stages in the world.. On February 9, 2025, Kendrick Lamar headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans.. During his performance. he repeatedly teased “Not Like Us. ” telling the crowd. “I want to perform their favorite song. but you know they love to sue.” He eventually performed the song.
And even after a long stretch of near silence, Drake later brought out three albums in one day.. On May 15. 2026. Drake released Iceman. Habibti and Maid of Honour. and fans believed some tracks—especially “Ran to Atlanta”—were disses aimed at Kendrick.. In one verse. Drake rapped: “Whatever it gon’ take to get lil’ bro out the can. ” followed by “Cuttin’ ties with all my friends.”
Kendrick Lamar Drake euphoria Like That Push Ups Taylor Made Freestyle Meet the Grahams Not Like Us Family Matters The Heart Part 6 Super Bowl halftime UMG lawsuit