Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake: All the Diss Tracks in the Feud

Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s rap feud is so heated that it may burn the hip-hop world to the ground.

Lamar, 36, and Drake, 37, have been waging lyrical war with increasingly personal diss tracks released over the last several days. Drake’s “Family Matters” song accused Lamar of being a “make-believe” activist, claimed Lamar got physically abusive with his wife, Whitney Alford, alleged that Alford cheated on Lamar with his creative partner, Dave Free, and hinted that Free is the real father of Lamar’s son. (He didn’t immediately comment on the allegations.)

Lamar responded with “Meet the Grahams,” in which he accused Drake of hiding an 11-year-old daughter, claimed the Canadian rapper lied about using Ozempic to lose weight and insinuated that Drake had “gambling problems, drinking problems, pill-popping and spending problems.” Lamar also accused Drake and his entourage of being “predators,” a claim he doubled down on in “Not Like Us.” In that track, Lamar said that Drake’s camp is full of “certified pedophiles.”

Drake quickly denied having a secret daughter and later released a track claiming that his camp fed Lamar false data about the hidden daughter. In that song, he also denied that he’d been with anyone “underage.”

Lamar had previously clashed with Drake, taking shots at the “God’s Plan” rapper in 2013 while rapping on Big Sean’s “Control.” Since then, the two have slung subliminal shade, but that all came to a head in March.

For those who need a refresher on how this beef got this far, scroll on for a quick rundown of all the diss tracks involved:

“First Person Shooter”

The unofficial start of the Lamar-Drake war came in October 2023 when Drake released For All the Dogs. The album contained “First Person Shooter,” a song featuring a verse from rapper J. Cole. “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?” Cole rapped, referring to Lamar’s nickname, “K-Dot,” and Drake’s real name, Aubrey Graham.

Cole then suggested, “We [ate] the big three like we started a league / But right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.”

“First Person Shooter” went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Cole his first chart-topper. It was Drake’s 13th Hot 100 No. 1.

“Like That”

In March, celebrated producer Metro Boomin teamed with Drake’s frequent collaborator Future for the collaborative album We Don’t Trust You. The song featured a verse from Lamar, in which he responded to Cole’s “big three” comments. “Motherf–k the big three / It’s just big me,” he rapped.

Lamar also took blatant shots at Drake, referencing how Drake compared himself to the late Michael Jackson. “F–k sneak dissin’ first person shooter / I hope they came with three switches,” he rapped. “What? I’m really like that / And your best work is a light pack / Prince outlived Mike Jack’ / ‘Fore all your dogs gettin’ buried / That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see Pet Sematary.”

“Like That” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 6 and stayed there for three consecutive weeks.

“7 Minute Drill”

Cole responded to Lamar on April 5 with “7 Minute Drill,” a song from his fourth mixtape, Might Delete Later. Cole said Lamar “fell off like The Simpsons” and that he was overrated. “Your first [album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,] was classic / Your last [album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,] was tragic,” he rapped. “Your second [album, To Pimp a Butterfly,] put n–as to sleep, but they gassed it / Your third [album, Damn.,] was massive and that was your prime / I was trailing right behind and I just now hit mine.”

Cole also said that Lamar was “averaging one hard verse, like, every 30 months or something,” and that if they were beefing, no one “would be discussing” Lamar. However, five days after releasing it, Cole took a moment during his Dreamville set to apologize for releasing the song. He regretted “downplaying” Lamar’s catalog and his “greatness.” Cole called his response “corny” and eventually pulled the song from streaming services.

Fans initially mocked Cole online for bowing out of the battle so early. However, as the war intensified, many came around to credit Cole for understanding when to throw in the towel.

“Champagne Moments”

Rick Ross entered the feud shortly after “Like That” dropped by sharing a video of him smoking in a Rolls-Royce while listening to the track. He then further jumped into the fray on April 15 with “Champagne Problems,” which is a play on Drake’s nickname “Champagne Papi.”

Ross’ diss track reiterated the well-circulated rumor that Drake uses ghostwriters. Ross also claimed that Drake got a nose job to look less like his Black father. He also said that Drake “had that surgery, that six-pack gone / That’s why you wearing that funny s–t at your show.”

Ross also began to refer to the biracial Drake as “white boy,” claiming that Drake was co-opting elements of Black culture and associating with other rappers for credibility. “Another white boy at the park wanna hang with the crew,” said Ross dismissively.

“All to Myself” / “Show of Hands”

Future and Metro Boomin went back-to-back by releasing We Still Don’t Trust You, their second collaborative album, on April 9. The album featured appearances by ASAP Rocky and The Weeknd. On “Show of Hands,” Rocky claimed that he had sex with Sophie Brussaux, the mother of Drake’s son, Adonis. On “All to Myself,” The Weeknd said he was glad that he “never signed my life away,” likely referencing his decision not to sign with Drake’s OVO Sound label in 2010.

“Push Ups”

Drake responded to all the disses coming his way in mid-April with “Push Ups.” The song leaked on April 13, and many initially wondered whether it was real or another case of someone creating a track with AI-generated Drake vocals.

The song was indeed legit, and Drake officially released the track on April 19. In it, Drake fired back at Ross (“Spend that lil’ check you got and stay out of my business”), Metro Boomin, Future, The Weeknd and Lamar.

Drake attacked Lamar’s height and shoe size. He also mocked Kendrick’s hip-hop credibility by pointing out how he provided verses for pop songs including Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” and Maroon 5’s “Don’t Wanna Know.” Drake also mocked Lamar’s record deal with Top Dawg Entertainment by claiming he split his earnings 50/50 with the label. He also claimed that Lamar isn’t as great as he thinks, saying, “You ain’t in no big three / SZA got you wide down / Travis [Scott] got you wiped down / [21] Savage got you wiped down.”

Drake also noted that “First Person Shooter” didn’t cause the war between him and Lamar, that “this s–t’s been brewin’ in a pot” for a while now.

“Taylor Made Freestyle”

On April 19, the same day that Drake put “Push Ups” on streaming services, he released “Taylor Made Freestyle.” The title was likely a reference to how Lamar hadn’t responded to “Push Ups” yet because Swift was releasing The Tortured Poets Department that same Friday.

“The next one is really ’bout to bring out the coward in you / But now we gotta wait a f–kin’ week ’cause Taylor Swift is your new top / And if you ’bout to drop, she gotta approve,” rapped Drake. “This girl really ’bout to make you act like you not in a feud / She tailor-made your schedule with [Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith], you out of the loop.”

Drake utilized AI-generated vocals for Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur on “Taylor Made Freestyle.” This move was done to mock Lamar, who cites the West Coast rap icons as influences. The Shakur estate wasn’t happy with the use of his audio likeness without permission and sent a cease-and-desist to Drake, according to Billboard. Drake’s team subsequently removed “Taylor Made Freestyle” from streaming services.

“Euphoria”

Kendrick took two weeks after “Push Ups” leaked to release his response on April 30, a six-minute-long rant called “Euphoria.” The title refers to the HBO series that Drake produces, and the track saw Lamar accuse Drake of being a “scam artist with the hopes of being accepted” by the rap community. Lamar also attacked Drake’s parenting (“I got a son to raise / But I can see you know nothin’ ‘bout that”). Lamar repeated Ross’ claims that Drake got cosmetic surgery to obtain his abs.

While most fans considered the track a successful response because it showed Lamar’s talents for rapping and switching up flows to match the changes of the beat, there were those who weren’t impressed. They noted that Lamar didn’t say anything new with the track and pointed out that he made a bizarre error confusing televangelist Joel Osteen with actor Haley Joel Osment.

“6:16 in LA”

In “Euphoria,” Lamar noted that he liked Drake’s “Back to Back” record, a song recorded during his beef with Meek Mill. This was a subtle hint that Lamar wouldn’t wait to release a second song, a promise he fulfilled on May 3 with “6:16 in LA.”

The song listed two of Swift’s longtime creative partners — Jack Antonoff and Sounwave — as its producers, likely a nod to Drake using Swift’s names in prior disses.

In his follow-up, Kendrick claimed to have people in Drake’s OVO organization working for him. “Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible person / Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it / Can’t Toosie Slide up outta this one, it’s just gon’ resurface / Every dog gotta have its day, now live in your purpose,” rapped Lamar.

“Family Matters”

Lamar dropped “6:16 in LA” on a Friday morning. Around 11:30 p.m. ET that same night, Drake released “Family Matters,” a nearly-eight-minute track. In the song, he alleged that Free — Lamar’s friend, manager and creative partner — was the actual father of his son.

Drake also alleged that Lamar got physically abusive with his wife and that they’re currently estranged. He also claimed that Lamar’s posturing as a Black activist was fake due to “wifing up a mixed queen” and “hit vanilla cream to help out with your self-esteem.”

The corresponding video showed a minivan similar to the one on the cover of Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City being destroyed in a junkyard.

“Meet the Grahams”

Less than an hour after Drake released “Family Matters,” Lamar dropped “Meet the Grahams.” The lengthy diss saw Lamar address everyone in Drake’s family, from his son, Adonis, to his mother and father. Lamar also addressed an 11-year-old girl, claiming that Drake had hidden this child away, similar to how he initially hid Adonis’ birth from the public.

Lamar also used the track to allege that Drake has “sex offenders” on the OVO payroll while comparing Drake to disgraced filmmaker and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein.

“Not Like Us”

Less than 24 hours after posting “Meet the Grahams,” Lamar shared “Not Like Us.” Whereas his prior two tracks were dour in tone and beat, Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was a hyphy-influenced, energetic track where he accused the OVO company of being full of sex offenders. “Certified Lover Boy / Certified pedophiles,” he rapped. Lamar also repeated his claims that Drake used other rappers — Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Quavo and 2 Chainz — for credibility.

“You’re not a colleague, you a f–kin’ colonizer,” claimed Lamar. “The family matter and the truth of the matter / It was God’s plan to show y’all the liar.” Lamar didn’t react on the track to Drake’s allegations that he is estranged from his wife or that he physically abused her.

“The Heart Part 6”

Drake responded on May 5 with “The Heart Part 6,” a play on Lamar’s “The Heart” series of songs. In this song, Drake claimed that his team fed Lamar false information about the 11-year-old daughter, his alleged Ozempic prescription and other tidbits. “You gotta learn to fact-check things and be less impatient,” he said. Drake also noted the “Epstein angle was the s–t I expected” before saying that if he “was f–king young girls, I promise I’d have been arrested / I’m too famous for this s–t that you just suggested.”

After he released the track, “Nah Drake” trended on X. Many fans were not impressed with the song, and some noted that Drake misinterpreted Lamar’s “Mother I Sober” (a song from Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers). Drake referenced it to say that Lamar was previously molested, but many fans pointed out that the song actually says the opposite of that.