‘Game Over’: Is the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef now finally over?
Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s long feud was somewhat of a highlight for 2024 concerning hip-hop. Not only was it entertaining, but it also saw two of the highest-selling rappers enter a lyrical battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Not only did the diss songs dominate social media, but the diss tracks landed on the Billboard Hot 100 on multiple occasions.
However, the ill-will between the MCs went unnoticed for years, and the two acts merely avoided each other for over a decade. Still, the underlying bad blood was always there, and last year, it finally became visible to fans.
Kendrick and Drake have definitely made their feelings about each other clear through some clever, sneaky lyrics over the years. While it’s hard to pinpoint precisely when the tension started, many believe Drake’s feelings were sparked by a line in Kendrick’s 2013 song, ‘Control’, where he called out 11 fellow artists, including Mac Miller, Tyler The Creator, Meek Mill, and, of course, Drizzy. In one verse, he raps, “I got love for you all, but I’m tryna murder you n*ggas.”
Although Kendrick Lamar’s intention was not to offend, merely pay homage, Drake took it personally and, in an interview with Billboard magazine, stated, “It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that Kendrick’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform.”
That said, Lamar subtly responded to Drake’s spiky interview but on a larger platform. In a televised BET Hip-Hop Cypher, which annually showcases the best new lyricists in hip-hop, Kendrick responded to the Billboard interview by sneakily referencing Drake’s 2013 album, Nothing Was The Same, rapping, “Yeah and nothing’s been the same since they dropped ‘Control’, And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pyjama clothes.”
Two years later, Drake responded on his mixtape, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. On the song’ 6pm In New York’ the Toronto native rhymed, I heard a lil lil homie talking reckless in Vibe / Quite a platform you chose, you shoulda kept it inside / Oh you tried, it’s so childish calling my name on the world stage / You need to act your age and not your girl’s age.”
Still, Lamar subtly jabbed at Drake on ‘King Kunta’, and until 2024, their jibes were subliminal. That said, while diss tracks were getting exchanged last year, many fans wondered if the battle signified the end of Drake and Kendrick’s beef.
Unfortunately, the ball is totally in Drizzy’s court. ‘Not Like Us’ seemed like the perfect way to wrap up the feud, but with all the damage it’s done to Drake’s career, he might try anything to salvage his brand. From court cases to diss records, there is still a lot of time, and the Scorpion creator is likely to try and manoeuvre himself out of what is an embarrassing position, to say the least.
If the ‘Best I Ever Had’ rhymer persists with his defamation case against Universal Music Group, he will not permanently affect Lamar in any way. However, if he records and releases a truly devastating diss track, he could claw his way back into hip-hop culture. Still, the latter is highly unlikely, if not impossible.
For now, it appears Drake is focused on UMG and not Lamar. As such, it is over for now. However, there is still a slim chance he could revive it to save himself.