Drake Vs. Kendrick Lamar – Who Won?

The beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has turned into a bloodbath — Kendrick has released four diss tracks in four days, each more brutal than the last, and Drake appears to be struggling to keep up.

The increasingly ugly feud between the two artists has taken over the internet, with commentators analyzing lyrics, debating the origins of the beef and arguing over which of the two artists is “winning.”

What’s The Latest On The Drake Vs. Kendrick Lamar Beef?

Both rappers have launched serious (and so far, unsubstantiated) allegations of abuse at one another through their diss tracks; Drake has accused Lamar of physically assaulting his fiancée, Whitney Alford, while Lamar has accused Drake and his inner circle of pursuing underage women.

Both have attacked their opponent’s parenting and artistic integrity, each diss tracks a laundry list of scorching strokes. Hip-hop beefs have spiraled out of control before, but this feud seems deeply personal, far removed from performative play-fighting.

Lamar’s most recent track, “Not Like Us,” saw Lamar double down on his allegations, labeling Drake a “certified pedophile.” Drake’s response, “The Heart Part 6,” sees the Canadian rapper on the defensive, repeatedly denying Lamar’s claims.

Drake, one of the world’s best-selling music artists, boasting more than 81 million monthly listeners on Spotify, has been reduced to singing lyrics such as, “I never been with no one underage.”

Many internet commentators compared Drake’s song to it https://twitter.com/PanasonicDX4500/status/1787299055179018428 from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiain which a similar scenario was played for laughs.

Lamar has yet to respond to “The Heart Part 6,” but the internet is expecting him to release another scorcher any day now, with Lamar hinting on his most recent track, “Not Like Us,” that he has many more on the horizon , rapping:

“How many stocks do I really have in stock? / One, two, three, four, five, plus five.”

How Did The Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar Feud Escalate?

Timelines of the beef begin with the 2023 collaboration between Drake and J. Cole, “First Person Shooter,” in which J. Cole declares himself, Drake and Lamar as the “big three” of rap.

Lamar objected to the framing of the “big three,” describing himself as “just big me.”

Drake’s playful response, “Push Ups,” mocked Lamar’s height and his collaboration with Taylor Swift. While waiting for a response from Lamar, Drake followed up with “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which featured the AI-generated voice of the late Tupac Shakur.

The role of generative AI in the arts is already incredibly controversial, and “Taylor Made Freestyle” was soon deleted from social media after Shakur’s estate threatened Drake with legal action.

Perhaps it was the “big three” comment, the use of AI to mimic Shakur, or something more personal between the two rappers, but Lamar did not hold back in his retaliatory diss track, “Euphoria.”

The track was viewed as a surprisingly intense take down of Drake, highlighted by the now-famous lyrics: “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress.”

Lamar went straight for the jugular, tearing into Drake’s personality, identity and public image — Lamar also hinted that he would take the feud even further if need be, and implied that he had insider knowledge of Drake’s inner circle.

Many commentators saw Drake as hopeless https://twitter.com/HARB0RS/status/1786743210640806215with Lamar viewed as not just a talented lyricist, but a ruthless brawler who was never going to back down.

Drake responded with “Family Matters,” which matched the more aggressive tone of Lamar.

In the song, Drake accuses Lamar of infidelity and domestic violence, and tore into Lamar’s image as a socially conscious rapper, essentially labeling him a hypocrite: “You just actin’ like an activist, it’s make-believe.”

In an extraordinary twist, Lamar released a seemingly pre-written response in less than an hour, “Meet the Grahams,” taking the feud down a darker road.

The song begins with Lamar directly addressing Drake’s son, moving through the members of Drake’s family one-by-one, with Lamar throwing just about every imaginable insult, and accusing Drake of hiding a secret daughter from the public.

Many listeners were alarmed by the viciousness of Lamar’s lyrics.

Just as the tone of the discourse began to shift, Lamar dropped another diss track, “Not Like Us,” which doubled down on his claims that Drake and his team pursued underage women.

This track proved https://twitter.com/HipHopArtPrints/status/1787252738545311980 with listeners, who found the song catchy and https://twitter.com/wowthatshiphop/status/1786912980120027154despite the intensity of the subject matter.

Drake responded with “The Heart Part 6,” but listeners found it https://twitter.com/Kurrco/status/1787347686049419582and many commentators have already declared Lamar as the victor.

“The Heart Part 6” sees Drake push back against Lamar’s accusations by speculating that Lamar was abused as a child, based on a misinterpretation of the song “Mother I Sober.”

Drake also claimed to have deliberately planted the story about a secret daughter to expose Lamar’s accusations as baseless.

What’s Next For The Drake Vs. Kendrick Lamar Beef?

Drake concluded “The Heart Part 6” with the implication that he was done with the feud, rapping: “You could drop a hundred more records, I’ll see you later.”

At the time of writing, Lamar has yet to respond — given the largely negative reaction to Drake’s song, he might be biding his time.

Drake is generally believed to have lost the battle, but fans of both singers are still debating the merits of their arguments, and some believe that the reputation of the two artists has already been torched.

Many viewed Drake’s previous diss track, “Family Matters,” as an impressive piece of work that was immediately overshadowed by Lamar’s prompt response.

Considering the seriousness of the allegations that have been thrown around, it might be some time before the dust clears and the discourse shifts, especially if evidence emerges to support any of the claims.

There’s a good argument to be made that neither of the two singers have emerged victorious — only bruised and bloodied.