Drake and Kendrick Lamar's Feud: A Timeline from Its Origins to the Super Bowl
- NewsBlend360
- Feb 5
- 7 min read
By NEWS BLEND 360
Updated 6:48 PM EST, February 5, 2025
Drake versus Kendrick Lamar is the most significant rivalry in recent rap history. This conflict has extended far beyond typical lyrical battles, although there has been plenty of that as well. It has led to multiple legal actions and a remarkable revolt against their mutual record label. It resulted in a song that recently won two of the major Grammys and is almost certain to be performed at the Super Bowl this weekend.
However, it wasn’t always like this. They were once collaborators: on Drake’s 2011 track “Buried Alive Interlude,” on Lamar’s 2012 track “Poetic Justice,” and on A$AP Rocky’s “(Expletive) ’ Problems” that same year.
This didn’t last. In 2013, the Pulitzer Prize winner Lamar appeared on Big Sean’s “Control,” where he called out several contemporary rappers, including J. Cole, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean himself, and Drake.
“I got love for you all, but I’m trying to murder you,” he rapped. “Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you.”
Drake responded in a Billboard cover story, stating “Kendrick’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform.” Lamar took another shot shortly after, at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
The rappers exchanged occasional disses over the following years. Drake had conflicts with other artists, most notably Pusha T in 2018, when the latter released “The Story of Adidon,” revealing Drake is a father.
In October 2023, J. Cole might have unintentionally reignited the rivalry on “First Person Shooter” with Drake. He rapped “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?” referring to Lamar and Drake’s real name, Aubrey Graham.
Then, just over a year ago, the situation escalated dramatically. Here’s a timeline of the major events. It should be noted that diss tracks between rappers often contain exaggerated truths and unverified rumors for dramatic effect.
March 22: Lamar takes a jab at Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s track “Like That.”
Lamar raps about “The big three,” referring back to J. Cole, and asserts, “It’s just big me.”
He mentions Drake’s 2023 album “For All the Dogs,” and draws a comparison between himself and Prince while likening Drake to Michael Jackson: “Prince outlived Mike Jack.”
April 13: Drake’s “Push Ups” leaks
Drake's response is leaked. He raps, "You're not part of any Big Three, SZA has overshadowed you, Travis has overshadowed you, Savage has overshadowed you." (It was later revealed that SZA would collaborate with Lamar for the Super Bowl.)
April 24: Drake responds with a second, AI-assisted diss track and pulls in Taylor Swift
Drake's second diss track utilized artificial intelligence technology to feature verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg, both of whom are influences on Lamar. In his own verse, Drake claims that Lamar is postponing his response track due to the upcoming release of Taylor Swift's “The Tortured Poets Department.” (Lamar worked with Swift on “Bad Blood.”)
Tupac’s estate threatened legal action against Drake, prompting him to take down the song from his social media channels.
April 30: Lamar hits back with a nearly six-and-a-half-minute track, “Euphoria”
This is where things become more intricate. Lamar’s “Euphoria” strikes like a masterpiece, presenting numerous accusations against Drake. He criticizes Drake’s rapping abilities, use of AI, appearance, racial identity, and parenting.
“I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin’ ’bout that,” Lamar raps.
The title refers to the HBO series “Euphoria,” where Drake serves as an executive producer.
May 3: Lamar releases a follow-up, “6:16 in LA”
In Lamar’s subsequent diss, named after a time and place as Drake often does, Lamar scrutinizes the company Drake keeps. “Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me? / Fake bully, I hate bullies,” he raps, alluding to Drake’s record label. “You must be a terrible person.”
As reported by Billboard, the song was produced by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff — the latter being notably Swift’s longtime producer. It samples Al Green’s “What a Wonderful Thing Love Is,” on which a relative of Drake played guitar.
May 3: Drake launches “Family Matters”
Drake responds with a music video and an almost eight-minute reply, accusing Lamar of abuse and infidelity in his relationship with his fiancée.
May 4: Lamar responds with “Meet the Grahams”
Almost immediately afterward, Lamar addresses Drake’s son in “Meet the Grahams:” “I’m sorry that man is your father.” Lamar also addresses Drake’s parents, and “a baby girl,” alleging Drake has a secret daughter.
He also labels Drake a “predator,” without elaborating.
May 4: Less than 24 hours later, Lamar drops “Not Like Us”
Lamar doubles down, releasing “Not Like Us,” produced by DJ Mustard.
“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one,” Lamar raps.
It would later reach stratospheric levels for a diss track.
May 5: Drake softens his blows on “The Heart Part 6”
Drawing inspiration from Lamar's "The Heart" series, Drake releases "The Heart Part 6." In the track "Prove It," Drake confronts Lamar's accusations, reinforces his own claims against him, and asserts that he does not have a hidden daughter.
Drake's delivery on the song is distinctly sluggish, possibly signaling a farewell with lines like, "You know, at least your fans are gettin’ some raps out of you / I’m happy I could motivate you."
May 18: ‘Not Like Us’ hits No. 1
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It stays at the top for two weeks, remains on the chart for 38 weeks, and becomes the year’s sixth-ranked song. It also achieves remarkable streaming numbers, finishing 2024 as the leading song on Apple Music’s global chart.
June 19: Lamar’s hometown celebration
Lamar celebrates with his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert at the Forum in Los Angeles. He performs “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA,” and is later joined by Dr. Dre.
The two West Coast legends perform “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love” before Dre calms the enthusiastic crowd. He then recites the “Sixth Sense” line that begins “Not Like Us”: “I see dead people.”
A crowd of 17,000, including The Weeknd, LeBron James, Ayo Edebiri, and Rick Ross, raps along to every lyric. Lamar restarts the song twice after the first verse and performs it four times in total.
September 9: Lamar heading to the Super Bowl
Lamar is revealed as the headliner for the halftime show at the Super Bowl on February 9 at the Superdome in New Orleans. SZA is subsequently announced as a guest performer, before the duo embarks on a tour together this spring.
November 8: Lamar racks up Grammy nominations for Drake diss tracks
Lamar has been nominated for seven Grammys, all for tracks dissing Drake. Two nominations are for “Like That,” the collaboration with Metro Boomin’, and five are for “Not Like Us,” which includes nominations for record of the year and song of the year.
November 25: Drake broadens the beef to courts and label
After months of relative silence, Drake brings the battle to court and escalates the conflict. He claims in a New York filing that Universal Music Group — the parent label for both him and Lamar — artificially boosted the popularity of “Not Like Us” on Spotify and other streaming platforms. The filing serves as a precursor to a potential lawsuit, requesting that the two companies retain documents.
UMG describes the allegations in the filing as “offensive and untrue.” Spotify has not publicly responded but has generally denied claims that its streaming numbers are or can be manipulated.
On the same day, Drake announces his tour in Australia for the first time in eight years, coinciding with the day Lamar performs at the Super Bowl.
November 26: Drake strikes in court again
Drake is taking action once more, now in a Texas courtroom, targeting the radio play of “Not Like Us.” His recent filing, a prelude to another lawsuit, accuses UMG of colluding with iHeartMedia, the largest radio station owner in the U.S., to artificially boost plays and statistics for the song.
iHeartMedia did not respond to a comment request from The Associated Press at that time and has not yet replied to a new request for a statement.
January 15: Drake drops the big legal bomb
Drake takes a significant legal step, with prior actions serving as preludes: He files a defamation lawsuit against UMG, claiming it released and promoted “Not Like Us” despite it containing false pedophilia accusations against him and encouraging vigilantism.
The lawsuit holds the label and the song responsible for attempted break-ins and the shooting of a security guard at Drake’s Toronto residence, as well as online hate, harassment, and the damage to his brand.
The suit does not include Lamar as a defendant.
UMG responds that the allegations are not only false but also illogical, considering their years of investment in Drake.
February 2: Lamar wins five Grammys, including two of the biggest for ‘Not Like Us’
Just a week before his Super Bowl headlining performance, Lamar and "Not Like Us" have a remarkable night at the Grammy Awards. The song secures both song of the year and record of the year, with Lamar winning five awards in total.
Lamar is humble and upbeat in his win, choosing not to mention Drake and stating, "We’re gonna dedicate this one to the city," before acknowledging neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area.
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This story first moved May 7, 2024, and was resent on Feb. 5, 2025, to update with legal developments, Lamar’s Grammy wins and upcoming Super Bowl performance and Drake’s Australia tour.
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