Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s explosive feud dominated headlines throughout 2024, and it shows no signs of ending. Over the past year, the two hip-hop titans have exchanged personal jabs through a series of diss tracks, including Not Like Us and Family Matters. While the former collaborators seem far from reconciliation, their relationship wasn’t always contentious. Here’s a breakdown of how their rivalry unfolded, leading up to Lamar’s highly anticipated Super Bowl 2025 halftime show performance. Image from
Early Collaborations: A Friendly Start
2011: Lamar Featured on Drake’s Take Care
Kendrick Lamar was featured on Drake’s Buried Alive Interlude, a track from his second studio album, Take Care. Lamar, then emerging as the West Coast’s next big star, rapped:
“So blame it on Mr. OVOXO / The reason why I’m breathin’ all the vanity I know.”
2012: Drake Invites Lamar to Open on His Tour
Drake invited Lamar and A$AP Rocky to open for his Club Paradise Tour. Reflecting on this decision in his 2016 song 4 PM in Calabasas, Drake rapped:
“When they told me take an R&B n—a on the road / And I told ’em no and drew for Kendrick and Rocky / I tried to make the right choices with the world watching.”
2012: Drake and Lamar Collaborate Again
The two joined forces on A$AP Rocky’s hit F–kin’ Problems, which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. They also collaborated on Lamar’s Poetic Justice from his album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. This marked their last collaboration on a song together.
The Feud Begins: Lamar’s Early Disses
2013: Lamar Disses Drake on Big Sean’s Control
In August 2013, Lamar took aim at Drake and several other rappers on Big Sean’s Control, rapping:
“I got love for you all, but I’m trying to murder you n—as / Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you n—as / They don’t want to hear not one more noun or verb from you n—as.”
Drake responded in a Billboard interview, dismissing Lamar’s verse as “an ambitious thought” and asserting, “I know good and well that [Lamar]’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform.”
2013: Lamar Continues Shots at BET Hip Hop Awards
During the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards cypher, Lamar threw more shade at Drake:
“Nothing’s been the same since they dropped ‘Control’ / And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes / Ha ha, joke’s on you, high-five … I’m bulletproof / Your shots will never penetrate / Pin the tail on the donkey / Boy, you been a fake.”
Drake later told Vibe magazine he felt “baited” by Lamar’s disses but maintained respect for his talent, saying, “I think he’s a f–king genius in his own right, but I also stood my ground as I should.”
The Feud Reignites: 2023-2024
October 2023: Drake and J. Cole Mention Lamar on First Person Shooter
Drake and J. Cole collaborated on First Person Shooter, where Cole name-dropped Lamar:
“Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three like we started a league / But right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.”
March 2024: Lamar Responds on Like That
Lamar fired back on Future and Metro Boomin’s Like That, dismissing the “big three” narrative:
“F–k sneak dissin’, first-person shooter / I hope they came with three switches / Motherf–k the big three / N—a, it’s just big me.”
He also took a shot at Drake’s For All the Dogs album:
“For all your dogs gettin’ buried / That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see ‘Pet Sematary.’”
April 2024: Drake Releases Push Ups
Drake responded with Push Ups, mocking Lamar’s height and Top Dawg Entertainment deal:
“Hugs and kisses, man, don’t tell me ’bout no switches / I’ll be rockin’ every f–kin’ chain I own next visit, ay / I be with some bodyguards like Whitney / Top say drop, your little midget ass better f–kin’ / Ay, better drop and give me 50.”
April 2024: Drake Drops Taylor Made Freestyle
Drake used AI-generated voices of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg to diss Lamar, prompting a cease-and-desist from Tupac’s estate. The song was later removed from streaming services.
April 30, 2024: Lamar Releases Euphoria
Lamar’s six-minute diss track Euphoria targeted Drake’s authenticity, use of the N-word, and alleged ghostwriting:
“You’re not a rap artist, you a scam artist with the hopes of being accepted / Tommy Hilfiger stood out, but FUBU never had been your collection.”
May 2024: Lamar Drops 6:16 in LA
Lamar claimed Drake had a mole in his camp:
“Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me? / Fake bully, I hate bullies / Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.”
May 3, 2024: Drake Releases Family Matters
Drake accused Lamar of domestic violence and infidelity:
“When you put your hands on your girl, is it self-defense ’cause she bigger than you? / They hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen.”
May 2024: Lamar Responds with Meet the Grahams
Lamar addressed Drake’s family, alleging he hid a daughter:
“He don’t commit to much but his music, yeah, that’s for sure / He a narcissist, misogynist, livin’ inside his songs / Try destroy families rather than takin’ care of his own.”
May 2024: Lamar Drops Not Like Us
Lamar accused Drake of predatory behavior:
“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one / To any bitch that talk to him and they in love / Just make sure you hide your little sister from him.”
May 5, 2024: Drake Denies Allegations on The Heart Part 6
Drake refuted Lamar’s claims:
“I never been with no one underage / If I was f–king young girls, I promise I’d have been arrested.”
The Feud Escalates: 2024 Highlights
June 2024: Lamar Performs Not Like Us at Juneteenth Concert
Lamar performed the diss track five times at his Juneteenth show, with Dr. Dre and other West Coast stars joining him on stage.
July 2024: Lamar Releases Not Like Us Music Video
The video featured Lamar’s fiancée, Whitney Alford, and their children, alongside symbolic shots targeting Drake.
September 2024: Lamar Named Super Bowl LIX Halftime Performer
Lamar was announced as the headliner for the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, with SZA as a guest performer.
November 2024: Lamar Drops Album GNX
On GNX, Lamar shut down any possibility of reconciliation with Drake:
“I never peaced it up, that s–t don’t sit well with me / Before I take a truce, I’ll take ’em to hell with me.”
November 2024: Drake Accuses UMG of Inflating Lamar’s Streams
Drake filed legal motions against Universal Music Group, alleging they artificially boosted Not Like Us to damage his reputation.
February 2025: Lamar Wins Five Grammys for Not Like Us
Lamar’s diss track swept the 2025 Grammys, winning Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, and Best Rap Performance.
The feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake remains one of the most explosive in hip-hop history, with both artists using their music to trade personal and professional blows. As Lamar prepares for his Super Bowl performance, the rivalry shows no signs of cooling down.
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