Who Are Drake and Kendrick?

Aubrey Graham, also known as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. He first rose to fame in 2001 when he joined the hit teen drama, Degrassi: The Next Generation, as Jimmy Brooks. Drake wouldn’t obtain mainstream commercial success as a rapper until 2009, though. According to Billboard, his third mixtape, So Far Gone, garnered Drake so much success that it resulted in possibly the “biggest bidding [war] ever” between three major record labels. This was just the beginning for the Canadian rapper, though. As of 2024, The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) ranks Drake as the highest-certified digital singles artist in the United States.

Kendrick Lamar is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He first achieved mainstream commercial success in 2011, following the release of his debut album, Section.80. From there, his fame only grew. Kendrick’s second album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, would become “the longest-charting hip hop studio album in Billboard 200 history,” according to Wikipedia. He would achieve his first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single in 2015 for his feature on the remix of Bad Blood by Taylor Swift. In 2018, Kendrick Lamar’s fourth studio album, Damn, would earn him a Pulitzer Prize for Music. According to The Associated Press, he made “history as the first non-classical or jazz artist to win the prestigious prize.”

Were Kendrick and Drake Friends?

Believe it or not, Kendrick and Drake didn’t always have beef. They started as friends and even were collaborators at one point. In 2011, Drake asked Kendrick to feature on Buried Alive Interlude, a song off the Canadian rapper’s second studio album. The record was met with rave reviews, and when the time came for Drake to choose who would open for him on his Club Paradise tour, the choice was clear. Shortly after, the pair would work on two additional tracks. The first being Fuckin’ Problems, from A$AP Rocky’s debut album, and the second being Poetic Justic, from Kendrick’s second album. Ironically, Poetic Justice would be Drake and Kendrick’s last collaboration ever.

Drake vs Kendrick Beef Timeline

Why Do Drake and Kendrick Have Beef?

Legend says, the rappers started beefing in 2013, when Kendrick Lamar took a (cheeky) jab at Drake. Soon after the success of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City skyrocketed Lamar to fame, he was asked to feature on Big Sean’s Control. Billboard calls Lamar’s verse a “searing take on his stance on the rap game [that] shook the landscape…” Drake wasn’t the only one Kendrick took a jab at, though. In fact, Lamar name-dropped Jermaine Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Wale, Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Jay Electron,’ Tyler, and Mac Miller as well.

BET reports, some rappers took it all in good fun, while others got “caught up in their feelings via Twitter and on tracks.” Drake fell into the latter category. During an interview with Billboard, he told the publication: “I didn’t really have anything to say about it. It just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that [Lamar]‘s not murdering me, at all, in any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic.”

In response, Kendrick dissed Drake again during the BET Hip-Hop awards. It was there, he rapped: “Nothing’s been the same since they dropped ‘Control’/ And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes”

Who Started the Drake and Kendrick Beef?

Many pop culture commentators say Kendrick is the one who lit the match, but other die-hard fans of rap disagree. Call outs or “disses” between frequent collaborators and/or friends isn’t unusual in this world. While rap novices may not find the banter lighthearted, connoisseurs see these exchanges as an integral part of the genre’s culture. In other words, don’t hate the player- hate the game. Or, to take from another cliché, if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.

The Degrassi alum’s Billboard interview marked the end of his friendship with the Humble rapper, but their feud wouldn’t become mainstream news again until 2023. In October of that year, Drake and J. Cole teamed up to release First Person Shooter. It was their first Hot 100 No. 1 song together, and the lines: “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” instantly went viral.

Kendrick released his response in March 2024 as a feature on Future & Metro Boomin’s Like That. In the hit song, Lamar raps: “Fuck sneak dissin’, first-person shooter / I hope they came with three switches,” and says the iconic line: “Motherfuck” the big three, n—a, it’s just big me.”

A month later, Drake responds by releasing Push Ups on streaming services. According to Billboard, this diss track “mocks Kendrick’s small stature — notably his foot size with the cover art — and his deal with Top Dawg Entertainment.” Less than a week later, Drake drops another diss track, titled Taylor Made Freestyle, featuring A.I. vocals in the voices of Tupac and Snoop Dogg. The rap mocks Lamar by referencing his previous collaboration with Taylor Swift, insinuating that he hasn’t responded to Push Ups yet because he’s too scared of upsetting Taylor by potentially taking the spotlight off The Tortured Poets Department release.

Taylor Made Freestyle was short-lived (Tupac’s Estate threatened to sue him if he didn’t scrub the song from his pages), but it might have been the snowball that started the avalanche. Six days later, Kendrick dropped Euphoria; a scathing six-minute roast in which Lamar calls Drake out for using the N-word, questions his fashion sense, his hip-hop merits, and more.

Euphoria marks a clear shift in Kendrick’s delivery from playful to punitive. Less than 72 hours after gagging the internet, Lamar dropped his second attack: 6:16 in LA. This track claims Drake has a mole in the OVO crew. Kendrick then backs up his claim by posting pictures the mole allegedly sent him of personal items inside Drake’s home.

Drake replied with Family Matters, alleging that Kendrick’s relationship is riddled with infidelity. He also called out Metro for involving himself, rapping “Metro shut your hoe ass up and make some drums”. Minutes later, Kendrick released Meet the Grahams– his most brutal diss track by far. The track accuses Drake of being an addict, a deadbeat father, having a secret child, letting pedophiles into OVO, using a ghost writer, and getting cosmetic surgeries.

Before Drake had a chance to respond, Kendrick dropped his final diss, titled Not Like Us. To call the song a hit is an understatement. It went viral instantly and instantly declared Lamar the winner in the court of public opinion. Not Like Us accuses the OVO team AND Drake of being pedophiles. The cover art is a photo of Drake’s Toronto mansion, tagged with six red sex offender markers.

The next day, Drake finally released a response. In The Heart Pt. 6, he denies having a secret child, claims he fed Kendrick that fake information, and doubles down on the infidelity allegations against Lamar. Billboard says, “Drake’s response, delivered with unfiltered candor, left many fans divided. While some saw it as a valiant effort, others felt it was a little too late for the Canadian rap star…”

Can Kendrick Lamar Be Sued for Defamation?

Potentially, yes — if Drake can prove actual malice. Public figures, such as celebrities, politicians, and prominent business leaders, face a higher burden of proof in defamation lawsuits. They must demonstrate “actual malice,” proving that the false statement was made with reckless disregard of whether — or with knowledge that it was — false.

According to Daniel Warner, lawyer and co-founder of RM Warner Law, this means presenting clear and convincing evidence that the defendant “was aware that the information being published was false, or suspected it to be false, but [proceeded to publish] it anyways.” He goes on to say that, “[oftentimes], a court will seek evidence regarding the defendant’s state of mind at the time the statement was made and even evaluate the steps the defendant took to research and fact check the statement in question.”

However, defamation lawyer, Daniel Warner, made a note to highlight that “some statements are so inherently damaging that they are automatically considered defamatory. These statements are classified as defamation per se, and encompass accusations of criminal activity, sexual misconduct, loathsome disease, and/or professional incompetence.”

What Did Kendrick Accuse Drake Of?

• “You lied about your ghostwriters, you lied about your crew members” –Meet the Grahams
• “Him and Weinstein should get fucked up in a cell for the rest they life / He hates Black women, hypersexualizes ’em with kinks of a nympho fetish” –Meet the Grahams
• “You got gamblin’ problems, drinkin’ problems, pill-poppin’ and spendin’ problems / Bad with money, whorehouse / Solicitin’ women problems, therapy’s a lovely start” –Meet the Grahams
• “He got sex offenders on ho-VO that he keep on a monthly allowance / A child should never be compromised and he keepin’ his child around them / And we gotta raise our daughters knowin’ there’s predators like him lurkin’” –Meet the Grahams

Seems like Kendrick’s lines fit the description of defamation per se perfect, so why hasn’t Drake filed a defamation lawsuit yet? Daniel Warner doesn’t want to speculate, but he did say the prevailing theory online seems to be that Drake doesn’t want to open himself, or his crew, up to an investigation. Mr. Warner refused to comment on the validity of that take, but did say an investigation could give Drake definitive proof of his innocence, so he sees why internet sleuths may find Drake’s refusal to take legal action odd.

What Kendrick Lamar Songs Talks About Drake?

• Control by Big Sean feat. Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica
• Like That by Future & Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar
• Euphoria by Kendrick Lamar
• 6:16 in L.A. by Kendrick Lamar
• Meet the Grahams by Kendrick Lamar
• Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar

Can Drake Win His Lawsuit Against Universal Music Group?

In a surprise twist, Drake decided to sue Universal Music Group for defamation instead of Kendrick Lamar! According to NBC News, Drake claims UMG “defamed him by spreading a “false and malicious narrative” when it promoted Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.” This is in addition to his allegation that UMG conspired “to “artificially inflate” Lamar’s summer hit “Not Like Us” on Spotify by using bots, payola and other tactics.”

Universal Music Group has denied both allegations and said in a statement that “Drake has “intentionally and successfully” used the label to “distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists.” They went on to accuse Drake of “weaponizing “the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression…”

When asked what he thought of Drake’s decision to sue UMG instead of Kendrick, attorney Daniel Warner had this to say: “It’s understandable to a degree because UMG is the primary publisher of the allegedly defamatory content; however, it is a bit odd that Lamar wasn’t included in the lawsuit as well.”

UMG Files to Dismiss Drake’s Lawsuit

Variety reports, “Universal Music Group has entered a motion to dismiss the rapper’s amended [defamation] lawsuit…” This isn’t the first time that Drake’s label has filed to dismiss, though! They originally did so in March but have since refiled to specifically address Drake’s amended complaint. UMG’s newest motion to dismiss “expands on a few [initial] arguments…” and points out inconsistencies between Drake’s complaints. The company’s counsel also points out (what they believe to be) attempts at backtracking on previous allegations.

The rapper’s amended complaint was filed in March and specifically addresses events that have taken place since the initial filing.

Drake’s UMG Defamation Lawsuit Dismissed

Universal Music Group’s motion to dismiss Drake’s defamation lawsuit has been granted! According to TMZ, the judge found Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us lyrics to be “nonactionable opinion.” The judge explained, “even accusations of criminal behavior are not actionable if, understood in context, they are opinion rather than fact.” The context being the allegations were delivered via diss track. Therefore, “the average person would not interpret it as fact… [nor would they be] under the impression a diss track is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation.”