Hip-hop has been very interesting over the last few weeks due to the ongoing beef between Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole.Â
Lamar delivered the first punch when he denounced himself as part of the “Big 3” on Future and Metro Boomin’s single “Like That.”Â
J. Cole followed up with his long-winded feelings on “7-Mintue Drill,” less than a week later, in front of a live Dreamville audience, he apologized for the song and pulled it off streaming platforms. While social media criticized his decision, it proved to be a smart move. Â
Drake’s back-to-back April 19 releases, “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” gave him a leg up on the competition, but it turned out to be the quiet before the storm.
The 10-day lul between Drizzy’s diss tracks was strategic study time for Lamar. The “Humble” artist dropped “Euphoria” and opened rap-fued doors that fans haven’t seen since Nas and Jay Z went bar for bar from 1996 to 2001.
Lamar starts this verbal assault over a slow and calm beat, which refers to Drake’s inability to keep up with his public persona. He then switches to a rapid-fire flow, pointing out Drake’s attempts to infiltrate and imitate Black culture.Â
While fans were still dissecting each artist’s efforts from last week, the weekend took a wild turn.Â
“6:16 in LA” by Kendrick Lamar (Friday, May 3, 2024)
Following up on his “back-to-back” promise he made in “Euphoria,” Lamar’s “6:16 in LA” was released before Drizzy could get back in the booth. Lamar recruited Jack Antonoff for the track’s production. Antonoff’s frequent work with Taylor Swift made his involvement seem like a personal dig at Drake’s “Taylor Made.”
The jabs in the song were mild; however, Lamar sent Drake a warning by insinuating that someone from his OVO camp could be a mole.
“Are you finally ready to play have-you-ever? Let’s see/ Have you ever thought that OVO is workin’ for me?/ Fake bully, I hate bullies, you must be a terrible person /Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.”
As K.Dot planted seeds of doubt into his opponent’s head, the devil was also in the details with “6:16 in LA.”
6/16 is Father’s Day in several countries, including Drake’s native Canada. The reference could be a shot at Drake’s relationship with his son Adonis and his storied relationship with his father, Dennis. The date is also the birthdate of the late rapper Tupac. In “Euphoria,” Lamar reprimanded Drake for using a cringeworthy AI version of the rapper’s voice on his “Taylor Made” track. He also expressed dissatisfaction with Drake’s purchase of the legend’s million-dollar ring.Â
“Family Matters” by Drake (Friday, May 3, 2024)
“Family Matters” clocks in at 7 minutes and 37 seconds, and Drake does his best to expose some of Lamar’s dark secrets. Using the van from Lamar’s Good Kid m.A.A.d City album cover was a good touch. He spoke of allegations of domestic abuse against Lamar’s fiancée, Whitney Alford, and the attempts to cover it up. “When you put your hands on your girl, is it self-defense ’cause she bigger than you?”
Drake added. “Why did you move to New York? Is it ’cause you livin’ that bachelor life? / Proposed in 2015, but don’t wanna make her your actual wife.” He later said, “They hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen.”
The rapper also claimed that Dave Free, the former president of Lamar’s record label, Top Dog Entertainment, is his son’s father. “I heard that one of them little kids might be Dave Free/Don’t make it Dave Free’s / ‘Cause if your GM is your BM secret BD / Then this is all makin’ plenty f**kin sense to me.”
“Meet the Grahams” by Kendrick Lamar (Saturday, May 4, 2024)
Lamar’s answer to “Family Matters” came just hours later. It was a dark letter penned to Drake’s loved ones signed by “the boogeyman.” On a haunting beat, he holds nothing back from the top of the song.Â
“Dear Adonis I’m sorry that that man is your father/let me be honest it takes a man to be a man your dad is not responsive/ I look at him and wish your grandpa woulda wore a condom.”
He tells Drake’s mother, Sandra, that her son is a “sick man” with pedophilic thoughts and brings receipts to prove his point. The biggest bomb is dropped when he reveals that Drake allegedly has another child that he is hiding from the world. He rapped his apologies to the 11-year-old girl.
 “Dear baby girl / I’m sorry that your father not active inside your world.”
“Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar (Saturday, May 4, 2024)
As if he didn’t get everything off his chest in “Meet The Grahams,” Lamar put an exclamation on his Drake-hate with “Not Like Us.” This time, the Compton native gave us a diss track to dance to with a DJ Mustard beat. Lamar doubled down on his rival’s alleged unscrupulous actions with minors.Â
“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 lil’ sister from him.”
He later rapped, “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles.”
The verse’s last line puts the nail in the coffin. “Why you trollin’ like a bitch? Ain’t you tired?/Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-Minor.”
To add insult to injury, the cover art of “Not Like Us,” was a Google image of his rival’s home with photoshopped indications of sex offenders living within the sprawling estate.
Drake’s “The Heart Part 6” (Sunday, May 5, 2024)
Committed to getting the last word of the weekend, Drake dropped “The Heart Part 6” in response to “Not Like Us.” On an Aretha Franklin sample, he alluded to Lamar taking the bait of his “fake daughter” and other false information, which he says the rapper spewed in his previous disses.Â
“We plotted for a week and then we fed you the information/A daughter that’s eleven years old, I bet he takes it/ We thought about giving a fake name or a destination/ But you so thirsty, you not concerned with investigation.”
He again emphasized the behind-the-scenes discord of Lamar’s relationship with his fiancé and online engagement with Dave Free.
“And why isn’t Whitney denying all of the allegations/ Why is she following Dave Free and not Mr. Morale/ You haven’t seen the kids in six months, the distance is wild/ Dave leaving heart emojis underneath pics of the child.”
Drake finished the five-minute rant by speaking directly to his opponent and denying the talks of him having relationships with underage girls. “You would be a worthy competitor if I was really a predator and you weren’t f—–g lying to every blog or an editor but it is what it is,” he said.Â
While no one is sure if the beef is over, rap fans are rejoicing at the abilities that both rappers have displayed bar for bar. The content of their lyrics and the strategy of their attacks have prompted endless conversations outside of just taking sides.
If you’re keeping score, this one is up in the air.
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