Topline
Kendrick Lamar took shots at Drake’s racial identity, music and his parenting ability in his highly anticipated Drake diss track “Euphoria,” a response to Drake’s latest disses against the rapper and the newest installment in their long-running beef, which has exploded in recent weeks and grown to involve a long list of other rappers.
Kendrick Lamar and Drake's beef has rapidly escalated this year. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images ... [+]
Key Facts
Lamar’s six-minute long diss “Euphoria” is a response to Drake’s latest diss tracks, “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which was highly anticipated after Drake dared Lamar to respond at the end of the latter song and in a now-deleted Instagram post.
Lamar slammed Drake as “calculated” and a “scam artist,” questioning his authenticity as a rapper and accusing him of being a “pathetic master manipulator.”
He took multiple shots at Drake’s biracial identity, asking: “How many more Black features 'til you finally feel that you Black enough?” and questioning whether Drake should say the n-word in his raps.
Lamar slammed Drake as a father, rapping: “I got a son to raise, but I can see you don't know nothin' 'bout that,” and referenced Drake’s infamous beef with rapper Pusha T in which he controversially revealed the identity of Drake’s son, Adonis, in a diss track.
Lamar echoed Rick Ross’ earlier Drake diss in which Ross accused Drake of getting a nose job, a procedure on his abs and other cosmetic surgeries, with Lamar rapping: “Didn't tell 'em where you get your abs from.”
Lamar slammed Drake’s previous diss track, stating he made “Pac turn in his grave” by using an AI-generated version of the late rapper Tupac Shakur’s voice—which prompted his estate to threaten to sue Drake, leading him to remove the song from his social media accounts.
Tangent
“Euphoria” prompted quick responses from other rappers, including Rick Ross, who urged Drake not to respond. “Let me give you this advice because you ain’t got nobody around you… Stop. Don’t respond. Don’t go write an eight minute verse.” Metro Boomin, Lamar’s “Like That” collaborator, tweeted: “Thank God for the day!” and a string of laughing emojis minutes after Lamar dropped his diss.
Key Background
Drake and Lamar have been embroiled in a long-running feud since 2013, but their beef rapidly escalated this year following the release of “Like That,” a song by Future and Metro Boomin featuring Lamar. On “Like That,” Lamar slammed Drake and J. Cole’s 2023 song “First Person Shooter” in which the two asserted themselves and Lamar are the “big three” of rap. Lamar rejected the idea of the “big three” on “Like That,” stating it’s “just big me.” Drake dropped “Push Ups,” the first of two diss tracks, in April, slamming Lamar’s shorter stature, his last album and his features on mainstream pop songs by Taylor Swift and Maroon 5. Drake also released “Taylor Made Freestyle” in April, featuring the AI-generated voices of Snoop Dogg and Tupac in which he dared Lamar to respond to his disses, accusing him of prolonging a response to avoid clashing with Taylor Swift’s latest releases on the charts. Lamar and Drake had previously collaborated on songs in 2011 and 2012, but in 2013, Lamar kickstarted their beef by dissing Drake and other rappers on Big Sean’s song “Control.” Lamar said he has “love” for them but wants to “murder” them and take their fans. The two have not collaborated since, and fans believe they’ve since taken subtle shots at each other in their songs.
Surprising Fact
The Drake-Lamar feud has escalated to include a continuously growing group of other rappers and artists, some of whom have been named on diss tracks or others who have jumped into the beef themselves. J. Cole had been involved in the beef since he rapped about himself, Drake and Lamar being the “big three” on “First Person Shooter.” Lamar had dissed both Drake and J. Cole in response on “Like That,” prompting J. Cole to diss Lamar on his own track, “7 Minute Drill.” Just days after dropping his response, J. Cole disavowed “7 Minute Drill” and said he felt pressured to drop a diss because “the world wanna see blood.” Ross released a Drake diss track, “Champagne Moments,” accusing Drake of using ghostwriters (an accusation Drake has repeatedly denied) and getting numerous cosmetic procedures. Kanye West, who also has a long-running beef with Drake, entered the feud last week with a remix of “Like That,” in which he slammed Drake’s music and criticized his large deal with Universal Music Group. West said in an appearance on Justin LaBoy’s “The Download” podcast that Future had called him to the studio to record the remix, adding he and his collaborators were energized for the “elimination of Drake.”
Further Reading
J. Cole Backs Down From Kendrick Lamar Feud Two Days After Dropping ‘7 Minute Drill’ Diss Track (Forbes)
Drake And Rick Ross Beef: What To Know About The Diss Tracks, Nose Job Allegations And ‘BBL Drizzy’ (Forbes)
